Fr. Melvin Castro
MANILA, July 11, 2013—An executive official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) – Episcopal Commission on Family and Life has lauded the anti-divorce bill filed by Marikina Rep. Marcelino Teodoro that seeks to protect marriage as an inviolable social institution and of the family as the foundation of the nation.
“It’s a welcome development because I think it will be considered as an enabling law so that the constitution’s guarantee to protect the sanctity of marriage will be upheld,” said Fr. Melvin Castro, ECFL executive secretary.
Known as House Bill 37, the objective behind the bill is to “ensure that absolute divorce remains unacceptable in the Philippine legal system, and maintains that legal separation can be availed of by spouses in troubled marriage, as provided under the Family Code, so they live independently of each other but without the right to remarry other persons.”
Castro hopes the bill “will be supported by the majority so we can in the long term protect [marriage], that no such law like divorce can enter the country.”
Gabriela Women’s party-list Representative Luzviminda Ilagan however vowed they will refile their divorce bill from the 15th Congress, which got stuck at the committee on the revision of codes.
Castro also expressed his appreciation to Rep. Marcelino Teodoro and pledged his prayers for the bill’s author.
“We will be praying for him,” the priest said. (Paul De Guzman)
