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Date Posted: 22:06:46 11/19/12 Mon
Author: IMRD
Subject: Nov 20, 2012 news

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/309696/win-some-lose-some-in-senates-rh-bill

Win some, lose some in Senate’s RH bill
By Gil C. Cabacungan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:44 am | Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
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Sen. Ralph Recto: “It is not about winning rounds. It is about creating good laws.” INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Win some, lose some. That was the outcome Monday during the period of amendments in the Senate for the reproductive health (RH) bill.
By a vote of 13-9, the chamber accepted the amendment proposed by Sen. Ralph Recto not to compel local government units (LGUs) to provide RH services.
The chamber (nine for and seven against) also accepted Recto’s proposal to exempt private institutions from providing mandatory RH services.
But Recto lost his proposal (seven for and 10 against) to raise the age covered by adolescence: from 10-19 years old to 13- 20 years old.
“It is not about winning rounds. It is about creating good laws,” said Recto.
He said LGUs, especially cash-strapped towns, were already burdened with many responsibilities, to provide mandatory health services.
The amended provision reads, “The provision of reproductive healthcare and information must be the primary responsibility of the national government consistent with its obligation to respect, protect and promote the right to health.”
Before the amendment, it was the joint responsibility of the national and the local government to provide RH services.
“How much will this cost the LGU, with all these mandates? If we can’t answer the question of how much, it will be very hard to have a new mandate,” Recto said.
In response, Sen. Pia Cayetano, sponsor of the RH bill, said it was the primary responsibility of local governments to provide health services.
Coming to the defense of the measure, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said: “You cannot send to jail any local official if he can’t carry out his mandate because the government is not giving him money. I think the fear is misplaced.”
Earlier, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile surprised his peers when he revived his move to introduce amendments to the RH bill (a week after asking for more time to review his proposed changes) as most of the senators had steeled themselves for debates on the proposal to hike taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic drinks.
Only three senators—Vicente Sotto III, Teofisto Guingona III and Franklin Drilon—voted to stick with the scheduled debates on the sin tax bill, paving the way for Enrile to introduce six of his 17 proposed amendments to the RH measure.

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