Measures to make divorce legal have been approved in a House committee

Three measures to make divorce legal have been approved in a House committee on Wednesday in the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the last two states in the world that considers divorce as illegal. The other is Vatican City.

House bills 100, 838 and 2263 are the measures that will be merged by a technical group before it becomes subject to discussion.


Absolute divorce legalizes the separation of married individuals from their spouses. This renders their separation as final and total. After absolute divorce, each spouse’s status will be brought back to ‘single.’ They will then have the right to enter into another contract of marriage.

A long-time advocate to the law’s passage, Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, will be the leader of the technical working group who will work on the consolidation of the three measures.


According to Lagman, Divorce is not a tool that destroys marriages. He stated that financial problems, abuse, lack of intimacy, abuse, and infidelity are some of the main causes of a failed marriage.

He is the author of House Bill 100 or the Absolute Divorce Bill of 2019.

The TWG will have a meeting on February 12 to consolidate the three proposed absolute divorce bill.

Those who expressed their approval to the absolute divorce bill were religious organizations and advocates who are pro-family.


According to CIBAC Party-list Representative Brother Eddie Villanueva, divorce only makes marriage ‘cheap.’ He also said that the basis for legal divorce is the opposite of strengthening family ties.

He suggested shifting the attention of the law-making bodies to the improvement of the process of annulment.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano shared he does not believe that divorce is the solution to failed marriages. However, he is open to listening to the statement of other lawmakers.