SENATE Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros assured the public she will refile the divorce bill in the 20th Congress if it fails to pass before the 19th Congress adjourns next week.
Speaking at a media forum on Wednesday, May 21, Hontiveros reaffirmed her support for the Dissolution of Marriage bill despite delays in its progress.
“Pag hindi pa rin mabigyang daan ‘yung, continuation of second reading, interpellation… we will simply refile. That’s my commitment,” said Hontiveros.
The bill has undergone two interpellations—where senators raise questions and concerns during debates—but remains pending on second reading.
Hontiveros remarked late last year that the lack of a law allowing the dissolution of marriage in the Philippines is a “moral failing.”
“The absence of a law allowing the dissolution of marriage is not merely a legal oversight, it is a moral failing,” she said in her privilege speech.
“It is a failure to protect our citizens, particularly women and children, who are often the most vulnerable in dysfunctional marriages. It is a failure to provide an avenue for healing, for the restoration of dignity, and for the pursuit of true happiness.”
But the divorce bill is just one of several key measures that Hontiveros is working to advance.
She also authored the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) bill, which aims to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, as well as the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention bill, which seeks to reduce adolescent pregnancies through comprehensive education and access to reproductive health services.
Both measures have faced criticism, particularly from more conservative sectors, due to their progressive stance on gender and reproductive rights.
Hontiveros remains hopeful that these measures will eventually be passed, especially with the beginning of a new Congress.
“I really hope that the 20th Congress will finally be the congress to pass the SOGIESC Equality bill into law,” she said.
The SOGIESC Equality Bill has been proposed in the Philippine Congress since 2000 but has yet to be enacted into law.
Meanwhile, Hontiveros attributed the controversy surrounding the Comprehensive Sexuality Education bill to the spread of misinformation.
“Gayundin ‘yung Teenage Pregnancy Prevention bill, dahil nananatiling national emergency ‘yan, social emergency yan. Finake news lang kasi eh…” said the Senator.
“Pero it really deserves to be passed alang-alang sa ating mga teenagers, sa ating mga teenage parents, at lahat pa ng mga stakeholders na sumusuporta sa ating mga teenagers,” she added.
