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Date Posted: 00:01:17 10/24/12 Wed
Author: IMRD
Subject: Oct 24, 2012 news

http://malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/16084-house-maneuvers-imperil-rh-measure

House maneuvers imperil RH measure
Opponents want bill back in committee
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Published on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 00:00
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OPPONENTS of the controversial reproductive health bill are expected to move to remand to the committee level the latest version of the measure, when the House of Representatives resumes plenary deliberations next month.
Rep. Florencio Waray (An Waray), chair of the committee on accounts, said leaders of the anti-RH bloc led by Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia are expected to block moves to resume deliberations on the ground that the “substitute bill” is not the consolidated version that was sponsored in the plenary.
“They will move to bring the bill back to the committee level, that’s what they will do when we resume the deliberations,” he said.
Like Garcia, Noel is an opponent of the measure.
The move of the anti-RH bloc is aimed at the derailing the measure’s passage as the window of opportunity quickly closes with the election fever setting in.
The House, which is on Halloween break, will resume session on November 5 and go on break again, for two weeks starting December 21.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author if House Bill 4244, said last Sunday that the bill has to be put to a vote on final reading before the year ends for it to have a fighting chance at passage.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has said there is no need to remand the substitute RH bill to the committee level because it is already in the period of amendments in the plenary.
Lagman said the substitute bill is the offshoot of consultations among congressmen and a series of dialogues between its authors and “critics.”
He said supporters of the measure had to come up with a substitute bill because the first version in the plenary only had proposed amendments while the new one already contains the changes.
He would not say if by “critics” he meant members of the Catholic Church which is strongly opposing the measure.
“Hindi naman importante kung sino-sino ang nag-usap kundi kung ano ang results ng pag-uusap. At ang results nga ay nakabuo kami ng bill na acceptable to both parties. Nagkaroon ng mga amendments na bukod pa doon sa naunang suggested amendments ng Pangulo at mga authors,” he said.
Lagman has denied the substitute bill is a “watered down” version of the original, saying he and other proponents stood their ground against those who wanted to take out the bill’s heart – giving couples freedom of informed choice.
He said the substitute bill still promotes contraceptives that are “medically safe, affordable and ethical products and supplies.”
“Ang kundisyon sa reproductive health products ay kailangan hindi ito mag-prevent ng implantation of fertilized ovum. Ang mga contraceptives and other methods ay nagpi-prevent ng pag-ovulate to produce eggs o para hindi ma-fertilize ang sperm. Yan ang principal mechanism whether natural or modern method,” he said.
The latest version of the bill has limited its scope to the poorest of the poor, in a move to appease those opposing the measure, especially the Catholic Church.
Lawmakers have agreed to amend the measure and focus the RH campaign on the poorest of the poor who are mostly beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s conditional cash transfer program or CCT.
The “poorest of the poor” will be determined under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.
Another salient provision of the substitute bill is providing government funding for the promotion of modern family planning methods while maintaining a provision promoting openness to life.
“Pero may collatilla yan. Kailangan parents should only bring forth children they can support. Wala namang parusa kung masobrahan ang anak. Freedom of informed choice lang. Pero kung sobra ang anak, maghihirap ang pamilya, yan ang magiging parusa nila,” Lagman said.
Lagman said the proposal to limit the number of children to two per couple has been removed. He explained it was a mere proposal, not mandatory, and not punitive.
“Nagkakagulo e. Kkaya para walang gulo, inalis na lang namin,” he said. “Dito sa substitute bill ipa-prioritize as salient features ng RH ang pagtuturo sa kababaihan ng kanilang fertility cycles. Kung kelan sila safe o hindi para makapag-decide kung anong method ang bagay sa kanila.”

