Iloilo City — Ilongga lady solon, Rep. Janette Garin (Iloilo, 1st District) has pledged support for the divorce bill, stressing that “as a lawmaker advocating for reproductive health and women’s rights, I strongly support the passage of House Bill 1799.” Garin cited the situation of battered wives and separated or de facto couples. She said that in such situation, “divorce is proper.” She noted that Family Courts are handling numerous cases for the declaration of nullification of marriage through grounds of psychological incapacity as stipulated in Article 36 of the Family Code. “However,” she said, “psychological incapacity is so broad in terms of judiciary interpretation (and) passage of a divorce law with specific and exclusive grounds for divorce would fill Article 36’s insufficiencies.” Also, the Iloilo solon noted that Muslims can be legally divorced through Presidential Decree 1083. “I believe we should not deny the same right to Christians,” Garin said. However, she stressed that marriage is still an inviolable social institution. “Even with the passage of a divorce law, marriage preservation can still be maintained, provided that the law will have stringent and exclusive grounds under which it may be granted, and further, that the statutory right can only be availed as a last resort,” Garin emphasized. (Tara Yap)

Educator's legacy on the environment cited

CATARMAN, Northern Samar — Lawyer Mar P. De Asis, President of the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) here has cited Don Matias H. Aznar, founder of the Southwestern University in Cebu City during his recent memorial lecture in commemorating the founder's birth anniversary held at the SWU Campus in Cebu City. De Asis spoke about how Aznar’s legacy has influenced his policy decision-making in the area of climate change, biodiversity and environment. He briefly presented the global characteristics of Samar being the last frontier of lowland rainforest and expounded on the UEP's support and involvement in biodiversity conservation in the rehabilitation of the 75 hectares university forest reservation in Catarman town as a watershed area, and the maintenance and sustainable use of the natural resources of the university within the 405 hectares eco-system diversity of terrestrial, lowland, coastal and marine ecosystems of Northern Samar. De Asis said the university’s policies support biodiversity promotion in the continuing practice of organic farming system, establishment of the UEP Ecopark in the university forest reservation, the extension of technical and consultancy services of faculty and staff to government agencies, non-government organizations and other formal and informal organizations along the development agenda on biodiversity and environmental protection. (Nestor L.Abrematea)

Cebu tunnel now open for light vehicles

CEBU CITY — The subway of the South Road Properties (SRP) has been opened for motorists using light vehicles on a 24-hour basis. City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) Board Chairman Sylvan Jakosalem told reporters that the SRP subway has now been made available to motorists although on a limited basis as of this time. He said traffic enforcers will be assigned at the tunnel entrance to segregate the vehicles since only light vehicles are allowed to pass through. The opening of the P1.2-billion subway provides alternative routes for motorists passing the SRP from southern Cebu to the northern part of the city and then towards the North Reclamation Area for access to Mactan Island and northern Cebu. The four-lane tunnel, which connects the viaduct before the SRP to Sergio Osmeña Blvd., lies underneath the Plaza Independencia, which sprawls beside the Malacañang sa Sugbo. It stretches 0.97 kilometers long, consisting of a 610-meter twin box tunnel and a 360-meter reinforced concrete retaining structure. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)