National Capital Region

Schools Division Office

ANDRES BONIFACIO INTEGRATED SCHOOL
Addition Hills, Welfareville Compound,
City of Mandaluyong
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Legalization of divorce in the

Philippines

Name: Kim Ronald Mahusay

Section: Grade 12 ICT-1

Teacher: Ms. Jennifer D. Ilumin

Divorce in the Philippines has been a controversial issue since its inception in 1991. Many
people do not know but the mention of divorce was first seen in the Philippine Congress in
the year 1991. Representative Manual C. Ortega created and filed House Bill #6993 to
allow for divorce. It wasn’t until 2001 when the Philippines once again heard of another
filing to allow divorce by Senator Rodolfo G. Biazon and Bellaflor J. Angara-Castillo under
House Bill #878 and Senate Bill #782. Again in 2005 Liza Masa of the Gabriela Women’s
Party also filed a divorce petition during the 14th Congress under House Bill #3461.

Today the divorce debate in the House of Representatives is gaining speed with additional
filings year after year. Many congressmen and law makers are against the bill including
Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao who is most famous in the sport of boxing.
Pacquiao has taken his stance in a rather bazaar set of circumstances since he himself was
served with divorce papers from his wife Jinkee in 2012. Manny Pacquiao was and still is
against the Reproductive Health Bill or the RH Bill as Filipino’s branded it. Manny also
stands against the turning tide of despair for those caught in the crossroads of an every
daunting task of making divorce law. Divorce has been at the forefront of legislation for
decades. In ancient times divorce was presented to the courts and those looking for a
remedy from matrimonial issues. Those who dictate law, like that of Representative Many
Pacquiao are correct when saying “marriage should have sanctity”. The underlying
question now stands on whom or what should dictate divorce in the Philippines. Couples
living in emotional distress or wrought in abuse and disdain are not asking the courts for
what is right or wrong for them; they are asking for what is right for the people. Allowing
the Filipino people the right to divorce is in itself a form of sanctity. Without divorce those
who seek it find a state of mind where the pressure of daily life in an abusive marriage is
uplifting, sacred if you must. We are all born on this earth and every choice we make
through life has consequences, some we learn from, others we do not. Divorce is not an act
of shame or an immoral defeat; it is a choice which in fact is something we all do in our
daily lives. The act of separation is a real and definitive right and above all it is a true act of
freedom. If our own right to make choices were taken away then hasn’t our own freedom
been taken away as well? This and many other questions should bring reprieve to those
that seek it and as well to those that make it law.

Although legalizing divorce can save many individuals from bad relationships, it can also
erase the importance of marriage. The Philippines cannot lose the sanctity of marriage
because majority of Filipinos are Catholic and the family plays a big role in the Philippine
culture. On the other hand, individuals in failed marriages can always opt for an
annulment or a legal separation from their spouse. Aside from that, there isn’t really much
of a reason to legalize divorce. People just need to be completely sure of the person that
they will be marrying to be able to sustain a happy and healthy relationship.