Population Control Issues

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Palace checks bishop's wrath of God talk on RH bill
ABS-CBNnews.com
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12...wrath-god-talk

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Friday urged a Catholic bishop to pray for those still missing after typhoon Pablo instead of blaming the disaster on the Reproductive Health Bill.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda gave the message to Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo after the latter noted that tragedy always seems to strike everytime Congress talks about the RH bill.

"I would like to invite Bishop Pabillo to join hands with us to pray for a successful search for those who are still missing and to pray for the people who perished in the tragedy. Now is the time for the good bishop to show God's compassion and not speak of the wrath of God," he said.

He added: "To quote Abe Lincoln: 'With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right,' the President has called on all of us to 'bind the nation's wounds' brought about by the ravages of Typhoon Pablo."

Pabillo earlier noted that the latest tragedy to hit the country again coincided with deliberations on the controversial measure.

“Ewan ko lang kung yan ay coincidence lang o dahil nga may pinapasabi ang Diyos sa atin na kapag iyan ay pinag-uusapan ng matindi ay parang may mensahe na nangyayari na maraming kahirapan na nagaganap sa atin," Pabillo said in an interview with Radio Veritas.

He said the underlying message should be understood especially since “lalo’t ayaw natin na ang panukala ay madaliin at palihim na iginagapang para makalusot.”

The death toll from typhoon “Pablo” is already at 325 on Thursday. At least 379 are still missing and 411 more injured.

Last August, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines called for a truce in the fight for the RH Bill after heavy rains and floods affected various parts of the country.

Father Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family Life, stopped short of linking the "habagat" phenomenon to the RH bill but noted: “Although we would not give other meaning to it, nonetheless God speaks through his creation as well. Nature tells us to respect the natural course of things.”

He said nothing happens by accident. “Di ko alam bakit ganito, wala namang bagyo.”


Not God’s will
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://opinion.inquirer.net/42231/not-gods-will

I don’t know about you, but I’m not standing anywhere near Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo these days. Recently, reacting to the horrific news reports about hundreds dead in the wake of the “visit” of Typhoon “Pablo” to our shores, the good bishop commented: “Ewan ko lang kung yan ay coincidence lang o dahil nga may pinapasabi ang Diyos sa atin na kapag iyan ay pinag-uusapan nang matindi ay parang may mensahe na nangyayari na maraming kahirapan na nagaganap sa atin (I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence or if the Lord is trying to send a message to us that whenever that is being discussed heatedly, it seems that there’s a disaster that causes much suffering among us).”

Bishop Pabillo was referring to the Reproductive Health bill that is now undergoing the final stages of discussion in Congress and is expected to be passed into law in the near future.

Defeated in the halls of Congress and in public opinion, the bishops, in the person of Pabillo, now seem to be grasping at straws, claiming that the death toll and damage done by Pablo is “God’s punishment” on Filipinos for even daring to contemplate passage of the RH bill.

If you believe in such stuff, then I suppose Pabillo should be the target of a divine smiting anytime soon, for the grievous sin of taking God’s name in vain, or for blaming Him for a disaster which is utterly explainable in scientific terms, and traceable, if at all, to entirely human causes, including overpopulation that has driven families to live on precarious mountain slopes, and deforestation that created those murderous landslides and floods that led so many to their deaths.

If there is any lesson to be gleaned from the tragedy of Pablo, it is indeed that we need to slow down the growth of our population, for it is human interventions—including global warming and the desperate search for livable habitats—that have made natural disasters so destructive and tragic.


* * *

A report on Pabillo’s interview aired over the Catholic Radio Veritas said the bishop asserted that “tragedies happen whenever lawmakers push for the RH bill.” The underlying message, he said, “should be understood since lalo’t ayaw natin na ang panukala ay madaliin at palihim na iginagapang para makalusot (we don’t like it when the bill is being rushed and secretly pushed among members of Congress to pass).”

I never thought that Catholic bishops believe so fervently in a malicious God who would cause death and destruction for innocent folk in an expression of pique over a piece of legislation that would simply put the Philippines on the same wavelength as other countries all over the world.

Is God against reproductive health or, at the very least, the reduction of the numbers of human beings on this planet? Don’t you think a disaster that kills more than 300 people in one or two days and destroys entire villages is precisely a form of population reduction?

Or am I just being specious, quoting Pabillo out of context?


* * *

This to me is the height of insensitivity. To use the deaths of our people in a disaster as a propaganda point against a piece of legislation like the RH Bill that everyone—save for Catholic bishops and their conservative allies—says is long overdue, necessary and would provide relief for families struggling to provide their children a life of dignity and value.

Let Bishop Pabillo and all those who heed him and his ilk consider this: If we had adopted not just a sound population policy decades ago like we should have, would we have so many deaths from a typhoon?

The answer is no. For part of a rational population policy is planning for future growth, which is only possible if authorities can predict where population surges will take place, and put in place measures to mitigate whatever environmental, social and economic impacts we will face.

If the population push had not led to thousands of poor families setting up homes and settlements in mountain barangays, then there would not have been so many left vulnerable to Pablo’s depredations. And if these economic migrants had not laid bare the mountains’ trees and stripped the land for marginal farming, would they have been buried by landslides and mud?

I am not “blaming” the victims, or scolding them in afterthought. But disasters are the results of lack of planning and enforcement, of carelessness with the environment, and even of stubbornness in the face of authorities’ warnings about a coming typhoon and the need to seek shelter on safer ground.


* * *

In other words, God gave us free will and intelligence to properly prepare for the disasters that global warming has presaged. We had days—days!—to follow Pablo’s track and to mitigate the foreseen damage by strong winds, tidal surge and rushing floodwaters.

I can’t help but sympathize with P-Noy who expressed his frustration that despite so much time afforded us by modern weather forecasting, on the ground, our best efforts were frustrated by inept organization, human hard-headedness, and lack of imagination.

Of course, many of the lost lives, injuries and material losses were also the result of accidents and—let’s face it—bad luck.

But it is bad luck that will hound us in the years to come as our planet undergoes the worsening effects of climate change. What we need to do is to prepare and put in place measures that will ensure fewer lives lost the next time another “supertyphoon” visits us.

Let us pray we will cope with coming disasters better and that we will minimize the loss of lives. But let us also entreat our legislators to pass the RH bill now, for we need to ease the pressures that bear on our environment and preparedness as soon as we can—like yesterday.

