No roadblock expected in bicam conference
Victory hugs … Senators Pia Cayetano and Miriam Defensor-Santiago,
sponsors of the reproductive health bill, embrace each other after the Senate
approves the measure. Inquirerpic byARNOLD ALMACEN
By CATHY C YAMSUAN, CHRISTIAN V ESGUERRA, LEILA B SALAVERRIA
MANILA: Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano embraced
each other as they stood in the middle of the session hall, while Senate
President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada announced Monday night the 13-8
vote approving the reproductive health (RH) bill.
It was a long-delayed triumph for both women who gained enemies for their
defense of what they believed was a measure that would give a woman the choice
to determine the number of her children, meet a teener’s need to be protected
from an unplanned pregnancy and educate citizens about sexual health.
“There is no force more powerful than an idea whose time has come and
that idea today is the RH bill,” Santiago said. Before the voting, the bill had
languished in Congress for 13 years.
A quarter before 8 last night, senators approved Senate Bill No. 2865
on third and final reading, less than an hour after they did the same on second
reading.
The vote in the Senate paves the way for the measure to become law
after the House of Representatives also approved on third reading last night
the bill that President Aquino had certified as urgent.
‘No miracle’
The “miracle” that anti-RH groups were waiting for did not materialize,
as the House voted 133-79-7 to pass House Bill No. 4244 on final reading,
increasing the winning margin to 54. In the second reading on Thursday, the
chamber voted 113-104-3.
The two chambers will have to reconcile their versions of the bill in a
bicameral conference committee so Mr. Aquino can sign the measure into law.
Senate leaders have yet to name their representatives to the bicameral
conference that Santiago wants to convene Tuesday.
Malacañang hailed both houses of Congress for their “historic vote” and
crafting a law “that can truly address the needs of our people.”
“The people now have the government on their side as they raise their
families in a manner that is just and empowered,” presidential spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda said. “It begins a process of healing for the wounds that may
have been opened by an often feisty democracy.”
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, sponsor of the House bill, was optimistic that
the bicameral committee would face no serious roadblock in reconciling
contrasting provisions with the Senate version. He said the committee could
meet Tuesday and have the final version ready for ratification by Wednesday.
“Before the end of the year, it will become a law as long as we can
harmonize the differing provisions in the bicameral conference committee,”
Lagman told reporters.
“Considering that these two bills are mutually identical from the start
and the differences were in the period of amendments, I don’t think the
differences are insurmountable. We could fast-track the forging of a bicam
report, I think, within a day.”
In the Senate, those who voted with the two sponsors in favor of the
highly contentious RH bill were Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano,
Senators Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Franklin Drilon, Francis Escudero,
Teofisto Guingona III, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Ferdinand Marcos Jr,
Francis Pangilinan and Ralph Recto.
Those against were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Estrada,
Majority Leader Vicente Sotto, Senators Gregorio Honasan, Aquilino Pimentel
III, Antonio Trillanes IV and Manuel Villar.
Senators Manuel “Lito” Lapid and Sergio Osmeña III were not in the
session hall during the vote.
For poor women
“I will not gloat. In fact, my work has just begun. … This is for every woman wallowing in
poverty, for those who don’t even know they have the right not to be beaten up
by their partners,” Cayetano said after the head count to emphasize the
continuing struggle for women’s rights.
Cayetano failed to fight tears as she thanked all those who supported
her efforts for the past 17 months in having the measure approved.
Santiago, in turn, cited Nicolaus Copernicus who contradicted Catholic
teaching at a time when the Church insisted that the sun revolved around the
Earth.
“The Catholic Church has made many mistakes because it is a human
institution,” she said. Santiago’s statement appeared to be indirectly
addressed to religious groups against the RH bill.
Fear of a Catholic backlash appeared to be one of the biggest reasons
Congress’ decision to pass the RH bill that had been derailed since it was
first introduced in 1995.
Sotto and Enrile, the most rabid among anti-RH senators, have openly
sided with the Church hierarchy in shooting down the measure.
Other senators stood up after the head count to explain their vote.
Angara cited the rising number of teenage pregnancies as an imperative
for his “yes” vote.
Arroyo warned he would change his “yes” vote should drastic alterations
be made in the Senate version during the bicameral conference.
Minority Leader Cayetano said the RH bill’s approval was not tantamount
to a promotion of promiscuity. “We should fight misconceptions if we want to
help our people,” he said.
