The Philippines is one of only two countries in the world where divorce is illegal. Is that about to change?

An op-ed published in the International New York Times on July 28, by the writer and filmmaker Gin de Mesa Laranas, raised an important question: will the Philippines legalize divorce? It is one of only two countries where divorce remains outlawed, the other being the metropole of Catholicism, the Vatican City. As Laranas wrote, although the Constitution formally recognizes the separation between church and state, the Catholic Church “still wields considerable influence,” especially over politics, and has been vehement in its opposition to what it describes as “D.E.A.T.H” laws — divorce, euthanasia, abortion, total population control, and homosexual marriage. For the Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines, divorce is “anti-family” and “anti-life.” And those who endorse it are job-sharing with the devil.

“Being a country where divorce is not legal is an honor that every Filipino should be proud of,” Oscar Cruz, an archbishop emeritus, has stated. “Love for the family is the heart of Filipino cultural identity and cannot be destroyed by divorce.” Employing the tiresome rhetoric of the reactionary, he blamed demands for divorce on the caprice of foreigners and “globalization.” That’s not the case. For decades, Filipinos have been demanding divorce and politicians have tried to introduce the necessary legislation, albeit without success. The latest attempt came in early July when a bill (House Bill 116, commonly called the Divorce Bill) was put before Congress by Edcel Lagman, a human rights lawyer and long-serving politician from the province of Albay, in the southeast of Luzon. (It remains unknown when, or if, the bill will be debated.)

Read more: thediplomat.com