MANILA: President Benigno S Aquino will discuss the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, which he is supporting, with members of the House of Representatives in a luncheon meeting in Malacañang on Monday.
Both supporters and critics of the measure were invited to the Palace meeting. However, not all opposed to the bill will attend, like Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez, who begged off yesterday.
“With all due respect to the Speaker and the President, may I beg off from attending the Malacañang lunch on Monday? My opposition to the RH bill is based on my conscience and religious conviction,” he said in a text message to reporters.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr, however, said Aquino just sent out invitations to lawmakers for lunch but was not exactly expected to make an overt pitch for the bill.
“I think the closest thing the President will ask for is to put the measure to a vote,” Belmonte said in a telephone interview. “I think we have reached a point, long overdue, to vote on this.”
“From the beginning, that has been our position. Let’s just vote on this bill to end the debates,” he said, adding the same bill has been discussed thoroughly in the past several Congresses.
A pro-RH bill lawmaker said prior to the 1pm lunch, Aquino would have a caucus with Liberal Party congressmen in Malacañang, giving the president an opportunity to gauge whether or not to give marching orders for the chamber’s majority to pass the bill.
The lawmaker said at least two of the four Deputy Speakers – Northern Samar Representative Raul Daza and Cebu Representative Pablo Garcia – strongly oppose the bill even if they are with the administration.
Monday’s meeting will be the second time for Aquino to discuss with House members the controversial RH measure.
In a Palace meeting last August 6, Aquino pleaded with lawmakers to end floor debates on the measure. They heeded and voted to move the proposed law to the period of amendments.
But since then and up to last Monday, no single amendment has been introduced due to parliamentary manoeuvres employed by the anti-RH bloc, which has vowed to use every trick in the book to derail the bill.
Things finally came to a head on Monday, when the House succeeded in mustering a quorum of 174. Taking advantage of the quorum, Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II called the bill for amendments, something he had not been able to do since August 6.
He then introduced the first major amendment: substituting a less contentious compromise version he and Speaker Belmonte had authored for the original bill principally authored by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman.
The House overwhelmingly approved the amendment by substitution. It is now the compromise version that is on deck.
On Tuesday, the House failed to continue the discussion on the bill due to again, lack of quorum.
The chamber had enough attendance on Wednesday but did not take up the measure.
Monday’s caucus will also come amid calls from RH supporters outside the House and pleas from RH authors for Aquino to intervene and certify the bill as urgent, respectively.
They believe a little more push from Aquino would get the measure approved and bring their 13-year fight for the proposed RH law to a successful conclusion.
After keeping the RH bill hanging with his proposed amendments, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile admitted he has no intention of voting for the measure even if all of his amendments would be accepted.
During the weekly forum at the Senate yesterday, Enrile laid down his cards and removed whatever doubts remained about his stand on the RH bill.
“I will tell you very frankly, I’m not a hypocrite, I speak out according to my best assessment of what is good for the country. My vote is against the RH, the reproductive health bill,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Enrile said he was not ready to introduce his proposed amendments to the bill and that he did not know when he would be ready.
The Philippine star
