House revises ‘yes’ vote on divorce bill’s approval to 131 from 126

House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco issues a memorandum correcting the number of legislators who voted in favor of the controversial divorce bill to 131 – not 126, as previously declared. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco issued a memorandum correcting the number of legislators who voted in favor of the controversial divorce bill to 131 – not 126, as previously declared.

No corrections were made to the number of negative votes and abstentions.

In the memo addressed to lawmakers, Velasco said: “The rectification in the Records of the House will be done when Session resumes this July 2024.”

Although the information was for legislators, a copy of the memorandum was distributed by the House Media Affairs office to reporters on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, May 22, the lower chamber approved on the third and final reading House Bill (HB) No. 9349 or the proposed Absolute Divorce Act – two months after it was referred to the plenary by the House committee on population and family relations, and a week after lawmakers voted to pass it on second reading.

READ: House approves divorce bill on final reading

The secretariat said the third and final approval on Wednesday garnered the following votes: 126 in the affirmative, 109 in the negative, and 20 abstentions.

“This is to respectfully inform the Honorable Members that the actual results for the voting of House Bill No. 9349, entitled: ‘An Act Reinstituting Absolute Divorce as an Alternative Mode for the Dissolution of Marriage’ are as follows: 131 – affirmative votes; 109 – negative votes; and 20 – abstentions,” Velasco said in the memo dated May 22, 2024.

Former Senate president Vicente Sotto III, however, raised doubts about the House’s correction of affirmative votes to the divorce bill.

“Binabago ng House ang boto this morning. 131 daw ang yes. Akala ko ba mali ako? Dinadaya nila sarili nila,” Sotto told INQUIRER.net in a text message.

(The House changed the vote this morning.  They said 131 were yes votes.  I thought I was wrong?  They are cheating themselves.)

“They realized I was right!” he added.

Sotto was referring to his concerns on the approval of HB No. 9349, as he claimed on Wednesday that the House passed the bill without a sufficient amount of votes because those who voted in the affirmative were less than half of lawmakers present.

Sotto explained that the 126 lawmakers who voted in favor of the proposal was less than half of the quorum, or the members who participated in the proceedings.

Since HB No. 9349 was approved with a tally of 126-109-20, this meant that there were 255 lawmakers who participated in the voting process. Sotto believed that for HB No. 9349 to be approved on third reading, 128 lawmakers – which is more than half of the 255 – should have given the thumbs-up.

“House Bill No. 9349 or the Absolute Divorce Act was approved with 126 lawmakers voting in the affirmative, 109 in the negative, and 20 abstentions,” Sotto said Wednesday. “Therefore, the motion is LOST. parliamentary rules need a majority of the quorum to approve. Tsk tsk.”

READ: Sotto says divorce bill lacked votes in House; Lagman says abstentions not counted 

But with the corrected numbers, it would show that 260 lawmakers participated in the House plenary proceeding since the voting for the divorce bill were 131 in the affirmative, 109 in the negative, and 20 abstentions.

Staunch divorce advocate and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman on Wednesday night pointed out that the rule of the House is simple – if the yes votes are more than the no votes, the bill is approved.

“It seems former Senate president Sotto doesn’t know how to count, what we are counting here is the majority, well, the yes vote won over the no vote.  We do not count the abstention because that has no vote, if it were a basketball game, the opponent lost right?” Lagman said after Wednesday’s session was adjourned.

“Anyway, whether or not the margin is big or small, a win is a win, right?” he added.