Voices Part III

I stumbled upon Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s opinion on divorce that was a year old in Manila Bulletin online. Nonetheless, it is still an opinion that deserves to be heard because of its timeliness in bringing back the divorce bill debate in the Philippines.

Senator Cayetano is against the passage of the divorce law. This is because he said it would only create damage even to problem-free marriages. The senator said, “I do not think divorce is a solution. Let us remedy marriage problems with the best remedy available.,” on an interview conducted last August 2010. He did not exactly say what that “best remedy” was but it is safe to assume that he was pertaining to the current, available legal options for problematic marriages to separate. In the Philippines, legal separation, annulment and dissolution of marriage is available in accordance to specific grounds that I have cited in one of my earlier blog posts.

Cayetano further said, “If you allow divorce, we are not only addressing the problematic marriage but even the non-problematic marriages will be affected.” The senator said that he was aware that there are prevalent cases of marriages in the Philippines wherein physical and emotional harm makes it impossible to restore the happiness couples and children long for. But he adds, “I’m afraid that if we allow divorce specially the kind of US-style no fault divorce, it might cause more harm than good.” Cayetano described that people with marital problems are a ‘minority’ group and so they can look for a solution through annulment. He suggested, “That can be addressed by strengthening annulment as a remedy to psychological incapacity.” The lawmaker’s sister, Senator Pia Cayetano is another one anti-divorce.

Here we have another figure saying that divorce is not a solution or a remedy to failed marriages. But I do appreciate Senator Cayetano's acknowledgement that marriages are imperfect; it is already prevalent in the society that many of it cannot be restored. Just like Senator Cayetano, I believe the Philippines should just make the best of what they have instead of spending a lot of time and money debating whether or not to pass the divorce bill.

Reference: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/273468/cayetano-says-divorce-not-solution-marital-problems