An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Wednesday said pending divorce legislation is unconstitutional.
In a statement, CBCP’s Permanent Committee on Public Affairs (PCPA) Executive Secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano singled out the bill filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, which legalizes divorce.
Hontiveros claimed the law is pro-marriage, pro-family, and pro-children. Secillano admonished Hontiveros in her supposed attempt to “twist facts.”
“Divorce can never be pro-marriage, pro-family, and pro-children. Is she saying now that the Family Code and our Constitution are anti-family, anti-marriage, and anti-children since they do not guarantee divorce?” Secillano said.
Rather than pushing for out right divorce, Secillano urged the senator to instead push for a bill amending marital separation policies.
A divorce law is not needed in the country as there are already legal processes in place for couples having marital problems, Secillano said on Wednesday.
“We acknowledge that marital relationships are not always perfect. But there are legal processes already available to couples on verge of separation,” Secillano said in an interview.
Currently, estranged couples in the country have the option to file an annulment of marriage or legal separation.
Secillano’s remark came after a Senate hearing tackled a measure allowing divorce in the country, where supporters of the measure, primarily victims of abuse, shared their ordeal.
“Why can’t Sen. Risa Hontiveros focus on reforming these processes? They are guaranteed to be legal and constitutional. She can even make them less tedious and less expensive,” Secillano said.
The CBCP-PCPA official noted that people deserve better than pushing for something that will destroy families.
“Let’s not twist facts just to suit a particular agenda. Divorce is a form of ‘ideological colonization,’” Secillano added.
Catholic Church officials have repeatedly opposed the passage of divorce law, saying that it is anti-marriage and anti-family.
The Philippines and the Vatican City are the remaining two nations in the world where divorce is outlawed. With PNA
Image credits: PNA
