MANILA, Philippines – For the second time, a measure seeking to again legalize divorce in the Philippines hurdles the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers approved House Bill 9349, or “An Act Reinstituting Absolute Divorce as an Alternative Mode for the Dissolution of Marriage,” was approved on third and final reading on May 22 just before Congress went on sine die. However, exactly a week later, Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman wrote to House Secretary General Reginald Velasco regarding the delay of the transmittal of the bill to the Senate.
The House still apparently needed to report the correction made on the voting. The Office of the Secretary General’s staff announced a 126-109-20 vote during plenary, but corrected the results to 131-126-109 the next day.
In this Rappler Talk episode, political and public health reporter Kaycee Valmonte talks to Lagman – the principal author of the divorce bill – to discuss efforts to legalize divorce in the Philippines.
Bookmark this page to watch the interview on Thursday, May 30. – Rappler.com