Bishops unfazed by divorce bill

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Church is unperturbed by efforts of some lawmakers to pass the divorce bill, a ranking official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said yesterday.

CBCP secretary-general Monsignor Juanito Figura said the government and the public should discern if the divorce bill is the kind of law that should be prioritized in Congress.

Figura said the efforts of lawmakers to pass the controversial divorce bill are only “signs of the times, manifestation on how we handle our history as a people.”

“We (the Church) are not alarmed by it, we are merely trying to remind ourselves what is really our priorities,” he said.

Figura said the Catholic Church is merely exercising its pastoral prudence.

“That is teaching, reminding our people, for example, we need to ask what are our priority as a nation. Will a divorce bill answer the poverty, graft and corruption, criminalities both petty and heinous crimes in the Philippines?” he asked.

Figura said the divorce bill goes against the concept of another controversial proposed measure, the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

“The idea of entertaining the divorce bill at this point is in itself inconsistent with what the RH bill is even trying to propose,” he said.

Figura said the RH bill is being presented as a remedy to the problem of growing population, while the divorce bill would only contribute to the increase in the number of families getting separated.

“I would rather say that instead of entertaining the possibility of divorce, our government should focus more in helping strengthen the family and the husband and wife relationship. They should study what are the reasons why these separations happen,” he said.

Figura argued that a couple’s choosing divorce is rooted in economics.

“Why would a husband beat his wife? We have discovered again that it’s a vicious circle and poverty is the biggest reason why a husband would beat his wife. Unemployment is also another reason. These are all social concerns that the government should address instead of coming up with remedies which are just temporary, band aid remedies,” he said.

Figura said the divorce and RH bills formed part of what he called “DEATH” bills, an acronym for divorce, euthanasia, abortion, total reproductive health and homosexuality (same sex marriage).

“On a personal life of prayer, this is what  I say is ‘deliver us from evil, Amen,’” he said.

Figura said the Catholic Church opposes the passage of these DEATH bills.

“If we compare the divorce bill and the RH bill, the divorce bill directly destroys what is good and that is the marriage bond, while the RH bill does the same, but indirectly,” according to CBCP Legal Division chief Jo Imbong.

On the other hand, the principal author of the RH bill, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, accused the clergy of causing division among Filipinos by strongly opposing the measure.

“The doctrinal opposition from the Catholic hierarchy which has become divisive should not be exacerbated by another legislative proposal which has religious implications,” he said.

RH advocates are also reportedly gearing up for a fresh offensive for the bill that Lagman said is at the “threshold of passage” after several years of being filed and re-filed in previous Congresses.

He said the issue is complicated by the start of public hearings at the House by the divorce bill, another measure fiercely opposed by the Catholic Church.

“The Reproductive Health bill is definitely independent of and separate from the divorce bill,” Lagman said.

“Although both the RH and divorce bills are progressive initiatives, reproductive health has primarily a societal orientation while legalizing divorce has basically an individual motivation,” he said.

Lagman said the objectives of the RH bill are encompassing with respect to the protection and promotion of reproductive health rights based on freedom of informed choice.

The senators, for their part, are starting to tackle a proposal as a counterpart for the divorce bill that is being deliberated at the House.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada wanted to amend the Family Code by citing immaturity and extremely low intelligence as grounds for declaring the nullity of marriage.

The senator has filed Senate bill 781 which seeks to amend Article 36 of the Family Code and to define certain indications of psychological incapacity.

Estrada also recommended “constitutional laziness” or indolence to be included in the classification of psychological incapacity.

He proposed drug addiction, habitual alcoholism, compulsive gambling or criminality as possible causes for the nullity of marriage.

Estrada said the drafters of the Family Code had failed to define psychological incapacity as principal ground to declare a failed marriage.

He said the ambiguity in the law has resulted in tremendous confusion among legal practitioners and those who have relied on the provision of the law to nullify a dysfunctional marriage.

Estrada stressed a well defined ground to nullify a marriage is more welcome than the proposed absolute divorce law.   –With Christina Mendez, Jose Rodel Clapano, Paolo Romero