Anne Curtis, Maxene Magalona say yes to divorce law
Anne Curtis (left) and Maxene Magalona | Images: Instagram/@annecurtissmith, @maxenemagalona
Actresses Anne Curtis and Maxene Magalona have both made known their position on the proposal to legalize divorce in the Philippines, following the House of Representative’s recent approval of the bill on final reading, and the current discussion of the matter in the Senate.
Curtis, who is married to Filipino-French restauranteur Erwan Heussaff, candidly shared her view on social media that it’s high time for the Philippines to pass the divorce law.
On X, she shared an INQUIRER.net post reporting on the informal survey among senators on their vote on the proposed legislation, as taken by Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada. Among those who voted “no” were, Estrada, Senate President Francis Escudero, and Sens. Francis Tolentino, Joel Villanueva, and Ronald dela Rosa.
Meanwhile, Sens. Grace Poe, Risa Hontiveros, Imee Marcos, and Pia Cayetano voted “yes” to the legalization of divorce in the country. Robin Padilla was the lone male senator who voted in favor of the bill, based on Estrada’s count.
“Puro lalake ung nag no [laughing emoji],” Curtis said.
Anne Curtis’ post on X about the divorce law
Last May 23, Curtis made a separate post on X agreeing with the statement of a lawmaker, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, that the divorce law would not destroy marriages.
The Philippines is the only country in the world, aside from the city-state of the Vatican, to still not have divorce, owing to its strong Catholic roots, which prohibits divorce, despite efforts from progressive groups that are pushing for such legislation.
Toxic marriages
But Magalona insisted that the country “deserve(s) divorce,” as she shared a quote card on toxic love, saying she is sharing her sentiments as a way to show her support to fellow Filipinos, especially those trapped in abusive relationships because of the lack of divorce in the country.
“I am writing this to show my support and empathy for all of the Filipinos who feel trapped in toxic marriages and can’t find a way out—especially the ones who are experiencing abuse on a daily basis. Being forced to stay in a relationship that diminishes your self-worth will make you think less and less of yourself until you don’t know yourself anymore,” she said.
“I can’t believe we are the only nation in the entire world that forbids divorce. In my humble opinion, divorce helps protect the sanctity of marriage by allowing toxic marriages to dissolve and keeping the sacred ones intact. I sincerely pray for peace and progress for our nation. We deserve divorce,” the actress concluded.
The 37-year-old actress, who confirmed her separation from her husband, Rob Mananquil, in 2022 after four years of marriage, claimed that marriages don’t always guarantee a successful outcome as people change over the course of the relationship.
“When people get married, they do it by taking a risk. We don’t get married with a guarantee that the relationship will truly work. We just pray that it will. Almost everyone shows their best selves before marriage, and after they get married, their true colors start to show,” she explained.
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Magalona asserted that while it is true that “marriage is a sacred union,” it does not always mean that it would not turn into a “toxic and traumatic relationship.”
“Because most humans have not done their individual work of healing their pain from their childhood, they get married with unprocessed wounds and end up projecting those wounds onto each other. The marriage that is supposed to be a sacred union turns into a toxic and traumatic bond,” remarked the actress.
The Kapamilya actress is now rumored to be dating director and DJ Geoff Gonzalez.
On May 22, the House approved the final reading of the Absolute Divorce Act, or House Bill 9349, after it received 131 affirmative votes, 109 negative votes, and 20 abstentions.
As of May 29, the divorce bill is facing “delayed transmittal to the Senate,” despite getting approved on the third and final reading.
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