RH bill faces moment of truth at House

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net

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.