‘Divorce bill helpful for unhappy couples’

Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia (Cebu Province, third district) said that the divorce bill recently approved by the House of Representatives will help couples who are trapped in loveless and abusive marriages.

But a Church official believes that the proposed measure will only make the separation of families more convenient.

Garcia said that some couples stay in abusive relationships because of the prohibitive cost of getting an annulment.

She added that children of separated couples are better off with their parents divorced than staying in an abusive relationship.

Garcia, whose marriage has been annulled, believes that the State would be doing unhappy couples a disservice if House Bill 7303 is not passed.

Garcia then urged the Senate to keep an open mind during the deliberation of the measure.

Msgr. Joseph Tan, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cebu, said that while he respects Garcia’s opinion, he believes that the measure will allow couples to make divorce a go-to pill whenever they argue.

“Kon mao na lang nay hinungdan nga magdeborsyo ta, di matag naay away sa pamilya, which is something that really happens kay dili mapugngan kay lain-lain mang tawo nag-ipon, then divorce mao nay dag-anan nato,” he said. /