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Anti-RH are anti-poor and anti-women
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://opinion.inquirer.net/42319/an...and-anti-women

The members of the parliamentary opposition to reproductive health must face the music. They owe their power to the democratic process. They mustn’t disdain the democratic verdict. If only to show respect for the source of their power and all the perks they now enjoy, they must stop delaying the vote on the RH Bill. It isn’t kosher to enjoy democracy’s bounties while shrugging off its burdens.

President Aquino said it more diplomatically when he convened the pro-RH congressmen in Malacañang: “Leadership comes not just with perks but also with responsibilities, and among those responsibilities is that of making a choice.”

But there is a deeper reason they must end their filibuster and all the parliamentary tricks to prolong the 13-year wait for an RH law. The bill entails fundamental debate on the values we hold most dearly as a people. It cheapens their cause for them to win through technicality and parliamentary sleight of hand.

The anti-RH forces invoke respect for their religious beliefs and parents’ authority over their children. The pro-RH forces invoke the idea of a secular state, the privacy of the marital bedroom, state solicitude for maternal health, and social justice for the poor. Yet the only way for the anti-RH legislators to elevate filibustering to virtue is to say that their desired result—a congressional stalemate—is God’s gift to his anti-RH legions, but that only demeans their cause into superstition.

Major concessions

Worse, it also shows them to be dogmatic and unreasonable if they maintain their hard-line stance despite major concessions already made by the pro-RH camp. In the compromise RH bill, religious hospitals will be exempted from the obligation to offer modern family planning care.

The compromise expands the grounds for “conscientious objections” and allows doctors and nurses to refuse to render medical services they deem inconsistent with their faith. Moreover, the compromise gives parents an opt-out clause if they don’t want their kids to undergo compulsory RH education in schools.

There is even a clause that embraces the Catholic definition of when life begins: The compromise will promote only those “health care services [that] do not prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum.” Finally, the compromise will even limit the scope of the poor and marginalized qualifying for subsidized care.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III argues that we don’t need an RH bill because we already have enough laws and programs for maternal health and population control. “In other words,” Sotto said, “the problem here isn’t the absence of laws but the need for correct and effective implementation of the laws that we [already] have.” The argument fails at several levels.

One, if all those wonderful laws have failed to prevent the unnecessary deaths of Filipino mothers, why now resist a law that addresses directly the problem of maternal mortality? Dr. Marilen J. Danguilan, in a talk before public health advocates, cited our “scandalously slow” progress in curbing maternal mortality. “Put another way, from 1990 to 2010, about 50,349 to 86,221 women have already died. If we have to be dramatic about these figures, that’s about 287 jet crashes, without any survivors.”

Two, the argument is disingenuous. If we abandoned the RH law and relied on the existing laws that Senator Sotto cites, does he assure us that those laws will in fact be carried out to benefit the reproductive health of poor Filipinos? Indeed, does he even assure us that his own cohorts wouldn’t sabotage those laws?

Third, and if somehow Senator Sotto would indeed advance RH through other laws, why would he oppose advancing RH through the RH law? What is so bad about achieving through an RH law the same results that he says can be achieved under other laws? The only explanation is that what he objects to is not the practical result, namely, promoting RH, but affirming a principle, namely, that men and women have a right to enjoy reproductive health.

On this point, Senator Sotto has a point. He can compromise on the fine print but he will hold the line on first principles. Precisely for that reason, the pro-RH groups must reciprocate in kind. They, too, must not lose sight of the foundational norms that have animated the RH struggle from its inception, namely, the right of every human being to make the most intimate choices by which to live his or her life. That principle tends to be overshadowed by the population control arguments. At this stage of the debate, we must shift to the rights-based argument in order to clinch the RH law.

2 distinct strands

The RH debate in the Philippines consists of two distinct strands—population control and human rights. The first approach sees RH as an economic issue: Any progress we make in economic development will just be eaten up by the growth in our population. That makes eminent sense, I agree. But it also opens up the debate to old arguments that will never die. There’s the distributional argument: “It’s not the size of the pie but how it’s distributed.” There’s the anti-corruption spiel: “If only we can reduce corruption ….” There’s the old economist’s wisdom: “Don’t look at that one mouth to feed, but see the two hands that work.” The problem with these arguments is that they provoke only more debate. The “two hands that work” thesis, for instance, assumes that there are well-paying jobs waiting to employ those hands, and before long you will find yourself mired in debates about which economic system is best.

The second approach sees RH as each person’s right to make informed choices that shape his or her own life. Unlike the first, it doesn’t take a “macro” view of the problem of poverty. Rather, it starts on that assumption: There are many who are poor in our nation. The population control approach looks for economic strategies to overcome poverty and its effects. In contrast, the rights-based approach says that while we grapple with those big questions, poor fathers and mothers should be able to plan their families, and decide how many children they want and how far apart to space them.

The advantage of the rights-based approach is that it is based on one document that each and every congressman and senator has taken the oath to respect, the Philippine Constitution. That document recognizes the “right of spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood.” It also provides for “social justice,” including the government’s duty to make health services “available at affordable cost” especially for women and children. It also states that the “separation of church and state shall be inviolable.”

The rights-based approach is more in step with the times because it empowers each individual to decide for himself or herself. There are millions of hardworking Filipino parents struggling to raise a family. They may be powerless to shape the nation’s economy, but we must empower them with the first and most basic impulse to take charge of their lives.

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Anti-RH solons push for Wednesday vote
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/nation/specia...wednesday-vote

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers who are opposing the Reproductive Health Bill are prepared to put it to a vote next week, but not without finishing their proposed amendments up to the very last page.

Anti-RH solons want a vote on Wednesday, December 12, a week before Congress goes on its Christmas break. The House of Representatives only holds session from Mondays to Wednesdays.

"We, anti-RH lawmakers, are ready for a vote and we want to do it on Wednesday. We will still pursue our amendments line by line, page by page," said Cagayan de Oro Rep Rufus Rodriguez.

House members have only tackled up to page 4 of the 27-page document in the 3 days that they have been going through the period of amendments on the divisive measure.

Asked on whether this is a tactic to deprive the Senate time to act on the bill, Rodriguez, one of the most vocal opponents of the measure, said that they were not even thinking of that scenario. Rodriguez claimed that the anti-RH camp has 136 votes, enough, he said, to reject the bill.

