(SPOT.ph) Right after renewing her wedding vows with her husband of 40 years, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago expressed support for legalizing divorce in the Philippines during the reception on Sunday, June 19, reports ABS-CBN News. Santiago and her husband, former Interior Undersecretary Narciso Santiago, renewed their vows at Manila Cathedral with a ceremony presided by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.

“I think that divorce should be availed by people who become homicidal at the sight of each other. That is much better than making each other miserable for the rest of their lives and impacting the lives of their children as well,” Santiago told reporters at the reception held at the Manila Hotel.

According to The Philippine Star, Santiago, a co-author of the Reproductive Health Bill in the Senate, favored a divorce bill so long as the grounds for divorce are strict and will not encourage rushed marriages. She revealed that she even wrote Cardinal Rosales explaining her views. “I’m just trying to exercise my freedom of conscience… I’m not fighting for myself or for any political agenda. I’m fighting for the oppressed Filipino poor woman.”

According to ABS-CBN News, Santiago also dished out advice on how to make a marriage last: give each other space. However, Santiago admitted that they are no longer as sweet as before, and refused to kiss when guests clinked their glasses. “Maybe, if I am as young as Heart Evangelista, it would be endearing to kiss in public. But to do that at my age would just be disgusting,” she said.

For more on this story, log on to ABS-CBN News and The Philippine Star.