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/6022-enrile-belies-santiago-on-delays-in-rh-bill

Enrile belies Santiago on delays in RH bill
• Written by Angie M. Rosales
• Wednesday, 24 October 2012 00:00
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The proponents of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill should learn to respect the opinions of their colleagues in the Senate and stop crying about alleged deliberate moves to delay the measure being pushed by the Palace, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said.
Enrile belied claims made over the weekend by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on supposed deliberate delays in the deliberations on the bill, saying that there are still a number of their col-leagues who have lined up for amendments in the bill.
“I’m ready to present my amendments but there are still others who have lined up for amendments as well,” he said.
Enrile said two of his so-called pet bills are
actually in the backburner of the Senate and he could not do anything since there are other pending measures.
“No (we’re not delaying it). I have a pending bill, the (proposed) anti-trust law. I never complain about it being delayed in the plenary. That’s how it goes. They want to be prioritized over others. They cannot have it their way. That’s not how we operate. I hope they respect also the opinion of other senators,” he said.
Enrile said there remains a number of bills pending for deliberations including his proposed amendments on the Electrice Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) law that he filed way back in 2004.
“Until now, that (Epira bill) is yet to be passed because they don’t want to take it up. But have they ever heard me complain? The same with my bill on anti-trust. Am I complaining? No. That’s how it goes here in the Senate,” he said.
Enrile has led his colleagues in the filing of the anti-trust law, a legislation tightening rules against monopolies in restraint of trade or unfair competition. It seeks to prevent the concentration of economic power in few persons who “threaten to control the production, distribution or trade to stifle competition, distort, manipulate or constrict the discipline of free markets and increase market prices.”
“(Senators) Miriam (Santiago) and Pia (Cayetano) have kept on complaining when in fact there are still a number of our colleagues wanting to ask further questions and we’re trying to accommodate all. Last time, I said, I will no longer interpellate just so we can wrap this up and put it to a vote,” he said.
Santiago, over the weekend, lamented the manner in which the RH bill that is now in the period of amendments, is being reverted to period of interpellation.
“We’re supposed to be already in the period of amendments but we went back to interpellation period which is very unusual for any bill in the Senate,” she said.
With the sin tax bill and the proposed budget being prioritized in the remaining two months before the year ends, this will only give the RH bill another two months, January to February, for passage in third reading and hopefully, ratification.
Congress is set to adjourn early to give way to the campaign period for next year’s mid-term polls.
Santiago said she and Cayetano, co-sponsors of the bill, will exhaust all means to steer the approval of the measure.
“We’ll probably commit suicide (if this will not be passed)... after all the hardships we’ve done. We’ve done all. We’ve given them enough time to deliberate on this. We’ve cooperated with them. This should be put to a vote and I think we will come to that since it’s become very transparent to some senators that certain people just want to delay the bill for the sake of delay. We’ve answered all information-questions about this bill. If we go into opinion-questions, it will be an endless debate so why not put this to a vote instead,” she said.
Santiago even warned Enrile of his possible ouster from the Senbate leadership if measures being pushed by Malacañang will not be passed.
Amid coup talks in the upper chamber which continue to be denied by Malacañang, insofar as its supposed involvement is concerned, Santiago said the Executive could likely make a bold move to ensure passage of needed measures.
“We do not know how or what President Aquino is thinking right now. But if the Senate president would refuse to lend support to the President, even if the Chief Executive holds only a minority bloc as what is the situation now, with the Liberal Party (LP) members numbering to only four or five, the tendency really is to lean toward the wishes of the sitting President,” she said.
“If the President happens to be supportive of some of the proposed legislations and these measures are facing a lot of obstacles because of the active participation of the Senate president, it cannot be helped but for the President to entertain such thoughts,” she said, referring to the possibility of instigating leadership change in one of the two houses of Congress to ensure support to the administration.
“That’s a perfectly natural conclusion that the President might draw. So that will happen. I think they’re just waiting for something. Wait for it,” Santiago said, further predicting that Enrile’s stronghold on his post will be put to a test if these two bills would not be able to see their passage under the Aquino administration.
“Definitely his time horizon will grow shorter if the two bills are not passed,” she said.
Santiago was quick to point out that she has not been in receipt of any “call” soliciting support to whoever may be being tapped as replacement to Enrile or have any inside information as to whatever plans that might be being plotted against the Senate chief, whether in the past or in the future.
“I told you I’m a complete pariah when it come to reorganization. They know that I don’t care, I don’t want to get involved in intrigues,” she added.

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