This despite test votes showing that solons in favor of the measure outnumbered the opponents. Rodriguez blamed the results of these test votes on Typhoon Pablo, saying that most of their allies were from storm-stricken areas in the Visayas and Mindanao and had to attend to their constituents.

"That 99-90, you see the difference is very small and the reason why we lost is because most of our congressmen are from the Visayas and Mindanao and they had to attend to their constituents who were affected by Typhoon Pablo. We will call on our forces next week. Hopefully, they will attend sessions next week because the typhoon is over. Hopefully, no new typhoon comes along," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez was referring to the 99-90 vote to reject Palawan Rep Dennis Socrates' motion to deliver a privilege speech aimed at delaying the proceedings.

Senate approval of RH bill before break: Lacson
Business World
http://www.bworldonline.com/content....acson&id=62608

THE SENATE may approve on final reading the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill before Congress goes on break this month, a lawmaker yesterday said, noting that majority of the senators are “supportive” of the measure’s approval.

“The target date, before we go on break, maipasa na ito [to be able to pass the RH bill] on third reading,” Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said in a press conference referring to Senate Bill No. 2865.

Mr. Lacson is one of the authors of the Senate version of the RH bill, a priority measure. Congress goes on a Christmas and New Year break on Dec. 22 to Jan. 20.

“You can see that the majority is supportive of the passage of the measure,” Mr. Lacson said, noting the “trend of voting” when senators voted on amendments proposed by those opposing the bill.

Amendments of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to the definition of the terms sexual health and reproductive health were rejected by senators on Tuesday.

Senators last month rejected his amendment to include a provision in the measure stating that life begins at fertilization.

The chamber, however, accepted Mr. Enrile’s amendment to include the phrase “any form of abortifacient” in the list of products which should not be purchased by hospitals and health offices” and to “engage the services, skills and proficiencies of experts in natural family planning who shall provide necessary training of all barangay health workers.”

Among Mr. Enrile’s amendments that were accepted by senators last month are the definition of abortifacient as “any drug or device that induce abortion or the destruction of a fetus inside the mother’s womb,” deletion of the reference to the “International Conference on Population and Development,” and insertion of a provision which guarantees the rights of the children, youth and the unborn.

The chamber also rejected on Tuesday the proposal of Senator Ralph G. Recto to require the national government instead of local government units to provide emergency obstetric care.

The Senate has accepted Mr. Recto’s proposal last month that Congress cannot “force” local governments on how to use their budget and that private health care facilities cannot be compelled to provide reproductive health services

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Miriam 'smells victory' for RH bill as majority shoots down Enrile's four amendments
InterAksyon
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4...les-amendments

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said she “could smell victory in the air” for the Reproductive Health (RH) bill after a majority in the Senate voted down four amendments to the proposed measure.

“The voting showed that the RH group in the Senate has core support from at least 11 senators. There are actually more, but some were absent last Tuesday,” Santiago said.

On Tuesday night, Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, leader of the anti-RH group, tried to propose amendments to two provisions of the RH bill deleting the phrase “safe and satisfying sex life” and the phrase “pleasurable and safe sexual experiences.”

Santiago stood up to oppose Enrile's amendments, which were defeated by a vote of 11 against and six.

“These phrases might be unfamiliar to certain senators, but they are the accepted linguistic formula in international human rights law, particularly international women’ rights law," said Santiago.

In contemporary international law, the Final Act of an international conference can be considered as a treaty-making law among the signatories to the Final Act, according to Santiago.

She said that since the Philippines is a signatory to the Final Act of the International Conference on Population Development,” it is now bound to provide for “safe and satisfying sex life.”

Santiago also pointed out that the phrase “pleasurable and safe sexual experiences,” is used in certain international documents, including papers by the World Health Organization.

During the debate on the two amendments, Enrile tried to be snide and sarcastic against Santiago, saying he "was not as brilliant as others here" when it comes to international law.
Santiago immediately jumped to her feet and said, “I feel alluded to! I am very offended!"

Enrile then went on to propose another amendment, which was also defeated.

Sen. Ralph Recto followed with his own amendment to replace the phrase, “each LGU” with the phrase “the national government,” in the provision for the establishment of hospitals for obstetrics and newborn care.

Recto’s amendment was also voted down, with 9 against and 8 in favor.

The second Recto amendment, which is still pending, states that minors should get the written consent of their parents before they can buy contraceptives.

Again, the co-sponsors, Sen. Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano and Santiago opposed the amendment.

[Manila-X]

PH population to increase by 85%, ‘good for economy’
By Niña P. Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer
4:33 am | Sunday, December 9th, 2012

The Philippine population will grow by 85 percent in the next six decades, according to a forecast of a United Kingdom-based international accounting and finance firm.

The country will experience the largest population increase in the Southeast Asian region in that period, with an additional 82 million people, said the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) in a December report, “Economic Insight: Southeast Asia.”

“This increase should boost growth and safeguard the region’s competitiveness at a time when the working-age population begins to shrink in China and is already doing so in Japan as well as in some European countries,” the ICAEW analysis said.

The ICAEW, however, does not see the boom in the Philippine population as a bane for the economy.

“The increase will make the country an attractive base for manufacturers,” it said.

But the firm cautioned policymakers that raising output in a country’s overall production couldn’t rely on population growth alone.

“Productivity is crucial as well, and one way to raise productivity is by moving up the value chain from labor-intensive manufacturing to high value-added goods as well as business and financial services,” it said.

The Philippine population as of May 2010 stood at 92.34 million, according to the National Statistics Office.

Boom and boost

The Philippines and Malaysia are the only countries in Southeast Asia that will see a population boom in the next 60 years, according to the report.

It said Thailand would see its population peak in about two decades, adding only about
5 percent to its number of inhabitants over this period.

The ICAEW projections were based on each country’s policies and programs on family planning and immigration.

For the entire Southeast Asian region, the ICAEW projected population to rise by around a quarter from the current 600 million to a maximum of about 760 million in 2057.

Demographic dividend

Excepting the Philippines and Malaysia, which are forecast to experience population booms, most Southeast Asian countries are seen to benefit from a “demographic dividend.”