Estrada lamented the wedge driven between the Church and RH supporters
because of the measure.
Escudero said he was against abortion, but supported the rights of
women and children, especially the unborn.
“I want to give all Filipinos equal opportunity, men and women, young
or old, that’s why I favor the RH bill. I do not favor premarital sex. I am for
the protection of the rights of women and children,” he said.
Sotto, ‘satisfying’ sex
Before the vote, Sotto’s proposal to delete the word “satisfying” in
the definition of reproductive health was met with vehement objection from the
Senate’s three women members. This forced him to withdraw this amendment.
Sotto initially explained that the word “satisfying” ran counter to the
“conservative” culture of Filipino women.
The three women senators stood up one by one and blasted Sotto’s
statement. Cayetano and Legarda said Filipino women had the right to have
satisfying sex.
Santiago went to the extent of vowing to file a bill that would
penalize a husband “who does not give satisfying sex to his wife.”
About dreams
In explaining his vote, Guingona said the bill was “about our dreams
and aspirations,” and the country’s future. Lacson lauded those who opposed the
bill for allowing the majority rule to prevail.
Honasan noted in his explanation that he was living in a highly
matriarchal family.
Legarda dedicated her “yes” vote to Filipino women, while Marcos noted
the agony of young people when faced with “a situation they are ill-prepared
for,” thus his promise to improve “the pathetic state of affairs” by voting for
the RH bill.
“What bothers me is a proposal wrapped in a condom argument,” Pimentel
said. “I cannot accept the twisted rationale to legislate what is better left
to the conscience of married couples,” he added.
Recto appealed to sponsors to maintain fidelity to the version approved
by the Senate during the bicameral conference.
“I hope dead provisions would not be resurrected like zombies and newly
birthed ideas not aborted in the third chamber,” he said, referring to the
bicameral panel.
Revilla’s revelation
Revilla revealed he was the third senator whose child was born with
complications after his wife took pills in the early stages of pregnancy.
“My daughter’s name was Maria Alexandra. She was born in 1990 and lived
only for 26 days because of heart complications as Lani took pills not
realizing she was already pregnant,” Revilla said, his voice shaking.
Apart from Revilla, Lapid and Sotto confessed during RH interpellations
that their wives had given birth to babies suffering from complications due to
pills the women took while pregnant.
“Why can’t we spend the money on infrastructure or projects to help
poor people, instead of using it to buy harmful things?” Revilla said.
Sotto noted that Malacañang certified a contentious bill as urgent,
instead of measures that were “more necessary.”
“If Cory Aquino were alive, this bill would not even reach first base,”
he said.
Wide chasm
Enrile, who cast the last vote, said the bill “inflicted a very wide
chasm of division” not only in the chamber but also in Philippine society.
“I hope this bill we now dispose of tonight will bring the benefits it
seeks to accomplish,” he said.
In the House, RH bill supporters, clad in purple, shouted in jubilation
from the gallery as soon as Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella announced the
results.
After the vote, supporters of the bill gave out purple orchids to
lawmakers and applauded them as they left the session hall to greet fellow
advocates.
A dismayed Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes said the House made a “big
mistake” by passing the bill. “We tried hard (to campaign against it) because
we are convinced that it’s bad for people, not only Catholics, but all people,”
he told reporters.
Reyes attributed the wider margin of victory for the RH bill to the
President’s certification and to “pressures” exerted by Malacañang on House
members.
Badge for passage
Lagman downplayed the impact of the President’s certification of the
bill. “The inherent merit of the RH bill was its badge for passage and the
presidential certification was the assurance for its approval,” he said in a
statement.
“While the certification by the President of the necessity for
immediate enactment of the RH bill sealed its enactment, the intrinsic merit of
the measure and its laudable objectives galvanized legislators’ support and
justified the presidential endorsement,” he said.
Conspicuously absent during the voting was Sarangani Rep. Manny
Pacquiao, who was celebrating his birthday Monday. He voted against the bill
last Thursday.
The anti-RH bloc also missed the vote of Fuentebella, who was asked to
preside over the proceedings. This allowed Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada to cast
his vote in favor of the measure.
Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, a staunch opponent of the RH bill, did not
help his group’s cause when he abstained. Deputy Speaker Raul Daza, another
known critic of the bill, was again not present on the floor. - Inquirer
Yay for women! yay for our country! yay for women in our country! yay for everyone! I'd like to thank all the senators who have sponsored authored and voted to pass the RH bill!
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