The lay arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reiterated its stance against divorce, citing concerns over the potential erosion of family values and moral decline.

The Council of the Laity of the Philippines (Laiko) pointed out that divorce in other countries has had detrimental effects, which “hastened the crumbling of family values.”

“All we need to do is look at the world and see what damage divorce has done, especially how the children suffer: multiple marriages, broken families, and morally lacking society,” Laiko said in a statement released by CBCP on Monday, June 10.

“We do not want that to happen to the Philippines,” it added.

Laiko argued that easy access to divorce would weaken the institution of family, emphasizing that the existing remedies for struggling marriages are deemed “enough.”

“We stand for solid marriages. We stand for strong families. We stand for a society with good values,” it stressed.

Despite the approval of a bill on absolute divorce by the House of Representatives on May 22, the proposed legislation is still pending in the Senate.

The CBCP, echoing Laiko’s statement, has consistently opposed the legalization of divorce in the country.

CBCP president Bishop Pablo David emphasized the divine aspect of marriage, which is “not just as an agreement between two spouses, but as a covenant between the couple and God.”