Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Contributed photo)

Anti-divorce crusader Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. refuses to wave the white flag. 

Abante, a pastor preacher, vowed to question the recent third reading-passage of House Bill (HB) No.9349 or the Absolute Divorce Law once sessions resume in July. 

"When sessions resume in July, I will definitely raise this issue. This Divorce Law is not a done deal...far from it," he said in a statement. 

"Even assuming the measure hurdles the House, it must still be taken up in the Senate, and several senators have already indicated that they are not inclined to support the measure," he noted. 

But it was in the House of Representatives that the measure encountered a bit of controversy during nominal voting on May 22, wherein it intially garnered 126 "yes" votes, 109 "no" votes, and 20 abstentions. 

"The House has deferred transmission of the Divorce Law to allow those like myself to raise our concerns regarding the vote taken on this measure, and I believe holding the bill is a prudent move given that there are legitimate issues here that must be resolved," said Abante, who obviously voted in the negative. 

The House Secretariat earlier announced that it would hold the transmission of HB No.9349 to the Senate so that those questioning the vote on the measure can raise their concerns when Congress resumes sessions on July 22. 

Abante echoed the sentiments of Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and CIBAC Party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, both of whom have argued that HB No. 9349 did not get the required votes to pass on third reading. This is because the yes votes didn't represent the majority. 

That is, until House Secretary General Reginald Velasco announced on May 23 that the yes votes for the bill actually totalled 131. 

However, the House can only make the figure official during plenary session. This would allow the likes of Abante to question it on the floor.

MUST READ: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/25/lagman-calls-divorce-bill-detractors-sore-losers 

Abante pointed out that even Senate President Francis Joseph "Chiz" Escudero has stated that he would rather amend the existing annulment law instead of passing a measure that would pave the way for divorce. 

The solon said that expanding the grounds for annulment and making it accessible to the poor "is a better alternative to a Divorce Law". 

Abante is the author of HB 10488 or the Expanded Dissolution of Marriage Act of 2024. Under the measure, indigent and underprivileged petitioners who file for annulment can be provided free legal assistance by the Public Attorneys Office. 

The measure also expands the grounds for annulment to include domestic and marital abuse; physical violence or abusive conduct; drug addiction and chronic gambling; and marital infidelity.