SANTA BARBARA, Pangasinan – Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Thursday appealed to lawmakers to allow more debates on a bill establishing divorce as an avenue for dissolving marriages.
“Do not hurry. If you will allow reasonable debates and give people an opportunity to give their views, I know you will be able to think clearly,” Villegas said.
Second reading
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved the bill on second reading after starting its period of debate and interpellation on the measure on March 12.
The measure would allow “spouses in irremediably failed marriages” to get divorce under limited grounds to “protect children from pain and stress resulting from their parents’ marital problems,” and to allow divorced people to remarry.
‘Sacred’
“What God has joined together, let no man, let no law, let no government separate,” Villegas said.
“[Marriage] is sacred and allowing divorce will not be of help to our moral fiber as Filipinos,” he said, adding that divorce would have “adverse consequences” for children. —GABRIEL CARDINOZA