By Clarist Mae Zablan
(May 24, 2024) – Former senator Tito Sotto III on Friday stood firm in assailing the passage of the divorce bill in the House of Representatives, maintaining that his judgment was not clouded by his stance against the measure.
Sotto rejected the remarks made by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who claimed that the former lawmaker was only influenced by his anti-divorce position.
“Clouded ang judgement ko sapagkat ako’y anti-divorce? Hindi nga?” said Sotto on One PH’s Sa Totoo Lang, adding that he once filed a bill to expand the grounds for annulment.
An initial report from the lower chamber showed 126 affirmative votes for House Bill (HB) No. 9349 or the Absolute Divorce Act, with 109 opposition and 20 abstentions. But House of Representatives secretary general Reginald Velasco later announced that the votes were rectified to 131-109-20.
Lagman authored and sponsored HB 9349.
“Huwag siyang (Lagman) nagbibintang nang hindi niya alam. Kaya ang pinakamaganda, tingnan nila kung tama ‘yung rules ko o hindi. Bakit nila binago kinabukasan kung mali ako, kung moral judgement ko lang ang gamit?” added Sotto.
In a series of tweets, he said the divorce bill should not have been passed because it failed to secure the majority of the quorum based on the initial tallies. The initial 126 affirmative votes were less than the combined no and abstain votes.
“Ang sa‘kin kasi, hindi naman sa pagyayabang, ‘yun ang expertise ko. Parliamentary rules. Kaya ako naging Senate president. Siyam na Senate president ang pinagsilbihan ko. Master na master ko ‘yun. Kaya alam ko ‘yung nangyayaring ‘yan,” claimed Sotto.
Lagman stressed that abstentions are not counted as votes.
“Palagay ko ay si former Senate President Tito Sotto ay blinded lamang ng kaniyang advocacy against the divorce law. Ang katunayan, mali ang kaniyang computation,” said Lagman on One News’ Brunch on Thursday.
Lagman touted the passage of the divorce bill in the House of Representatives as a significant step in fully helping Filipino families amid failed marriages.
(PM)
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.