Lagman revives Reproductive Health bill at House of Representatives

MANILA, Philippines - Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman re-filed yesterday his controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, which seeks a national family planning policy to make life better for Filipinos.

In reintroducing the measure, Lagman said in 1999 when the bill was first filed in the 11th Congress, the nation’s population was estimated at 75 million.

“Today, 10 years later, we hold the dubious distinction of being the 12th most populous country in the world with a population of 94.3 million, or a staggering increase of 19.3 million,” he said.

“This would translate to an average increase of almost two million every year in one decade.”

RH proposals did not get past the committee level in previous Congresses largely due to the opposition of the Catholic Church and the lack of a clear stand of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the population control and human development issue.

However, in the previous Congress, the RH Bill got past the committee and reached the plenary deliberation stage.

There were extensive second-reading debates and then Speaker Prospero Nograles scheduled a vote before last year’s Christmas break. Voting, however, never took place.

Lagman said the 14th Congress failed to pass the measure due to the “dilatory maneuvers” of those opposed to it, and due to “lack of quorum and faltering commitment of the House leadership.”

His proposal advocates “freedom of choice” on how one could manage his or her family, he added.

“Parents, couples and women would enjoy the liberty or option of choosing from a menu of modern natural and artificial family planning methods which are medically safe, legal, accessible, affordable, and effective,” he said.

“Neither the State nor the Church can compel citizens or the faithful to adopt a particular method of family planning.”

Lagman said there is “undeniable linkage between population and development because the issue on population directly affects human development indicators on health, education, food security, employment, mass housing, and the environment.”