Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Cagayan Representative Rufus Rodriguez predicted a 10-vote lead for anti-Reproductive Health bill when the House of Representatives votes on the measure on third and final reading this Monday afternoon.
“Today is the day of reckoning,” Rodriguez said in an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
He said he was confident that the 113-104 votes last week in favour of the bill would be reversed this Monday.
Based on their own head counts, Rodriguez claimed that 40 of the 62 lawmakers absent last week would vote against the measure.
“May mga numero kami. About 40 will be with us ,” he said.
“Yes, yes, we counted. We’re confident about that. We’ve been able to get in touch with them. We’ve been able to ask them to come and be present.”
“Sa aking tingin ko, magle lead kami ng about 10 votes. The difference was nine last week against our favor. Now it will be about 10 that will be leading. Adding everything , we will be able to get a very slim lead also. We can’t also claim that we’re going to lead big. It will be a very slim margin also,” he added.
The lawmaker then urged his colleagues in the House to come and vote against the bill to “save the Filipino nation from destruction of morale value.”
Rodriguez said they were “very concerned” why President Benigno Aquino III, who certified the bill as urgent, has to pick up a fight with the Catholic Church when he strongly pushed for its passage.
“We’re just hurt that the people are trying to have this approved. It’s is a direct assault on the Catholic Church,” he further said.