THE bills seeking to legalize absolute divorce and ban political dynasties were among the measure that lawmakers have refiled as the 20th Congress opened last Monday.
Rep. Jonathan Clement Abalos (PL, 4Ps) has filed House Bill No. 108, while Reps. Antonio Tinio (PL, ACT) and Renee Co (Kabataan) of the Makabayan bloc have filed House Bill No. 210.
Tinio and Co have also refiled House Bill No. 209, seeking to ban political dynasties to provide an implementing law to the anti-political dynasty provision of the Constitution.
In filing the divorce bills, the lawmakers took up the cudgels for the late former opposition leader Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who championed the measure in previous Congresses to allow the dissolution of problematic marriages and liberate couples.
The House, in May last year, approved House Bill No. 9349 but like in previous Congresses, the measure only languished in the Senate until it died a natural death at the end of the 19th Congress.
While the law allows couples in problematic marriages to seek annulment, legal separation and seek the nullity of marriage, Abalos said a divorce law is still needed because the other remedies still require spouses to remain married.
In his bill, Abalos said that “in the context of divorce, a marriage is recognized as valid but is terminated.” “The termination occurs not due to any defect or omission at the time of the marriage ceremony, but rather as a result of circumstances that arise during the marriage itself — which is a reality that most individuals often fail to acknowledge,” he said.
“The bill aims to provide spouses in irreparably broken marriages a legal avenue for dissolution, thereby safeguarding children from marital strife and empowering vulnerable spouses, particularly in abusive relationships, to rebuild their lives,” he added.
The measure cited a study that an estimated 17.5 percent of Filipino women between 15 and 49 years old have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from their partners.
Abalos’ proposal requires a 60-day cooling off period to allow family courts to “exercise all efforts to reunite and reconcile the concerned spouses,” while the Makabayan bloc’s bill seeks a six-month period.
In HB No. 210, the two Makabayan lawmakers said “reality tells us that many failed, unhappy marriages are across all Filipino classes.” It said many couples, especially from the marginalized sectors who have no access to the courts, “simply end up separating without the benefit of the legal process.”
“The number of petitions filed since 1988 for the declaration of nullity of marriage under Article 36 of the Family Code shows that there are just too many couples who are desperate to get out of failed marriages,” the bill said.
“Even when couples start well on their marriage, political, economic, and social realities take their toll on their relationship. Some are not prepared to handle the intricacies of married life. For many women, the inequalities and violence in marriage negates it ideals as the embodiment of love, care, and safety and erode the bases upon which a marriage is founded,” it added.
Among the valid grounds for divorce cited in the bills are physical violence or grossly abusive conduct directed against the petitioner, a common child, or a child of the petitioner; physical violence or moral pressure to compel the petitioner to change religious or political affiliation; drug addiction or habitual alcoholism or chronic gambling of the respondent; and homosexuality or bisexuality of the respondent.
On the other hand, Tinio and Co, in HB No. 209, seek to ban political dynasties by placing these two provisions in the law: “No person shall hold or run for any elective national or local office simultaneously with another within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, whether legitimate or illegitimate, full or half blood,” and “No person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship to an incumbent elected official shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter.”
The militant lawmakers said “social reform is the evident agenda behind this provision and the objective is clear. The extended family system, an otherwise beneficial concept when applied to the social aspects of human behavior, has found its pernicious effects in the political arena where public office has become the exclusive domain of influential families and clans.”
“The domination of political dynasties in Philippine elections became more evident during the May 2025 elections. They have fielded multiple candidates in national and local positions in order to further concentrate, consolidate, and perpetuate their political power,” they added.
It cited a report by the United Nations Development Programme which revealed that of the 77 provinces included in the study, 72 provinces or 94 percent have political families.
“Further, the average number of political families per province is 2.31, meaning there are at least two political clans in most of the provinces,” the bill said.
In the Senate, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian filed a bill seeking to grant a set of tax exemptions to workers.
“The working Filipinos have always carried the economy on their backs, it is time we lend them a hand and help them in their fight for better lives,” Gatchalian said.
Under the bill, workers earning their first P400,000 a year will be exempted from filing their income tax. The current income tax exemption is given to those earning not more than 250,000 a year.
Gatchalian’s bill also proposes to raise the cap on tax-free bonuses to P150,000 from P90,000; and remove taxes on service charges received by service industry employees, such as those working in restaurants; taxes received on additional compensation received like overtime pay, holiday pay, night shift differential pay, hazard pay, and taxes on honoraria and allowance of poll workers.
The bill also seeks to implement tax reforms such as allowing the additional 50 percent deduction for micro taxpayers for labor expenses they incurred, allowing discounts given to persons with disability, senior citizens, and solo parents to be used as tax credits; and exemption of micro players from the requirement to withhold taxes.
For his part, Sen. Panfilo Lacson wants the Senate to approve his proposal to provide scholarships to eligible children and dependents of farmers.
Dubbed as the “Kabataang Magsasaka Scholarship Act,” Lacson said the bill aims to promote inclusive access to quality education in agriculture and allied courses for deserving children or dependents of farmers.
“Consistent with this representation’s aspi ration of breaking the poverty cycle of our families, this measure will likewise ensure that our country will not fall short of professionals who can contribute to modernizing and strengthening the country’s food security and rural development,” he said.
Lacson said the s cholarships will be parallel to existing education subsidy programs of the government given under laws such as the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, RA 11203 of the Rice Tariffication Law, and RA 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Law.
Under the bill, applicants certified as a child or dependent of a farmer must be enrolled in, or accepted into, undergraduate or graduate programs in agriculture or allied fields identified by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), in a State or Local University or College (SUC/LUC), a CHED-accredited private higher education institution (HEI) in the Philippines, or an accredited partner institution abroad for those pursuing graduate-level studies or training.
Qualified scholars shall be entitled to free tuition and other school fees in accordance with RA 10931 for those enrolled in non-public partner institutions; allowances and support for prescribed books, uniforms, equipment, and instructional materials; a monthly living stipend, as determined by CHED and the DA; expenses for internships, fieldwork, field immersion, capstone projects, research, and other academic requirements as may be determined by CHED and DA.
Reimbursement or direct funding for licensure or board examination fees, including board review courses for applicable programs, shall be extended for the first attempt, subject to limitations prescribed by CHED and DA. Any succeeding attempts shall be undertaken on a self-funded basis.
Scholarships shall also be open to those pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees, as well as post-baccalaureate certificate or diploma programs in the same fields.
Lacson has also filed a bill which seeks to regulate the use of social media platforms by minors to protect them from the harmful effects of too much exposure from them.
Under the bill, minors shall be prohibited from accessing or using social media services, while social media platforms shall take “reasonable steps and age verification measures to prevent age-restricted users from registering, accessing, or continuing to use their social media service.”
Personal information collected by social media platforms or third-party service providers to implement age verification measures shall be subject to the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and applicable laws.
The bill requires platform providers to ensure that the data collected is “limited, secure, and retained only for the period necessary to fulfill its intended lawful purpose,” with users “clearly informed of the purpose and scope of data collection, including their rights.”
Violation of the law shall subject the platform to penalties under the Data Privacy Act and any other administrative, civil, or criminal penalties as may be prescribed by law. – With Raymond Africa
