Are you for or against the legalization of the Divorce Bill??

Monday 30 May 2011

Divorce in the Philippines: What is the fuss all about?

Divorce, morally speaking, is also called the dissolution of marriage, a complete violation of the holy sacrament of matrimony and a 360 degree turn against the vows and promises made by a couple to each other under the oath of God. In layman’s term, this is when both man and wife decide to “split-up” and go about their own lives separately by completely disregarding their marriage legally through a lawyer. It is a painful process for both parties (in most cases) and is legalized in almost all the countries around the world, except the Philippines. Although, marriage Annulment is allowed, divorce is not allowed. It is not acceptable as a legal act in the Philippines, even though the country is primarily run by the government; the Church still plays a big role on the laws and regulations implemented throughout the country.
Just recently, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “MANILA, Philippines—Overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Malta has voted to legalize divorce, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced on Sunday after a referendum, leaving the Philippines as the only country where it is banned.”  This has caused a huge conflict between the government and the hierarchy of the Church, but they could not do anything because majority of the population is for the legalization of divorce. Last Saturday, a poll has been made whether or not to legalize divorce after four years of separation. The Vatican announced that those Catholics who voted and who are in favour of divorce would be rejected during communion. In the Philippines, according to Philippine Daily Inquirer, Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan said “I appeal to my colleagues in Congress to let the legislative mill run its course on the divorce bill without further delay and give Filipino couples in irreparable and unhappy marriages this option.” (Ilagan,2011). She was saying that divorce is for those who are not happily married and who are going through a complicated relationship with their spouses, implying that divorce will actually “help” these married couples make their lives easier. According to Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, head of the bishops’ Episcopal Commission on Family and Life found in the Philippine Daily Inquirer website, “Referendums are merely a political, not a moral exercise,” (Arguelles,2011) because the government is planning to pass the law as a referendum. He also said that “What is right or wrong is not dependent on how many voted for it,” He was saying that the number of votes does not indicate whether or not the issue is morally right or wrong, because for the Church, it is seen as morally wrong.
 The outlook on this issue in the Philippines is widely spread and widely separated. According to reports from Philippine Daily Inquirer, AFP, Cynthia D. Balana, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Christian V. Esguerra and Jocelyn R. Uy said that “It means that the Filipino cultural values are still solid, that we are pro-family, which is a wonder because you cannot find that anywhere else in the world.” (Balana,Cabacungan,Esguerra, 2011) Some people look upon divorce as a morally wrong law to establish because the Filipino people should uphold their Christian values, while some people are actually for it. In my honest opinion, I am actually still a little confused whether or not I am for divorce; I have yet to research more on this said issue. But for now, without any conformity, I am geared towards accepting divorce as a part of the Philippine Law.  



Sources:
  1. Divorce (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce 
  2. 2.      (n.a.). After Malta vote, House body tackles divorce bill. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 31, 2011, from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/10670/after-malta-vote-house-body-tackles-divorce-bill 
  3.      Lapore, J.B. . (2010, November 11). House bill no. 1799: an act introducing divorce in the philippines [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://generaljoana.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/position-paper-against-house-bill-no-1799-an-act-introducing-divorce-in-the-philippines/