Rep. Lito Atienza, the House senior deputy minority leader, lauded on Monday the stand of President Rodrigo Duterte against the passage of the divorce bill. On the other hand, Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin slammed the president for his “turnaround” on the controversial legislation.
In a statement, Atienza said he “welcomes and fully appreciates” Duterte’s recent pronouncement.
“The President has saved the Filipino family with his strong position against divorce, which has been passed on second reading in the House,” Atienza said. “We strongly agree with the President that divorce would be very detrimental to mothers and children.”
Atienza’s reaction came after presidential spokesperson Harry Roque bared that the President was against the proposed absolute divorce and dissolution of marriage.
“Ayaw po sana niyang magkomento pero since nagbotohan na naman sa kamara, ang Presidente po ay tutol sa divorce,” Roque said in a televised briefing in Camarines Sur.
[He didn’t want to comment on this, but since they have voted in the chamber, the President is against divorce.]
“Ang sabi po niya kawawa po yung mga anak, at kung magkakaroon ng divorce, mawawalan po ng karapatang magsampa ng kaso ‘yung mga asawa na pinabyaan ng mga asawa nila matapos silang mag-divorce,” he said.
[He said that the children would be hit the worst, and if there will be divorce, the abandoned spouse will have a hard time filing a complaint after they’ve been divorced.]
READ: Duterte is against passage of divorce law – Palace
House Bill 7303 was approved on second reading in the House last March 14.
READ: House approves divorce, dissolution of marriage bill on 2nd reading
Atienza had earlier expressed his strong opposition to the bill during plenary deliberations.
“Through ayes and nays, I, together with a miniscule number of lawmakers voiced our opposition to the bill but our collective voices were ultimately drowned out by the majority of Congressmen for the passage of the bill on second reading,” Atienza said.
“We admire the President’s display of strength and character. He did not allow himself to be stampeded by the mob on this critical issue,” he added.
Pandering to new CBCP president?
On the other hand, Villarin sees Duterte’s statement as a way of “pandering” to the new president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“I think Duterte’s turnaround in the divorce bill is his way of pandering to the new CBCP president, Bishop Romulo Valles, who is from Davao,” Villarin said in a statement. “It shows how he uses people’s issues to prop his politics and sow organized chaos to deflect us from his main political agenda of strongman rule.”
Roque had earlier said that Duterte was leaving the fate of the divorce bill to Congress. /atm