Senate on absolute divorce: ‘About time to talk about it’ — Sotto

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said Senate is open to deliberate on the absolute divorce bill, adding that it’s “about time” to talk about it.

“Pag-usapan natin, tingnan natin kung ito (divorce) ay mas magandang version ng annulment, at hindi naman makakasagasa sa mga panuntunan ng simbahan at mga ibang relihiyon, open tayo sa mga panukala nila,” Sotto said in an interview over dzMM.

“Talagang very debatable pero panahon na sigurong pag-usapan,” he added.

There is no bill on absolute divorce at the Senate but Sotto said the Senate could just wait for the House version of the bill.

Last Congress, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading a bill seeking to legalize absolute divorce and dissolution of marriage in the country.

READ: House approves divorce bill on 3rd and final reading

Sotto admitted that the measure on absolute divorce saw slow progress in the Senate as the chairperson of the Senate committee on women that was handling it was from the minority.

In the 18th Congress, however, Sotto said the committee would get a new chairman, Senator Pia Cayetano, and it would be up to her to supervise the progress of the bill.

“Nung nakaraan, ang chairman ng committee on women ay si Senator Risa Hontiveros, member ng minority. Siyempre, alam mo na kung member ng minority, medyo mahirap nang kaunti,” he said.

“Ngayon ang magiging chairman ay si Senator Pia Cayetano. Depende sa pagdadala ni Senator Pia kung saan niya dadalhin ‘yung usapin niyan,” Sotto added. (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)