The House of Representatives finally opened floor deliberations last night on the controversial reproductive health bill, which seeks to promote both natural and modern family planning methods.
Sponsoring the measure, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman urged his colleagues to open their minds to the “import and merits” of the bill.
He said they should “reject contrived criticisms, expose barefaced lies, refute malicious innuendoes, and resist menacing threats.”
“This bill is not solely about pills, condoms and IUDs. Neither is it about sex, morality or religion, no matter how desperately its oppositors claim it is,” he said.
“There is no bias for or against natural or modern family planning methods because both will be promoted with equal vigor to truly assure freedom of informed choice. This bill is principally about rights, health and sustainable human development,” he stressed.
Lagman assured his colleagues that the measure would not legalize nor promote abortion.
Meanwhile, a group advocating the passage of the reproductive health bill has appealed to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to refrain from spreading misinformation, lies and threats and let lawmakers deliberate on the merits of the proposed bills on the contentious subject.
In a statement Tuesday, Ramon San Pascual, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc. (PLCPD) pointed out that “the essence of lawmaking is to provide the needs of the people and hear different sides of the issue.”
“The Filipino people have elected members of Congress whom they have trusted to be their voice in government,” San Pascual said. “Even President Arroyo now states she will not interfere in the lawmaking process and will allow Congress to do its work.”
“The efforts by the oppositors to influence lawmakers to derail the passage of the reproductive health and population development bill mean denying women and couples the ability to make informed choices in planning their families,” he stressed.
The PLCPD, a non-stock, non-profit organization, was reacting to the CBCP, through Bishop Paciano Aniceto, who asked the Catholic faithful to rebuff efforts by some “false prophets” in Congress trying to impose their brand of morality on the country.
The 71-year-old prelate said lawmakers owe it to the people they serve to accept the truth that “man and woman emanate from God, and not from Congress. It is not created by politically designed surveys or political consensus.”
El Shaddai shows ‘oneness with CBCP’
In a boost to the crusade of pro-life groups, the El Shaddai charismatic group said it would dedicate its grand fellowship this Saturday to attack the reproductive health bill.
El Shaddai official Bro. Rey Vargas said their leader Bro. Mike Velarde is likely to discuss the disadvantages of the proposed measure which have been vocally contradicted by the CBCP.
“As of now, we have not lined up any special speakers to talk about the bill, but most likely Bro. Mike would tackle it when he delivers his healing message,” said Vargas, El Shaddai head for education, training and deployment, on their gathering this Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“This is to show our oneness with the CBCP,” he said.
‘Unruly lawmaker’
Meanwhile, another group advocating the reproductive health bill is contemplating on filing a complaint against a female lawmaker who became unruly when she blocked the bill’s sponsorship speech late Tuesday.
Elizabeth Angsioco, national chairperson of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN), said she still has to consult their other colleagues with regard to the filing of complaint in the House ethics committee against Quezon City Rep. Annie Rose Susano.
“This should be a collective decision,” Angsioco told reporters.
Susano accused pro-choice advocates, led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, of being well funded. “Pay as you go ito, Mr. Speaker,” she said.
Angsioco, along with their allied non-government organizations and those from academe, said the conduct unbecoming of Susano could be a basis for a complaint that may be filed in the ethics committee, which is headed by Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona.
“We were all witnesses to the pandora’s box opened before our very eyes,” RHAN said in a statement, noting that critics of House Bill 5043 “displayed their arrogance and conduct unbecoming to block the bill.”
The group questioned Susano’s act of going to the secretariat to check for herself whether the roll call was indeed being made. “Can she do this to the other hearings? If so, would she want to be the secretariat instead of being a representative of her district?” – With Perseus Echeminada, Evelyn Macairan, Delon Porcalla