Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman (Facebook)

The House of Representatives-approved Absolute Divorce Bill is now in the hands of the Senate. 

Divorce law crusader Albay 1st district Edcel Lagman highlighted this on Wednesday, June 12, as if to tell those opposing the measure--and there are many--that they have some catching up to do. 

"The absolute divorce bill under House Bill No. 9349, entitled 'An Act Reinstituting Absolute Divorce as an Alternative Mode for the Dissolution of Marriage', which was approved on third and final reading on May 22, 2024 by the House of Representatives, was finally transmitted to the Senate as contained in a letter dated June 10, 2024 from House Secretary General Reginald S. Velasco to Senate President Francis 'Chiz' G. Escudero," read a statement from Lagman. 

"This means that the transmittal to the Senate will not wait for the plenary action of the House when the sessions start on July 22, 2024 as previously announced by Velasco," it added. 

The "plenary action of the House" appears to refer to what anti-divorce solons are hoping for would be their chance to question the nominal voting result result on the controversial bill. 

It was Lagman, the principal author of the divorce bill, who asked Velasco in a letter dated May 28, 2024 "to mmediately transmit the approved bill to the Senate pursuant to the unanimous directive of the House". 

ALSO READ: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/5/24/paano-nangyari-yun-gomez-has-many-questions-on-absolute-divorce-bill-vote-change


Last May 22, HB No.9349 was declared approved on third and final reading following a nominal voting result of 126-109-20 (yes-no-abstain). 

But the next day, Velasco announced that the "yes" votes tally was actually 131, while the negative votes and abstentions--129 in total--remained the same. 

There are those in the House who argue that the initial 126 affirmative votes didn't constitute a majority, therefore the bill's "passage" doesn't hold water. 

This made Velasco's correction all the more questionable in the eyes of those opposing divorce. 

The Philippines and the Vatican are the only two states in the world that don't have a divorce law.