'People fall in love,

people fall out of love:'

Netizens debate divorce
As the Senate continues to hear 3 divorce bills, Filipinos online weigh
in on legalizing divorce in the country

As the Senate continued to hear 3 divorce bills on Tuesday,

September 17, Filipinos online weighed in on legalizing divorce in the
country.

The following are the names of the divorce bills:

 Senate Bill No. 67 - Recognizing the Foreign Decree of

Termination of Marriage
 Senate Bill Nos. 288 and 356 - Instituting Absolute Divorce
and Dissolution of Marriage in the Philippines
 Senate Bill No. 504 - Recognizing the Civil Effects of Church
Annulment Decree
The controversial absolute divorce bills, filed by Senators Risa
Hontiveros and Pia Cayateno, seek to go beyond psychological
incapacity, lack of consent, incapability to bear children, among
others, as acceptable reasons for an annulment.

Besides Vatican City, the Philippines is the only nation in the world
that does not have a divorce law. (READ: [OPINION | Dash of SAS]
The Divorce Bill: Legislating love, sex and marriage)

At the hearing, Hontiveros said that Filipinos, especially women and

children, "should be free from abusive and loveless relationships" to
be given another chance in life. (READ: Hontiveros: Divorce bill is
'pro-family, pro-children')

In March 2018, a Social Weather Station survey found that majority of

Filipinos support legalizing divorce in the country. Does this still hold
true today?

On Tuesday, Rappler ran a conversation on legalizing divorce in the

country, and netizens seemed to have clashing opinions about it.

Yes to divorce

For Joy Marcial, legalizing divorce would give someone who's trapped
in an abusive and unhealthy relationship a chance to start a new life.

"If you don’t believe in it and don't want to get a divorce, then don't get
one. But don't deprive others of the chance to start over and turn a
new leaf after enduring years trapped in a bad marriage," wrote
Marcial.

The same sentiment was echoed by Roena Cameron, saying that

many women are still suffering from trauma because of an abusive
relationship. She then recounted her traumatic experience with her
husband that eventuallly affected their children.

Netizen Marie Shuck appealed to those who oppose the bill to stop citing
Bible verses to defend their stand and instead try to look at it from the lens
of women who were abused by their husbands.

No to divorce

Religious groups and supporters see the measure as evil, "anti-

family," and detrimental to the children. The Bible, after all, says what
God united let no man tear apart. (READ: [OPINION] Divorce and the
religious response)
For Raymond Braganza, legalizing divorce is not the best solution for
broken marriages. Acccording to him, lawmakers should amend
existing laws on marriages, like raising the age requirement for
someone to get married.

Senator Joel Villanueva said he will "definitely oppose" the divorce bill
when it reaches the plenary. He said he supports "equal access" to
annulment, which he branded "anti-poor." (READ: Divorce bill? Villanueva
says 'over my dead body)

President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier expressed his opposition on

legalizing divorce because it would negatively affect the children of the
couple. (READ: Duterte against divorce – Malacañang)

People fall in love, people fall out of love. The consequences are bad to
horrifying. But the welfare of the young kids should always be paramount
Charles G Blond II