Recto warns RH bill may result in ‘Viagra Nights’

MANILA, Philippines—Conditional condom transfers? Viagra Nights?

Sen. Ralph Recto on Wednesday said private employers might be forced to come up with some programs if the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill were passed into law.

Recto, who campaigned on the platform of keeping the values of the Filipino family in the 2010 elections, questioned the “price tag” of the proposed law.

The senator warned that to fund the measure, the government would have to increase contributions of “both employers and employees” to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS).

He said private companies would have to “cough up money to support the RH law,” citing its requirement that they should provide “health care facilities and services such as contraceptive and sexual dysfunction treatment to all employees.”

“So instead of ‘conditional cash transfers,’ employers from time to time would give out ‘conditional condom transfers’ or hold ‘Viagra Nights’ in exchange for increased productivity?” he said.

Pork barrel may increase

Senate Bill No. 2378 seeks to require employers with more than 200 workers to inform their employees in writing about medical and health benefits such as the “availability of family planning services.”

The information, it says, should include “reproductive health hazards associated with work, including hazards that may affect their reproductive functions, especially (of) pregnant women.”

Recto said funding the RH measure might also require increasing the pork barrel of legislators, if only to enable local government units (LGUs) to comply with requirements to provide “mobile health clinics/vans” in each congressional district.

These clinics are required to deliver reproductive health supplies and services, he said.

“Where are we going to take the money from? Would this mean more pork barrel, higher LGU taxes, and higher contributions to PhilHealth, GSIS and SSS?” he asked.

So many unfunded laws

“It’s impossible to push for this bill without knowing the costs and where the funds would be sourced. Let’s be clear when we legislate something.”

Recto questioned the wisdom of crafting a new law when “there are so many unfunded laws.” He said: “We don’t need another one.”

The senator noted that an RH law could not be funded solely by the “measly” P3-billion budget to be taken both from the Department of Health and the Population Commission.