Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday, May 30 has expressed her support for the passage of an “acceptable” version of a divorce bill, one that would make the process more available and accessible to the poorest constituents.

Legarda confirmed she is one of the senators who signed the committee report on Senate Bill No. 2443 or the proposed Dissolution of Marriage Act that is still pending in the Upper Chamber.

“Please read the committee report. I signed it and that will imply that I wanted this cause, because maaring napapanahon na at ating tingnan ang diskusyon kung papaano ito mapapaigting na ito ay makakasakop ng marami para mabaswan ang mga naapektuhan, naghihinagpis na mga naabusong kababaihan, pati na rin kalalakihan (it maybe timely to look at it and see where the discussion will go on how to strengthen this so it can cover more areas and lessen the number of those affected, the number of women who are suffering, including men),” Legarda said in a press briefing at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

Legarda intimated that one of the reasons she signed the committee report was also to pave way for an intense debate on the measure.

Her vote on the divorce bill, therefore, would be based on what version of the measure would be approved. However, she said she has yet to see the House’s version of the divorce bill.

“So we will see, what version (of the bill) will prevail,” Legarda said.

“Tingnan natin ang diskusyon. Papano kung sabihing oo ako e tapos yung version nailalagay pala…suddenly, kung anong ilagay dun na hindi ako sang ayon sa probisyon (So let’s see where the discussion will go. What if I said I support it but the version that will prevail, suddenly, has unacceptable provisions to me)?” she pointed out.

“So I always go back to read the committee report, let’s listen to the discussions on the floor. The intention of the bill is to make it more acceptable to all Filipinos, even to poor families,” she said.

“Maybe it is time, what is important is to improve the economic cost, financial cost to our suffering women and men, based on the grounds especially if there’s no way for them to reunite,” she said in Filipino.

Aside from Legarda, senators who have signed the committee report on SB No. 2443 include Risa Hontiveros, Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Grace Poe and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Those who have vocally rejected the divorce bill include Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, senators Jinggoy Estrada, Mark Villar, Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, Cynthia Villar, and Alan Peter Cayetano.