Senator Raffy Tulfo speaks with reporters before attending a legislative process briefing in the Senate on June 27, 2022. Senate PRIB file photo / Albert Calvelo
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Raffy Tulfo on Monday said that his bill would make divorce “very hard” to obtain so that it would not be abused and become like a “Vegas-style” affair.
Tulfo said that while his bill would give ordinary people a relatively easy way out of their marriages compared to annulment, couples seeking divorce would still face many obstacles.
“Hindi ito ang easy way. Kung iniisip ng iba, magiging katulad ng Vegas–magpa-file ako ng divorce bukas sa makalawa approved na. Hindi. Sorry mali ang pagkakaintindi ninyo. Ang sa akin dadaan pa rin kayo sa butas ng karayom,” he said in an interview.
(This is not the easy way. They’re wrong if others think this would be like in [Las] Vegas, where I can file a divorce and have it approved the next day. They misunderstand it. They will have to go through a rigorous process.)
He said evidence like medical certificates, police blotters, and witness statements are needed to prove if there is physical abuse in a relationship.
Other grounds included in the bill for divorce are psychological incapacity, abandonment, alcoholism, drug use, and the like.
“I will make it hard. I will not make it easy for anybody to get a divorce ‘pag naipasa itong bill na ito [if this will be passed],” Tulfo said.
“Kailangan may mga ebidensya din kailangan mayroon ka ng mga blotter, mayroon kang mga medical records to prove na talgang may nangyayaring pang-aabuso, may nangyayaring abandonment, drug addiction, alcoholism etc. then pagsama samahin mo yan isa-submit sa court then boom divorce,” he added.
(You have to have evidence like police blotters and medical records to prove that there is abuse, abandonment, drug addiction, and alcoholism. And then you collate all of this and submit it to the court. Then you get divorced.)
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