Pro-RH lawmaker thinks bill won’t reach House voting
Wednesday August 17, 2011
WHILE he supports the pending Reproductive Health (RH) bill in Congress, Cebu Representative Tomas Osmeña said voting on the controversial measure won’t likely be reached by members of the House of Representatives.
“I like RH but there won’t be any voting. (There are) 35 oppositionists (and they) are willing to filibuster until the second coming of Christ,” he said in a text message.
He made these remarks on Tuesday, the same day Malacañang included the RH bill in the list of priority measures discussed in the second Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting.
“I promised not to vote as I believe there won’t be any voting anyway,” he added.
Other legislators from Cebu have openly expressed their opposition to the bill. Among them are Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia, and his son Pablo John, Gabriel Quisumbing, and Rachel Marguerite “Cutie” Del Mar.
They are among the House members who have lined up to interpellate the authors of the RH measure.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had said the House leadership will ensure that the RH bill will reach voting in third reading.
Meanwhile, other lawmakers allied with the Aquino administration lauded the President for the inclusion of the RH bill in the second Ledac meeting, and hoped that the measure will be expedited in Congress.
Iloilo Representative Janette Garin, one of the main authors of the measure, said he salutes the President’s courage and political will to endorse the bill.
“The endorsement of the President is an upright decision and in accordance with his vision of ‘matuwid na daan’. Political will as exemplified by our nation’s leader is the missing link we have been longing for a faster and more progressive take-off from poverty,” Garin said.
Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (Cibac) party-list Representative Sherwin Tugna said the prioritization of the RH bill is a “great development”, which only shows that the Aquino administration has political will to promote a measure despite pressures from other organizations like the Catholic Church.
Gabriela party-list Representative Luzviminda Ilagan said that with 11 women dying daily due to childbirth complications, Aquino made a right move to declare the measure as a priority.
For others, making the RH a priority bill does not mean that Aquino wants it legislated but rather, he wants the issue settled and voted upon.
Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali, a member of the Liberal Party, lauded President Aquino for taking a stand on the controversial measure despite pressures from different organizations including the Catholic Church.
“Once and for all, dapat ma-settle na to. Kasi nung Sona (State of the Nation Address) na niya hinahanapan siya nyan. Anyway, he has taken his position. After all, this is really in the shop of Congress, kami naman magpapasa,” he told reporters in a press conference.
San Juan City Representative JV Ejercito, one of the neophyte lawmakers, said that the first-timers in Congress are still weighing both sides of the issue considering the weight of the proposed legislation.
“Intense lobbying of pro-RH groups won this round but it doesn’t mean that it is what the people want,” opposition lawmaker Zambales Representative Mitos Magsaysay said in a text message.
The RH bill was first filed in the 10th Congress. It is now pending for second reading approval in the House of Representatives.
House panel chair won’t rush FOI
In a related development, the chairman of the House committee on public information expressed support for the priority measures set by President Aquino despite the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill failing to make the cut.
Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone, chairman of the House panel, said Congress should wait for Malacanang’s go signal before proceeding with the legislative process to pass the long-delayed measure.
“I don’t want to rush things up…baka mamaya di pa pumasa, sayang ang efforts…Mas maipapabilis maipasa yung FOI kung may support from the administration. I would not risk losing FOI just because of our desire to speed up its approval,” he said.
Earlier, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teddy Casino blamed Malacañang for the delay in passing the FOI bill. He said the House committee would rather not wait for the draft proposal from the Palace because it would only impede the process further.
“Even the COA (Commission on Audit) expressed full support for an FOI act and said it is important to achieve transparency. It is really inconsistent and a hypocrisy for Aquino not to prioritize this when even the COA wants it. Again, I call on Congress to just do it and not be held hostage by Malacanang’s objections & delaying tactics,” he added.
The FOI bill, when enacted into law, will provide easier access of government records to ordinary citizens. (Sunnex)
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