Hontiveros urges Senate to schedule plenary debates on divorce bill

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday is hoping that the Senate will schedule the plenary deliberations on the bill legalizing divorce in the Philippines.

The chairperson of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality made the remark a day after a similar bill was sponsored in the House of Representatives.

In September last year, the Senate panel released the committee report which contained the consolidated bill expanding the grounds for dissolution of marriage and instituting divorce in the country.

However, its sponsorship has not been scheduled in the Senate plenary since its committee approval.

“Napapirmahan ko na months ago yung committee report on ng Senate Committee on Women tungkol sa dissolution of marriage—pero hindi pa siya scheduled for plenary interpellation and debate,” Hontiveros said in a press conference on Wednesday.

(I signed the committee report on the dissolution of marriage months ago, but it has not yet been scheduled for plenary interpellation and debate.)

“Sa panahon ngayon, umaasa ako na tulad ng maraming importanteng bills na antala dahil sa malaki at matinding kaguluhan tungkol sa [Charter change], ay maidinig na rin alang-alang sa pagtugon ng Senado sa iba’t ibang sitwasyon na kinaruroonan ng ating mga kababayan na nakakaranas ng mga kalunos-lunos na sitwasyon na hindi tama sa kasal, hindi tama sa pamilya tulad ng pandadahas, iba’t ibang porma ng karahasan, kapabayaan. Kumbaga, hindi yan yung ninanais nating lahat sa usapin ng marriage at family life,” she added.

(I hope that like the many other important bills that got delayed due to the chaos over Charter change, the bill may be discussed so that the Senate may turn its attention to Filipinos suffering abuse, brutality, and neglect in a marriage.)

Hontiveros expressed hope that the Senate will give the divorce bill a “fair hearing” and that the chamber can “get back on track” after the charter change talks.

“I hope na within this Congress, mabigyan ng fair hearing ng Senado,” she added.

(I hope that within this Congress, the bill will be given a fair hearing in the Senate.) — BM, GMA Integrated News