Collateral damage in Corona ouster

The House of Representatives is set to vote on whether or not to continue debating on  the Reproductive Health Bill tomorrow and while the Catholic Church is stepping up its campaign to pressure lawmakers to vote against the measure, firm indications it will not pass legislation are all over the place and could be understood even by the ordinary man in the street.

Time constraints would make it not just difficult but impossible for Congress to put the bill to a vote tomorrow or in the next couple of days. The measure has been snagged in second reading and as I write, Congressman Pablo Garcia (2nd district, Cebu) could be readying his opening statement explaining why he wants to extend the period of interpellation. The Cebuano solon and other anti-RH advocates like Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao have plenty of points to raise and unless these issues are clearly resolved, Congress cannot close the period of interpellation and move to the period of amendments.

Even if only one-tenth of the more than 100 anti-RH House members will stand up, I don’t think this could happen.

House Majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales already saw the handwriting on the wall when he told media recently that passing the RH Bill is next to impossible given the time limitations.

August, according to Gonzales, is the only window of opportunity for the RH bill, but even now, Congress is under pressure to tackle the 2013 national budget. Discussion about the proposed national appropriations can be thorough, but because the 2013 elections is just around the corner, House members are expected to opt for the practical, that is, set aside further discussions on the RH Bill to make room for the budget measure. Congressmen would like very much to wrap things up, so they could focus on their political survival. The election period starts in two months.

Interestingly, President Benigno Aquino III who supports the population control policy could also be faulted for the failure of Congress to pass the bill. The administration’s decision to unseat Renato Corona from the post of Supreme Court Chief Justice must have entailed a lot of strategic planning between Malacañang and allies in the House, taking much of the majority’s time and effort from 2011 up to early 2012.

At the height of the impeachment trial, the House leadership even suspended regular sessions so members can attend hearings in the Senate. The time and effort of House allies, which could have been spent in debates for or against the RH Bill leading to a final vote, were instead diverted to the ouster of Corona.

The RH bill has been pending for the past 11 years, undergone six versions but with all the formidable political forces driving it, it remains stuck in a hellhole. I can’t help but infer the bill is evil because each time Congress prepares to tackle it, something happens in the national scene that bogs down Congress from taking it up.

In the 13th Congress (2004 to 2007), the Hello Garci tape scandal rocked the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. GMA was accused of rigging the 2004 presidential elections in collusion with then Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. Instead of tackling the bill, the House majority had to raise its guard against attempts by the minority to oust GMA.

In the 14th Congress (2007 to 2010), members were then poised to vote on the measure that sailed smoothly under the guidance of Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman. There was even a suggestion that the RH Bill could go the way of GMA’s proclamation in 2004, that is, approved and passed in the dead of the night, but something happened that changed the political scene unalterably.

Jose “Joey” de Venecia III exposed the $329.5-million NBN-ZTE broadband deal, allegedly brokered by then Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos. GMA and her husband Mike Arroyo were implicated in the questionable deal, forcing the former President to cancel the contract.

The political fallout was such that key House allies returned to the trenches to protect GMA from the opposition who called for a legislative probe and the filing of an impeachment case. The situation impacted heavily the legislative agenda, with the RH bill as collateral damage.