A demographic dividend occurs when falling birth rates change the age distribution of a country so that fewer investments are required to meet the needs of the younger, dependent sector of the population. This frees up public resources for investment and allows living standards to rise.

Aquino factor

Douglas McWilliams, ICAEW economic adviser and chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), noted the economic and political progress in the Philippines, which he attributed to President Aquino.

“The clear election victory of Benigno Aquino promises political stability, which will encourage investment and consumer spending,” he said.

He cited the signing in October of the framework peace agreement to end the Muslim insurgency in Mindanao as another boost to the economy this year.
Produced by CEBR, ICAEW’s partner and forecaster, and commissioned by ICAEW, the report presents a current snapshot of the Southeast Asian region’s economic performance.

The ICAEW produces quarterly reviews of Southeast Asian economies, with a focus on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Sotto admits RH bill close to being passed
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/321007/...o-being-passed

“May God have mercy on their souls,” said Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III in a statement as he played the God’s mercy card on reproductive health-bill advocates after Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago declared after last week’s period of amendments that there are enough pro-RH lawmakers to pass the contentious maternal health measure.

In a text message to the Inquirer, the staunch anti-RH lawmaker said the votes that kept “safe and satisfying sex” in the bill’s definition of reproductive health did not necessarily mean the measure’s passage was in the bag for its proponents.

He admitted, however, that bill is closer to being passed.

“The bill is being endorsed by proabortion groups. It will promote immorality among minors. Why do they want to do this?” Sotto said.

Sotto earlier said maternal and child care programs that the RH bill seeks to institutionalize are already being funded and implemented by the government through the Department of Health.

“All the things they want in the bill are all being done. Why do they want to make it a law? My final word will be ‘May God have mercy on their souls,’” Sotto said.

As to Santiago’s claim of victory once the RH bill is finally put to a vote, Sotto said “It’s difficult to say. Senator Joker Arroyo is not with them. He is keeping his cards close to his chest."

On Tuesday last week, all the changes to the bill that were objected to by sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano and put to a vote were thumbed down by senators.

Santiago said the voting showed that the RH has a core of 11 senators that it could count on.

She also said the number could be more as Sen. Edgardo Angara was abroad on an official trip while Sen. Joker Arroyo was already out of the hall as the amendments were put to a vote late during the session.

“They do not want to accept the amendments. They want to keep it as a ‘safe and satisfying sex,’” Sotto said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, an ally of President Aquino’s and a supporter of the RH bill, said the target to pass the measure was before Congress’ Christmas break.

The legislature goes on recess on Dec. 21.

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Bishops to attend RH bill voting Wednesday
Sun Star
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-n...dnesday-257462

CATHOLIC bishops will attend the scheduled voting of members of the House of Representatives on Reproductive Health (RH) bill this Wednesday.

Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (CBCP-ECFL), said the prelates’ presence is their expression of support to lawmakers who are against the measure.

“It was also a sentiment presented by the anti-RH legislators because they said they need moral, spiritual, and physical presence of the bishops,” Castro said.

He added that bishops will be there to pray for anti-RH legislators.

However, he has no idea on how many bishops will attend the December 12 session.

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes watched earlier RH deliberations in Congress.

Castro, meanwhile, reminded the people that a mass will be held at noon at the St. Peter’s Church along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City before they proceed to Congress.

“After the mass, there will be a procession all the way to Batasan. If all of us cannot be accommodated inside then we’ll just stay outside to pray,” he said.

Earlier, supporters and opponents of the RH bill had agreed to put the measure to a vote on second reading on December 12.

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Bantay sarado ang CBCP as they may get KO'd like Pacman in their fight against the RH BIll... Hehehe...

Catholic bishops to monitor voting on RH bill
PhilStar
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/20...voting-rh-bill
MANILA, Philippines - Several Catholic bishops will watch how lawmakers would vote on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill on Wednesday.

These Catholic bishops are expected to come to the House of Representatives on Wednesday to witness the voting.

Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said Catholic bishops will also go to Congress to show their support for the anti-RH bill lawmakers.

“It was also a sentiment presented by the anti-RH legislators because they said they need the moral, spiritual and physical presence of the bishops. But the main reason why the bishops will be there is to pray for them (lawmakers),” he said.

However, Castro could not say how many Catholic bishops will go to Congress on Wednesday.

“I don’t know how many yet, but hopefully they are many this time around,” he said.

In previous sessions of Congress, only Archbishop of Lipa, Batangas Ramon Arguelles and Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes monitored the RH bill deliberations.

Prior to proceeding at the House of Representatives, a Mass would be held at St. Peter Church along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City at noontime Wednesday.

Castro said anti-RH bill lawmakers are expected to join the Mass.

“In a way it’s also a blessing and prayer to them before they go to Congress to vote,” he said.

After the Mass, Castro said a procession to the House of Representatives will be held.

“If all of us cannot be accommodated inside then we will just stay outside to pray,” he said.

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Bishops told not to sow fear on RH vote
Manila Standard
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/...-to-defeat-rh/

The author of the Reproductive Health bill on Monday warned Catholic bishops against using fear and intimidation to sway lawmakers to reject the hotly contested measure ahead of a crucial vote in the House of Representatives Wednesday.

At the same time, a late vote scheduled by the Senate cast doubt over the bill’s fate there.

“Catholic bishops are welcome during the consideration and voting on the RH bill, but they are cautioned not to demean congresspersons by treating them like docile sheep to be watched and shepherded,” said Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of the bill in the House.

The bishops, who have put on a show of force in the plenary, want Congress to delay voting on the RH bill to allow more time for study. Supporters of the bill, however, say debates over the bill have gone on for more than a year, and that the time has come to vote.

“If the veiled purpose of the bishops’ presence in the gallery is to sow fear or employ intimidation against legislators, they will not succeed because fear is destitute of reason and must be resisted with conviction, and not be allowed to deter or delay legislation,” he said.

Last week, the bishops mounted a text campaign to pressure lawmakers into rejecting the RH bill. They said they were keeping score on the votes of each lawmaker, and that those who voted for the bill would face reprisals during next year’s election.

But Lagman said the presence of bishops in the plenary during the past session days did not save the “killer amendments” proposed by RH critics from being voted down repeatedly.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, which objects to the bill on the basis of its support for birth control and sex education, said many bishops and nuns will be present at the House on Wednesday, when the bill is put to a vote on second reading.

