The bill has passed! Legalize divorce in the Philippines! There is a 60-day cooling-off period!

On March 21, the Population and Family Relations Committee of the Philippine House of Representatives approved an unnumbered alternative bill to restore divorce to an alternative mode of dissolution of marriage. This was formulated after the Panel adopted the measure unanimously by a vote of 12 to 0.

(Screenshot of the live broadcast of the regular meeting of the Philippine House of Representatives on March 21, 2023)

The Act provides that divorce applications will go through judicial proceedings where the evidence to prove the cause of the divorce is established and the marriage has completely broken down and there is no possibility of any settlement.

However, the bill prohibits quick, notarized, e-mail and other forms of quick divorce. In addition, the judgment of absolute divorce will not be based on the provisions of the facts or the confession of the judgment.

In addition, a cooling-off period of 60 days after the filing of a divorce application is established. In the meantime, judges must make serious efforts to reconcile the parties.

"Spouses, especially wives, will soon be able to choose to get out of an irrevocably broken marriage and start their lives again after the House Committee on Population and Family Relations approves a bill to resume absolute divorce in the Philippines."

(Information picture)

"The approval of the Absolute Divorce Alternative Bill for Final Plenary Debate ensures that the country is now on the threshold of joining the universal absolute divorce of the international community," Laghman added."

The Divorce Bill also empowers prosecutors to conduct investigations to ensure that there is no collusion between the parties or whether one of the parties coerce the other to file a divorce application. However, if the parties agree to a settlement, the divorce application will be dismissed at any time during the proceedings.

Similarly, even after the issuance of an absolute divorce order, a divorce order may be void if the parties decide to settle.

as for those who will be found guilty of conspiring to obtain a divorce judgment or one of the spouses compels the other to apply for divorce, the bill carries a penalty of five years' imprisonment and a substantial fine.

The state-run Philippine Women's Commission earlier expressed support for passing the divorce bill, saying the current system is bad for Filipino women.