Cavite 4th District Rep. Kiko Barzaga has filed House Bill No. 4945, the “Absolute Divorce Act of 2025,” seeking to legalize divorce in the Philippines on grounds of abuse, infidelity, and serious criminal acts. If passed, the Philippines would finally shed its outlier status as one of the last countries in the world without divorce.
For decades, Filipino couples trapped in violent or loveless marriages have been told to endure or spend years in costly annulment proceedings. Barzaga calls this cruel and outdated. “There’s a common misconception that the legalization of divorce would destroy the marriage,” he said. “The truth is, individuals destroy their own marriages the moment they abuse their spouse.”
The bill defines absolute divorce as the full dissolution of marriage, restoring both spouses to unmarried status with the right to remarry. It terminates all marital obligations but secures alimony, child custody, and protection measures for the innocent spouse and children.
Grounds include repeated abuse, drug addiction, habitual alcoholism, chronic gambling, adultery or concubinage, and attempts against the life of a spouse or child. Courts may also issue protection orders to shield victims from further harassment.
Barzaga stressed that marriage is the foundation of the family, but laws should not chain people to suffering. “Divorce, in cases involving infidelity or domestic abuse, should be an accessible option for couples dissatisfied with their marriage,” he said.
The Philippines currently recognizes only annulment, nullity, or legal separation — remedies Barzaga blasted as expensive, slow, and narrow. His bill argues that families are not protected by forcing people to stay in marriages marked by violence or betrayal.
If passed, the measure would mark a historic reversal of decades of state-imposed marital permanence, signaling that protecting families also means protecting individuals from being condemned to a lifetime of abuse.
