Manila Bulletin
Hontiveros on re-filing divorce bill: 'We need all the chances to find love, build nurturing families'
Hontiveros on re-filing divorce bill: 'We need all the chances to find love, build nurturing families'
Hontiveros on re-filing divorce bill: 'We need all the chances to find love, build nurturing families'
Published Jul 10, 2019 02:12 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday defended anew the measure that would institute absolute divorce in the Philippines, saying it was high-time the government provides Filipino women greater chances to find love and build nurturing families.
Senator Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) Hontiveros said she re-filed the bill with the hope that it would be finally passed into law this 18th Congress. “Karapatan nating lahat na magmahal, mahalin at maging masaya kapiling ang mga mahal natin sa buhay. Anuman ang katayuan natin sa lipunan, karapatan nating lahat na lumigaya (We have a right to love and be loved and to be happy living with our loved ones. Whatever our status is in the community, we have a right to be happy),” Hontiveros said. Hontiveros said she had high respect for individuals who choose to marry, but she also had sympathy and full support for women who may wish to be free from an abusive relationship. “They, together with their children, deserve not only a second chance, but all the chances available in this world to find true and meaningful relationships and build nurturing families,” said the senator. Under her proposed divorce measure, “psychological incapacity of either spouse,” “irreconcilable marital differences,” marital rape, or being “separated for at least 5 years” would be grounds for divorce, among others. “This measure is for all. However, I want to stress the importance of protecting women from being trapped in abusive relationships and the need to provide a legal mechanism for that protection,” she said. “Women have often been trapped in abusive unions at the cost of their and their family’s long term health,” she stressed. She said the number of women who suffer domestic violence and psychological abuse are significantly high in the Philippines. In 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) found that one in four women experience spousal violence. Hontiveros warned that unhealthy marriages bring trauma that are passed on for generations through children “The passage of a divorce law is one of the ultimate forms of freedom we can give Filipino women. When we give them the real chance to turn the page, we allow them to return to safe and nurturing homes they can call their own again. We believe that this is real respect for the sanctity of family and marriage,” she explained. “It is our duty to protect the well-being and quality of life of our people, especially our women,” she emphasized. She noted that the lack of legal options has tied wives and husbands to toxic pasts even when they have long been separated. “Filipino women and families deserve a second chance to live good lives. Let us make it possible for them,” she said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) Hontiveros said she re-filed the bill with the hope that it would be finally passed into law this 18th Congress. “Karapatan nating lahat na magmahal, mahalin at maging masaya kapiling ang mga mahal natin sa buhay. Anuman ang katayuan natin sa lipunan, karapatan nating lahat na lumigaya (We have a right to love and be loved and to be happy living with our loved ones. Whatever our status is in the community, we have a right to be happy),” Hontiveros said. Hontiveros said she had high respect for individuals who choose to marry, but she also had sympathy and full support for women who may wish to be free from an abusive relationship. “They, together with their children, deserve not only a second chance, but all the chances available in this world to find true and meaningful relationships and build nurturing families,” said the senator. Under her proposed divorce measure, “psychological incapacity of either spouse,” “irreconcilable marital differences,” marital rape, or being “separated for at least 5 years” would be grounds for divorce, among others. “This measure is for all. However, I want to stress the importance of protecting women from being trapped in abusive relationships and the need to provide a legal mechanism for that protection,” she said. “Women have often been trapped in abusive unions at the cost of their and their family’s long term health,” she stressed. She said the number of women who suffer domestic violence and psychological abuse are significantly high in the Philippines. In 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) found that one in four women experience spousal violence. Hontiveros warned that unhealthy marriages bring trauma that are passed on for generations through children “The passage of a divorce law is one of the ultimate forms of freedom we can give Filipino women. When we give them the real chance to turn the page, we allow them to return to safe and nurturing homes they can call their own again. We believe that this is real respect for the sanctity of family and marriage,” she explained. “It is our duty to protect the well-being and quality of life of our people, especially our women,” she emphasized. She noted that the lack of legal options has tied wives and husbands to toxic pasts even when they have long been separated. “Filipino women and families deserve a second chance to live good lives. Let us make it possible for them,” she said.