Melvin Castro, the priest who heads the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said the presence of the bishops would provide moral and spiritual support to lawmakers who opposed the bill.

The bishops exhorted parishioners to join them in prayer so that the bill will be rejected.

But a co-author and outspoken defender of the bill, Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco, said they would not be intimidated by the prelates.

“We cannot be cowed. We have been firm in our position that the country needs the RH bill to help empower our people and alleviate poverty,” Cojuangco said.

Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello added that the bishops could no longer change the stance of the pro-RH lawmakers, and said their presence in the gallery might have even backfired.

“I think the bishops’ intimidating presence might backfire. One anti-RH person in fact told me that he is against the bishops watching the vote from the gallery since this smacks of intimidation and would not wish this ordeal on anybody, pro- or anti-RH,” Bello said.

With a vote on Wednesday assured, the House session adjourned early Monday night because of a lack of quorum, with only 136 lawmakers responding to a second roll call at 7:45 p.m., down from 183 who were present at 6:30 p.m.

In the Senate, Senator Pia Cayetano, sponsor of the bill, said a scheduled vote set for Dec. 20 was in doubt because of a lack of quorum since many senators might already be out of town by then.

Earlier, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said amendments to the bill would be completed by Monday next week, followed by a vote on second reading. Because there must be three days between the second and third reading, the final vote was set for Dec. 20.

But Cayetano expressed concerns that the vote might not take place.

“Because of the late hour… a lot of our colleagues are no longer here, and I am unable to verify if some of our colleagues [will] still be here on Thursday (December 20) because based on our calendar, we end [the session] on Wednesday (Dec. 19),” she said.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, meanwhile, disputed claims by anti-RH senators that the bill was being railroaded.

“We have to stop at some point, 13 years is enough,” she said, referring to the number of times the bill was filed – and derailed – in Congress.

On the day of the crucial House vote, the bishops will hold a Mass at St. Peter Parish along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City before proceeding to Congress, CBCP’s Castro said. He said supporters and members of several Church-backed organizations would also gather outside Congress to pray for the bill’s rejection.

Members of the academe supporting the RH bill, however, said they were confident of its passage after the final stretch of debates.

“The votes in Congress shot down every ridiculous argument against the RH bill. Clearly, the opposition to RH is untenable and indefensible, it is based on out-dated and conservative conceptions of sexuality and relations between persons and has absolutely no respect for the rights of women over our own bodies,” said Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, the group’s spokesperson.


Pro-RH solons say they won't be intimidated by bishops' presence in the House
InterAksyon.com
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/5...e-in-the-house

MANILA, Philippines – Pro-Reproductive Health (RH) bill lawmakers on Monday said they would not be intimidated by the presence of Catholic bishops at the session hall of Congress.

As the House'e decision on the fate of the RH bill nears, the prelates said they would troop anew to the House of Representatives to express their support to lawmakers opposing the passage of the controversial measure.

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the main proponent of the RH bill, said the bishops will not succeed in sowing fear in the pro-RH congressmen, who have remained firm in their stance to pass the proposed legislation.

“If the veiled purpose of the Bishops’ presence in the gallery is to sow fear or employ intimidation against legislators, they will not succeed because fear is destitute of reason and must be resisted with conviction, and not be allowed to deter or delay legislation,” Lagman said.

“What bishops cannot achieve by reason and persuasion, they must not pursue through fear and intimidation,” he added.

According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the bishops will be present at the House on Wednesday when the bill is put to a vote by lawmakers.

"It was a sentiment presented by the anti-RH legislators because they said they need the moral, spiritual, and physical presence of the bishops,” said Fr. Melvin Castro, CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) executive secretary in a statement.

The bishops encourage others who oppose the bill to join them in prayer so that the bill will be rejected.

“Let us come together to offer continued prayers for the non-passage of the RH bill,” said
Episcopal Commission on Family and Life head Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes.

But Akbayan partylist Representative Walden Bello said the bishops can no longer change the stance of the pro-RH lawmakers, who by now have already made up their minds.

Bello believes that very few among House members remain undecided.

“I think that the bishops' intimidating presence might backfire. One anti-RH person in fact told me that he is against the bishops watching the vote from the gallery since this smacks of intimidation and would not wish this ordeal on anybody, pro or any-RH,” Bello said.

Lagman said that while the bishops are welcome, he said they should not demean the House members “by treating them like docile sheep to be watched and shepherded.”

He added that the presence of the bishops in the gallery during last week’s session did not help in the approval of the “killer amendments” introduced by anti-RH congressmen.

The period of individual amendments will resume Monday, before the target voting on second reading on Wednesday.

Before bishops proceed to Congress on Wedmesday, Castro said a Mass would first be held at the St. Peter Parish Church along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Pro-life demonstrators and members of various Church-based organizations will also gather outside Congress to pray for bill's rejection.

“After the Mass, there will be a procession all the way to Batasan. If all of us cannot be accommodated inside then we’ll just stay outside to pray,” Castro said.

Coincidentally, the date of voting on RH bill falls on the the feast day of the Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the unborn, said the CBCP.

Academe confident of vote

Meanwhile, members of the academe supporting the RH bill are confident that the bill will be passed after final stretch of the debates.

“The votes in Congress shot down every ridiculous argument against the Reproductive Health bill. Clearly, the opposition to RH is untenable and indefensible, it is based on out-dated and conservative conceptions of sexuality and relations between persons and has absolutely no respect for the rights of women over our own bodies,” Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, the group’s spokesperson, said.

For them, this is also consistent with the anti-RH side's refusal to acknowledge the debate challenge that academics issued on Monday. The open debate challenge has gained almost 50 signatories from the academe since it was announced at the start of the week.

The group says the result of the amendments process thus far is already a partial victory for the RH bill.

[3cr]

It’s finally set: Senate voting on RH bill next week
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/nation/17700-...bill-next-week

MANILA, Philippines – After much debate and drama, the Senate finally agreed to set a date to vote on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

The chamber agreed to vote on the bill on second reading on Monday, December 17, and if passed, to vote on third reading on Thursday, December 20.

The agreement was made after a two-hour stalemate on principal sponsor Sen Pia Cayetano’s motion that the bill be tackled first on Monday, December 10, even if it was listed last on the agenda.

