Some people believe that divorce is not needed due to the existence of annulment and legal separation

here in the Philippines. Aside from the fact that annulment is unnecessarily tedious, we also cannot
deny that it is expensive that we might consider it as an unnecessary expense. Only the rich and famous
celebrities can get it, while those who are in middle class and the poor can only dream to attain it. While
legal separation allows you to separate assets, you are still married and bound to the other person.
Divorce aims to be the middle ground between annulment and legal separation. "Some Filipino women
have almost been killed by their own husbands. But most of them cannot leave their marriages because
of the prohibitive costs of filing for an annulment. Bigyan na natin ang ating mga kababaihan ng
pagkakataong makalaya sa masalimuot at abusadong pagsasama. Bigyan natin sila ng oportunidad na
mahalin at magmahal muli. Ipasa na ang Divorce Bill," said Senator Risa Hontiveros, author of the
measure. If anything, annulment is more absolute, but the problem with annulment is it only caters to a
few certain clauses and there have been cases that are ongoing until now that hasn’t gotten a resolution
from court. With the passing of divorce bill, the law will allow court cases for legal separation,
annulment, or nullity of marriage pending at the time of its passage to be converted to divorce cases.
This will spare parties who have already been going to court for years from having to refile and retry
their cases and from having to present evidence anew. With Senate S. No. 288, also known as Absolute
Divorce Act of 2018, it will provide more benefits than legal separation while still providing what legal
separation can offer, i.e separation of assets, choosing custody and the like.

We know that marriage protects the basic unit of society, the family. It is important that children grow
up in the guidance of two adults who unconditionally love and care for them. While people think that
divorce threatens to break a family, this cannot be further from the truth. Divorce serves to provide new
beginnings for children who are trapped in the fights of two adults who could no longer reconcile. In the
first ever national study on violence against children in the Philippines, conducted by the Council for the
Welfare of Children (CWC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called “National Baseline
Study on Violence against Children (VAC),” it was stated by CWC Planning Officer III Ruth Limsom-
Marayag, 60.4 % of physical violence “ironically” happened at home. In an article published by Rappler
written by Bobby Lagsa, he provided data from the Philippine National Police that showed more than
12,000 VAWC cases that were reported throughout the country in 2021 alone, with 8,000 involving
women as victims. In the first half of 2022, the number of cases involving women as victims increased,
reaching 5339 thorough out the country. Most of these cases are unheard nor were taken to court
because the victims are reluctant to press charges due to being scandalized or being further abused by
their respective partners. According to a statement by DSWD, most children who view the abuse dealt
to their parental figures and to them normalizes violence in a relationship and thus furthers the cycle of
abuse. With divorce separating the two parental figures that are toxic to each other, we are breaking the
cycle of abuse and we are teaching the next generation that abuse is not something to be normalized.

We value the sanctity of marriage. We believe that divorce will not devalue marriage but rather remove
the stigma that marriage is a prison that the abused partner can't escape from. In GR no. 208912
Amadea Angela Aquino vs. Rodolfo Aquino and Abbullah Aquino, Justice Leonen expresses his statement
about marriage. According to him, "Marriage is a status" which is a reflection of how most Filipino
people view marriage nowadays. In an article published by the Inquirer, the number of common-law or
live-in couples in the country rose to 12.66 million between 2015-2020 according to the PSA. They also
noted a 20.1% decline in the number of marriages in the country since 2005. In a recent conference
"Emerging Dimensions of Marriage in Asia" a paper published by Jeofrey Abalos discusses about the
changing attitudes of Filipinos towards marriage and cohabitation. He presented valid data from the
International Social Survey Program, showing the portion of people who agreed that 'it is better to have
a bad marriage than no marriage at all' declined from 32% in 1994 to 21% in 2002. These data points out
to how times have changed; marriage which was once called the union between two lovers has become
the shackles that bind two people, whether they still believe in their vows or not. Divorce only serves to
provide equality especially to a woman who has been scorned and abused by their husband, and give
second chances to do those who have wholeheartedly believed that their partner has their best
interests at heart.

The divorce bill will work alongside other laws that aim to protect women, children and vulnerable
spouses. We humans err and we are taught that we can still correct our mistakes. But why is it that in
marriage, when we make a grave mistake of trusting a person, we are only able to live with it, and are
not able to change it. Divorce should not be the main solution to a failing marriage, but rather, it is the
last resort of a person who is at their wits end, and is trapped in this decision that she made not because
she did not thought of it fully, but rather because they were betrayed by the one who swore to love and
cherish them but has failed to fulfill those vows.