From the
Inquirer.
MANILA, Philippines—After fourteen years of being stuck in Congress, legislators finally put to a historic vote and passed the Reproductive Health Bill before dawn Thursday.
With 113 votes on affirmative, 104 negative and three abstention, the RH Bill was approved on second reading, the most critical voting period for a legislation.
The lawmakers went on a lengthy nominal voting, in which each lawmaker had three minutes each to explain his or her vote, after doubts were expressed about the voice vote earlier done on the bill. The tally of the votes was announced at about 2 a.m. Thursday.
The reproductive health bill gives the national government the mandate to make reproductive health services accessible to poor families through information and education and the provision of free contraceptives.
Unlike his earlier statement that the closing of the amendment period would be initiated by the opposition, House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II moved to terminate the period of amendments quarter to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
This was despite the overwhelming number of Catholic leaders present during session, led by Archbishop Ramon Agruelles, Bishops Teodoro Bacani Jr., Broderick Pabillo, Jesse Mercado, Honesto Ongtioco, Gabby Reyes and Monsignor Clemente Ignacio.
Even Nueva Ecija Representative Rodolfo Antonino’s attempts to delay the proceedings by proposing amendments which have already been suggested by other legislators and turned down by Lagman in the end proved to be ineffective.
The RH Bill also lost co-authors Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla and Iloilo Representative Augusto Boboy Syjuco in the process.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the sponsor of the bill, said that the bill was more about “human rights, maternal and infant health and sustainable development.”
“The choice belongs to couples and women who shall freely and responsibly determine the number of their children” he told fellow lawmakers, maintaining that the bill “addresses the population issue” but was not on “population control.”
“Let us have children by choice, not by chance,” he said.
Full story
here.
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