MANILA, Philippines ? Administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro said he would abide by the consensus on controversial policies, such as the reproductive health bill.

In a debate sponsored by the Philippine Daily Inquirer at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City Monday, Teodoro justified his withdrawal of support for the controversial reproductive health measure.

"For any policy, especially one as controversial as this, you have to work with the consensus, you can't implement a law with such massive opposition," Teodoro replied when asked by UP College of Law Dean Raul Pangalangan if he would buckle down under pressure on policies, like what he did on the RH bill.

Teodoro explained that the issue at hand was larger than the RH bill as it concerned population management.

"We must move ahead and respect moral choice," he added.

Teodoro initially supported the RH bill in Congress but withdrew his support, saying he wanted some provisions out of the bill.