MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives will try to force a vote today on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.
Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II told reporters yesterday that he would call the bill for voting on second reading tonight in accordance with an agreement Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. had with anti-RH members.
“They have agreed to the schedule, so whether they are finished or not with presenting their proposed amendments, we will have to close the period for amendments. Then we proceed to vote,” Gonzales said.
He said that as part of the agreement, those against the bill would no longer resort to delaying tactics such as availing of their right to call for a tedious nominal or individual voting every time the measure’s sponsor, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, rejects any of their proposed amendment.
“We agreed that we would decide on their proposals via viva voce or voice vote. No nominal voting or voting by tellers or standing,” he added.
He pointed out that the call of Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia on Monday night for voting by standing was not part of the agreement.
Gonzales accused the anti-RH bloc of delaying the proceedings “so that when we vote on the bill, they would accuse us of railroading it.”
“There’s a lot of interplay. It’s as if we didn’t agree on something. You will do as you must, we’ll do as we must. What is going to happen tomorrow is that they would say, sige sagasaan n’yo na kami (run us over), make it appear na sinasagasaan nga namin, magsisigawan na sinagasaan nga sila (that we railroaded it), that they were not given the opportunity,” he said, adding that he expects the anti-RH bloc to ask for more time to present their amendments.
“They can say that we can’t do it and we need another week. If we allow another week, we’re fooling each other,” he said.
Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a staunch critic of the proposed RH law, confirmed today’s scheduled vote.
“Yes, it’s pass your paper, finished or not finished. But we will win the vote. We have about 140 voting against the bill, while they have 120,” he said.
Another anti-RH member, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, said the House is evenly split, 100-100, with 40 to 50 members still undecided.
“The 40 to 50 are the swing votes. They are the ones vulnerable to lobbying and threats by priests and bishops, who are always in the gallery,” Suarez said.
A third critic of the RH bill, Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia, said she is arriving from Bali, Indonesia, where she was to speak before the Second World Ecological Safety, in time for tonight’s voting.
Lagman said it would be the lookout of those against the bill if they would not be able to present all of their proposed amendments.
“Dilatory tactics and repetitive amendments would foreclose their articulating for the record all of their proposals,” he said. (From Philstar.com)