Cayetano said she needed to fast-track deliberations on the bill to ensure she has enough time for bicameral conference committee deliberations. RH bill critic Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III objected, saying he was not yet ready with his amendments.

After the two-hour suspension of session, presiding officer Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada made this proposal:
•On Wednesday, December 12, Sen Ralph Recto will finish introducing his individual amendments
•On Monday, December 17, Sotto will propose his amendments then the Senate will close the period of amendments and vote on second reading
•To follow the rule that there must be 3 days before the Senate can vote on third reading, the Senate will hold session on Thursday, December 20, to vote on the RH bill on third reading

The proposal was unexpected because there are usually no sessions on Thursday and the last session day before the Christmas break is on December 19, Wednesday.

Estrada’s proposal though came with a big if: that the House of Representatives will approve the bill on second reading this week.

“We will vote on the assumption if the House of Representatives will act on the measure. If the House of Representatives does not act on the measure, I think there is no point for the Senate President or for us to have a session on Thursday.”

Cayetano said she agreed with the proposal with the reservation that she is able to confirm with her colleagues that they will be present on December 20 for the vote.

She repeated her argument that the RH bill is now in a “point of no recourse,” with no other option but to force a vote because of the many delays.

“We put again the RH bill in a place of uncertainty, we put the RH bill at the mercy of me the sponsor having to agree because you are appealing to me so I will accept with the reservation,” she said.

Sotto also agreed but grudgingly.

“Yes, Mr President we will agree to your proposal as an accommodation that this be taken up at the soonest possible time and we finish as they requested. As I said, just to accommodate, not because we completely agree.”

The RH bill aims to provide access to both natural and modern family planning methods, and to promote sex education and family planning. The House of Representatives has its own version of the billl, which the chamber plans to vote on this week.

One of the most contentious measures in Congress, it has been pending for over a decade. The Catholic Church is staunchly against the bill, saying it promotes a contraceptive mentality and promiscuity.

President Benigno Aquino III has expressed support for it, saying he would vote for the measure if he were still a lawmaker.

[zoroethgenre_003]

[Manila-X]

RH bill faces moment of truth at House
By Karen Boncocan
INQUIRER.net
3:36 pm | Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines — All eyes are now on the House of Representatives as it is expected to put to vote on second reading the controversial Reproductive Health Bill, a measure which has been languishing in Congress for 14 years now.

Pro-RH Bill groups were first to make their presence felt at the House of Representatives, trooping at the gates as early as 9 a.m. to show their support for the measure’s approval.

Catholic groups meanwhile gathered for Mass at St. Peter Parish on Commonwealth before marching towards the House of Representatives.

Although the bill’s period of individual amendments was only started last week, its sponsor Albay Representative Edcel Lagman said that they would definitely put the measure to vote on Wednesday “finished or not finished.”

They reached page 12 out of the 27-page document in Tuesday’s deliberation, with Lagman consistently shooting down proposed amendments which he thought were intended to kill the measure.

He also ignored threats from the Catholic clergy that they would be present when lawmakers cast their votes on the bill, pointing out how they have so far rejected all “killer amendments” proposed by RH Bill critics. For several session days now, moves for viva voce vote on amendments which Lagman did not accept always succeeded in turning them down.

But Paranaque Representative Roilo Golez, a critic of the RH Bill, on Tuesday questioned how they have never won during viva voce voting on amendments. He said that it was a “statistical improbability” that the ‘aye’ votes are still at zero at this point.

Meanwhile, another RH Bill opponent, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez said that they were sure to block the passage of the measure upon second reading.

“We will win, we have enough numbers and it will hold,” he told reporters during a chance interview.

He said that their side had a sure 136 votes against House Bill 4244 otherwise known as the RH Bill–enough to block the measure’s passage on second reading.

But this is if not all of the 284 lawmakers show up for session, said House minority leader Danilo Suarez.

“Talo yun (It’s defeated) (if there are 284 present), you need 142 votes,” he told reporters during a media forum.

Asked what incentive the lawmakers who choose to oppose the bill during voting can expect, Suarez added in jest, “they will go to heaven if they do.”

“Basta ako (As for me), I’ll go to heaven,” said the minority leader, who has earlier withdrawn his co-authorship on the RH Bill along with six members of the minority bloc.

But just like the ruling LP, the minority bloc also has its share of differences in its members’ stand on the bill. Suarez said that four of their members were pro-RH, suspecting that they backed the passage of the measure because “they have already committed to Edcel (Lagman) when he was still the minority leader.”

The presence of leaders of the Catholic Church will have an effect on voting turnout
later, Rodriguez said, dismissing the possibility that the recent Liberal Party meeting could sway the votes of its members who were originally against the RH Bill.

Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, LP president, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad on Tuesday urged the members of their party to support the RH Bill, reminding that President Benigno Aquino III would have voted for its passage if he were part of the legislative body.

But “the meeting will not have much effect; they are going for a conscience vote,” said Rodriguez, who pointed out that voting at the Senate on the RH Bill will no longer matter once they kill the measure at the lower chamber of Congress.

“Today (Wednesday), if the bill is defeated at the House, it will already be moot and academic in the Senate. Mauuna kaming bumoto dito (We will be the first to vote),” he said.

But a co-author of the bill, Iloilo Representative Janette Garin, said that it was too early to tell since the numbers change every hour.

She however added that they were confident that they had the numbers needed to pass the measure although it was likely that the bishops’ presence will “somehow have an effect on some legislators.”

Lagman has earlier refused to divulge the number of lawmakers who will be voting for the RH Bill as part of their strategy.

[RonnieR]

http://www.voxbikol.com/article/hous...-rh-bill-today

[3cr]

LP, NPC leadership: 'Pass RH bill'
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/nation/17760-...p-pass-rh-bill

(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines - At the eleventh hour, the leadership of both the ruling Liberal Party (LP) and key ally Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) have taken a stand to support the passage of the Reproductive Health bill (RH bill).

LP president Manuel Roxas II called LP members in the House of Representatives to a lunch meeting in the LP headquarters on Tuesday, December 11, to announce the party leadership's support for the controversial Reproductive Health bill (RH bill). Budget secretary Butch Abad was also present.

The House is scheduled to put the bill to a vote on Wednesday, December 12.

