MANILA, Philippines - A day after approval by Congress, the Reproductive Health (RH) bill is facing another hurdle after its major foes in the Senate blocked yesterday efforts to have the measure discussed in a bicameral conference committee.
Sen. Pia Cayetano called for a bicameral conference committee hearing on the measure but was foiled in her effort by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.
Moments after the bill’s approval on third and final reading Monday night, Cayetano promptly presented the composition of the Senate panel for the bicameral conference committee, whose task is to reconcile the conflicting versions of the bills.
The members of the panel, in Cayetano’s list, are her brother Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Teofisto Guingona III, Francis Pangilinan and Sotto.
Cayetano, chairman of the committee on health and demography, said that she had already set the first hearing at 4:30 p.m. at the Senate yesterday.
House committee on population and family relations chairman Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina concurred with Cayetano’s move.
But Sotto said Cayetano’s action violated the rules of the Senate.
Sotto pointed out that a clean copy of the bill or the final version of the bill – including all amendments – was not yet available.
He also cited Rule 12, Section 35, which states that the Senate President “shall designate the members of the Senate panel in the conference committee with the approval of the Senate.”
“I checked again, just now, there is no clean copy yet. We have not transmitted (the copy of the bill) to the House of Representatives yet. That is the procedure. Why rush it?” Sotto said.
Sotto pointed out that Cayetano had used the same rules when he was trying to introduce his amendments to the RH bill last Monday.
“We have until January (to finish this). Why the railroading?” Enrile said just before yesterday’s plenary session.
“In a bicameral conference, we normally produce the matrix of the two bills with the disagreeing provisions, since we don’t have the clean copy yet, how can that be done? Let’s follow the rules of the house,” Enrile added.
Cayetano argued that her manifestation was based on tradition in the Senate and that while she acknowledged the rule cited by Sotto, this had never been invoked before.
“It has been the practice of the Senate that the chair is given the privilege of appointing the members. It is my prerogative as chair to select the members. I find it absurd and contrary to what we are trying to do, which is to do our job, to be asked to delay the process, which I would like to continue,” Cayetano said.
“I am quite offended, I have never heard of a chair being imposed upon not to call a bicameral conference committee. There is nothing out of the ordinary and out of procedure being done and I am offended because this is a measure that the majority floor leader does not like, again steps are being taken to delay the process,” she added.
“I humbly ask that you honor my request, in the same way that you have honored the requests of all other chairpersons,” Cayetano said.
“I am appealing to his honors to allow tradition to take place. This is a custom that we have followed. Why would you want to throw the book at me now?”
Sen. Franklin Drilon stepped in and suggested that Cayetano push through with her scheduled meeting with her counterpart yesterday but only for a “pre-bicam” meeting.
Drilon explained that the meeting would not be considered an official bicameral conference committee hearing so as not to violate the rules. He said the purpose of the meeting between the two panel heads would be to go over the various conflicting provisions in the two versions and find out where they can make compromises.
Cayetano agreed to the suggestion but asked for an assurance from Sotto, as chairman of the committee on rules, to take up the names that she proposed as members of the Senate panel.
Sotto said he wanted to be part of the panel to ensure that the Senate version, with all of the amendments accepted, would be defended during the bicameral conference committee hearings.
Sotto admitted that he does not trust the predominantly pro-RH members of the panel to defend the Senate version and that an entirely new version might emerge after the hearings.
Eighteen months after Cayetano delivered her sponsorship speech, the RH bill was finally approved on third and final reading last Monday with a vote of 13 to 8.
Those who voted to approve the bill were Senators Cayetano, Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Drilon, Francis Escudero, Guingona, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Marcos, Pangilinan and Ralph Recto.
Voting against the bill were Enrile, Sotto, Aquilino Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes IV, Ramon Revilla Jr., Manuel Villar Jr., Gregorio Honasan and Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.
Senators Manuel Lapid and Sergio Osmeña III were not present during the voting.
Osmeña, who was expected to vote in favor of the bill, disclosed yesterday that his absence during last Monday’s session was due to his confinement at the Makati Medical Center since Saturday after suffering from acute pancreatitis.
“No food, only intravenous feed and antibiotics until levels recede. Hoping to be discharged this afternoon if my blood test this morning comes out better than last two days,” Osmeña said in a statement.
In the case of Lapid, Sotto said that he was informed even before the start of last Monday’s session that he would not show up to vote on the RH bill even after being convinced to do so by some people, including Cayetano.
Sotto said that Lapid, who was expected to vote against the bill, was asked to just skip the session instead of casting a negative vote.
Ratification certain
Meanwhile, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Congress is expected to ratify the landmark measure before Congress adjourns sine die.
The budget chief said the passage of the measure by the two chambers of Congress has put the Aquino administration a step closer to significantly addressing the high maternal and child mortality rates in the country. (Philstar.com)