"Hinikayat ng liderato ng Partido Liberal, kabilang na sina House Speaker Sonny Belmonte at Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales, na bumoto at suportahan ng mga kongresista ang panukalang batas na ito (The leadership - among them Speaker Sonny Belmonte and Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales, urged party members to vote in favor of the RH bill), reads an LP statement issued after the meeting.

"Nanindigan ang Liderato ng LP, na huwag talikuran ang Pangulo sa isyu ng RH Bill, at bumoto para maipasa na ito sa mababang kapulungan. (The leadership of the LP stand firm - not to abandon the President on the issue of the RH - and vote to pass the measure in the House of Representatives), the statement further reads.

This is a departure from the ruling party's previous position that relied on each member's conscience vote as far as the measure was concerned. Staunch critics of the bill were not present. It is the "sway-able" LP who were present, said an LP solon who attended the meeting.

LP has a total of 92 members in the House.

NPC, too

The NPC leadership made the same position to support the RH bill.

Pangasinan Rep Kimi Cojuangco told reporters about 50 party members also held a meeting in the House of Representatives before the session on Tuesday.

"We feel na kawawa naman si President. Hindi siya nag-iisa. Nandito kami para sa kanya," said Cojuangco

"It's not a party stand. We had a nice friendly discussion. But we told them a vote of yes is a vote for the President," Cojuangco added.

NPC has over 50 members in the House.

Bishops to watch voting

Catholic bishops said they will be present in Wednesday's voting, in an apparent show of force by the sectors opposed to the bill.

The ruling party has been divided on the measure that seeks to provide reproductive health services - including free contraceptives - to the poor who cannot afford them.

Despite an earlier call by President Benigno Aquino III to put the bill to a vote, some LP members in the House still voted in favor of motions that were meant to further delay the process. This led advocates of the RH bill to call on the President to crack the whip.

[RonnieR]

Nominal voting is still on going at this time!

[3cr]

Yes it's about time!

House approves RH bill, nominal voting to confirm voice vote
By Christian V. Esguerra, Leila Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/323173/...proves-rh-bill


“Obviously, the ‘ayes’ have it.”

With this declaration by Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III, the House of Representatives approved by voice vote on second reading Wednesday night the controversial reproductive health measure, or House Bill No. 4244.

But Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco made a motion for nominal voting to confirm the results of the voice vote. Tiangco was supported by one-fifth of the House or 45 members, the required number for nominal voting. As of 11:30 p.m., the nominal voting was still going on. Of those who had already explained their votes, 70 voted yes and 49 no to the RH bill.

HB 4244 now moves to the third and final reading, a significant step for a measure that had not come this far for the past 13 years in Congress.

The focus now shifts to the Senate where a version of the RH bill is still in the period of individual amendments.

HB 4244 was approved on second reading despite serious concerns raised by the Catholic Church, including several lawmakers, on how it would affect the mentality and sexual habits of the youth, and the economy in the future.

The “nays” were as loud as the “ayes” in the voice voting, but Tañada said the “ayes” had it. He said the crowd in the south wing of the gallery, apparently referring to anti-RH bill advocates, had joined the lawmakers who said “nay.”

Some members of the crowd doubted Tañada’s call, saying the “nays” seemed to have the louder voices. A nominal vote will confirm if Tañada’s call was correct.

Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia earlier moved to proceed directly to nominal voting. But he was overruled by Tañada, who said nominal voting could come after the voice vote.

Garcia and other anti-RH lawmakers got their wish after one fifth of House members agreed to put the matter to nominal voting wherein each lawmaker would explain his or her vote.

Batangas Rep. Tomas Apacible, a member of President Aquino’s Liberal Party, voted against the RH bill.

“The President says this is a conscience vote and I believe it and I support him in that stand. But I am also a father more than a legislator,” he said in explaining his vote.

Outgoing Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez, rejected HB 4244, saying, “what is good in Batasan is not always good for the barrios.”

“All the purported things that this bill would do are already covered by a multitude of laws. So it’s a matter of implementation,” he said.

Rep. Emmeline Aglipay threw her support behind the measure, saying: “I am not against life. I am against ignorance.”

Akbayan Rep. Arlene Bag-ao, a coauthor of the bill, said: “I vote yes for this bill because it affirms life, it upholds choice, and it underscores responsibility.”

Nominal voting began at exactly 8:15 p.m., three hours after the chamber resumed the period of amendments.

Earlier, with supporters and opponents closely watching deliberations from the gallery, lawmakers wrestled with controversial provisions of HB 4244 particularly the one mandating sex education for pupils.

Clad in bright red, a symbol of sacrifice and fidelity in the Church, prolife groups filled up the south wing of the plenary gallery, awaiting the outcome of the scheduled voting on the floor. At least seven Catholic bishops also stayed on to closely monitor the proceedings.

RH supporters were just as passionate, but were slightly outnumbered as they occupied the opposite gallery.

Lawmakers against the bill won some points, but lost many as Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author and sponsor of the bill, rejected one key amendment after another during marathon deliberations that officially began at 5:17 p.m.

A major point of contention was the provision requiring “mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education.”

Lagman rejected a proposal to start teaching such lessons to “senior high school” students, not to Grade 6 pupils as contained in the substitute bill.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez expressed fear that the current age bracket might lead to “misunderstanding” among Grade 6 pupils who would be exposed to lessons on “sex, sexuality and reproductive health.”

“It’s irreparable if these children will misapprehend (the lessons),” he said on the floor.

But Lagman insisted that starting at senior high school—or at age 16 or 17—would be “too late.” He assured Rodriguez that the provision would not “make teen sex maniacs.”

Lagman later accepted a proposal to amend the provision, which now states: “Age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education shall be taught by adequately trained AND QUALIFIED teachers…”

He also agreed to a proposal by Rodriguez to include the sentence: “Upon due notification by the Department of Education and private educational institutions through the principals in writing two weeks before classes start, parents shall be informed of the option of not allowing their minor children to attend classes pertaining to reproductive health.”

RH opponents also suffered significant losses during the period of amendments on Tuesday night.

Rodriguez said the rejection only unmasked HB 4244 as a “birth control bill.” Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez sought to delete the provision on “population and development,” saying it was a “buzz word for population control.”

Lagman slammed the door on efforts to include definitions of “birth control,” “contraception” and “responsible parenthood.” But accepted those on “natural family planning” and “contraceptive devices” (as stated in an existing law).

A major battleground was Paragraph I of the guiding principles, which stated: “While this act recognizes that abortion is illegal and punishable by law, the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counselled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner.”

While there was no quarrel over the opening clause, Rodriguez said the succeeding portion would “really encourage abortion.”

“It is unnecessary,” he said during the six-hour deliberations that ended at around 10 p.m. “This kind of language will give the impression that precisely that is OK, you have abortion. You will be taken care of (anyway). That has no place in the law.”

A number of bishops, including Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, stayed on to watch the proceedings. Together with prolife supporters clad in red shirts, they filled the south wing of the plenary hall.

Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing agreed with Rodriguez, saying doctors had the duty to “treat all these patients” even if they involved women who had sought abortion.

Lagman replied before rejecting the amendment: “It is just like an encounter between government forces and rebels and a rebel is wounded. It is the obligation of the government to bring the wounded rebel to the nearest medical facility. But it is not condoning rebellion.”

In the end, the provision was amended as: “While this act recognizes that abortion is illegal and punishable by law, the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS DUE TO PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH AND RELATED ISSUES shall be treated and counselled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner WITHOUT CONDONING ABORTION.”

Rodriguez moved to delete another provision stating “that a comprehensive reproductive health program addresses the needs of people throughout their life cycle.”

“This would mean that by buying condoms and contraceptives, it will solve the problems of all the people of this country. That is not so,” he argued, but was rejected by Lagman who said: “What is misleading are the conclusions and statements—I am sorry to say—of the distinguished gentleman.”

Golez did not get to delete the provision on “population and development.” But Lagman acceded to another proposal, which amended part of the provision. The term would now refer “to a program that aims to (1) help couples and parents achieve their desired family size IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR RELIGION.”

Deliberations became occasionally heated, especially after Lagman accepted none of the proposed amendments during long stretches. When he finally agreed to include a definition of “natural family planning,” Rodriguez reminded him that he had rejected “six definitions in a row.”

“No reason to jump like chimpanzees for 1 over 7,” he said.

Golez succeeded in introducing a condition in the definition of “reproductive health and sexuality education.” There is now a portion stating that such lessons would not be “inserted into disciplines like mathematics, literature, history, geography and other subjects that are not directly related to sexual education.”

“If it’s sex education, then let it be sex education and not disguised as some other subjects,” Golez argued.

[hingpit1984]

In historic 113-104 vote, House approves RH bill on second reading.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...second-reading

Go, go, go.

[manila_eye]

Jackie Enrile just gave his father a middle finger for voting yes.

[Askal82]

Haleluya!

[3cr]

One more to go! Senators please pass the RH Bill! The country needs it badly!

Historic passing of RH bill on second reading
INQUIRER.net
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/323261/...cond-reading-2

MANILA, Philippines—After fourteen years of being stuck in Congress, legislators finally put to a historic vote and passed the Reproductive Health Bill before dawn Thursday.

Although resounding ayes (yes votes) initially filled the plenary Wednesday evening, struggles by opponents of the bill gave way to nominal voting which lasted until the next morning.

With 113 votes on affirmative, 104 negative and 3 abstention, RH Bill was approved on second reading, the most critical voting period for a legislation. There were 217 solons present and most explained their votes to fellow members of the House.

Unlike his earlier statement that the closing of the amendment period would be initiated by the opposition House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II moved to terminate the period of amendments quarter to 8 p.m. This was after legislators finished discussing amendments to the 27-page bill.

This was despite the overwhelming number of Catholics present during session, led by Archbishop Ramon Agruelles, Bishops Teodoro Bacani Jr., Broderick Pabillo, Jesse Mercado, Honesto Ongtioco, Gabby Reyes and Monsignor Clemente Ignacio.

Even Nueva Ecija Representative Rodolfo Antonino’s attempts to delay the proceedings by proposing amendments which have already been suggested by other legislators and turned down by Lagman in the end proved to be ineffective.

The RH Bill also lost co-authors Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla and Iloilo Representative Augusto Boboy Syjuco in the process.

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the sponsor of the bill, said that the bill was more about “human rights, maternal and infant health and sustainable development.”

“The choice belongs to couples and women who shall freely and responsibly determine the number of their children” he told fellow lawmakers, maintaining that the bill “addresses the population issue” but was not on “population control.”

“Let us have children by choice, not by chance,” he said.

Gonzales, in explaining his affirmative vote said: “Wala namang mali sa magiging resulta ng pananaw natin dito, magkakaiba lang tayo. Magkakaiba lang ang ating pamamaraan.”

“Nais kong mapaghandaan ng mga tao ang kanilang kinabukasan,” he said.

“(The RH Bill) is not about religion nor population control. This is pure and simple legislation,” said Iloilo Representative Janette Garin, a proponent of the bill. She said that the measure “responds to the call of our people.”

Her sister-in-law, Aambis-OWA Partylist Representative Sharon Garin, said it was wrong to call supporters of the RH Bill immoral. “I do not believe that we will become promiscuous or immoral because of the RH Bill. Every woman needs access to basic health services, information on reproductive health.”

Pangasinan Representative Kimi Cojuangco, who has strongly supported the bill, said that she voted for its passage “for all the women in the Philippines who cannot afford quality health care.”

Even Muslims backed the RH Bill, according to Muntinlupa City Representative Rodolfo Biazon, who said that a fatwa was even issued in support for the measure. He said that many are demanding for the passage of the bill.

Proving this, Sulu Representative Tupay Loong voted for the RH Bill, saying that the population should be at a level that is sustainable by the country.

Akbayan Representative Kaka Bag-ao, another co-author of the bill, explained her yes vote, pointing out how the measure “affirms life, upholds choice.”

“Enactment of this bill will not make anyone less Catholic or religious,” she said.

Gabriela Partylist Representatives Emmi de Jesus and Luz Ilagan voted for the passage of the bill but said that she did so “with reservation.” They are co-authors of the RH Bill but said that they were wary of provisions which they felt promoted population control.

Gonzales said that their staff has been working to prepare the amended version of the bill for easier transmission to their members.

The RH Bill has not been certified as urgent by President Benigno Aquino III and will take three days before it is put to a vote for third and final reading.

The earliest that the measure can be put to vote for third reading is on Monday, said Gonzales.

A version of the bill is also set to be voted on second reading at the Senate.