After more than a year of impassioned arguments on the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill, the House of Representatives voted on Monday to end the period of debates on the measure.
The lower chamber decided to end interpellations on House Bill 4244 through a voice vote Monday afternoon. There were 231 members present during the session.
The bill will now undergo the period of amendments. Under House rules, lawmakers are given the chance to introduce and challenge amendments to a proposed legislation during this period.
Before the debates were terminated, several lawmakers tried to block the voting. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez questioned why the House is “accelerating” the passage of the RH bill.
“The RH bill is anti-life. Anybody who says that this is pro-life is telling a lie. This is an assault on our faith,” Rodriguez said at the plenary.
Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas also objected to the motion to terminate the debates, calling it “out of order” since the voting was originally scheduled on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing, another critic of the RH bill, meanwhile said he did not want to have a vote on the motion because it falls on an ominous date.
“Malas po ang sais. Doon na po tayo sa buwenas. There is no compelling reason na madaliin ito. Ang sais ay numero ng demonyo,” he said.
The House was supposed to take the crucial vote Tuesday afternoon, but the lower chamber’s leadership decided to do it a day earlier after a meeting with President Benigno Aquino III, whose administration listed the proposed measure as one of its priority bills.
Even before the plenary vote, 180 pro- and anti-RH lawmakers reached a consensus – after meeting with the President – to terminate the period of interpellation.
The RH bill endorses the use of both natural and artificial modes of family planning. The Roman Catholic Church, which promotes only natural family planning methods, fiercely opposes the legislation.
What happened during the caucus
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the suggestion to terminate the debates on Monday came from the anti-RH camp.
He said it was Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, an RH bill critic, who came up with the idea to move the vote a day earlier than scheduled.
“Sabi niya, the worst that can happen is kung magsabong kami rito with all the spectators. Baka magbatuhan pa iyang mga iyan. Mas magiging matahimik ang buhay namin kung magagawa na ito ngayong gabi,” Gonzales told reporters.
He added that President Aquino did not pressure the lawmakers to support the RH bill during the multi-party caucus earlier Monday.
“Si Presidente naman kanina, ang sabi lang niya, baka naman pupwedeng ma-terminate na ang period of debate at dumating na sa period of amendments kung saan ay pwede namang maging maganda at may mai-propose na pwedeng magperfect sa proposed bill,” the House leader said.
Gonzales added that the President told the House members to vote according to their conscience, based on the preferences of their constituents.
What happens next
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez explained that some RH critics agreed to terminate the debates to give themselves the opportunity to further scrutinize the bill during the period of amendments.
“Wala namang mawawala kung papayag kaming tapusin na itong debate. Besides, we still have the period of amendments,” he said in a separate phone interview.
The opposition leader said the termination of the debates is not a victory for the pro-RH lawmakers, although he admitted that supporters of the bill now have the upper hand.
“Hindi naman ibig sabihin nito ay ipapasa na namin ang batas. This is just one vote, although of course, the pro-RH side has the edge now,” he said.
Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada, who supports the RH bill, said Monday’s vote was only the first step towards the bill’s passage.
“Pihado magkakaroon po ng botohan sa bawat amendment na ipapasok po ng bawat kampo. After only the period of amendments do we get to the actual vote on second reading. So maybe we are two or three steps away,” he said in a separate interview.
Under House rules, a majority of all House members have to approve the bill on second and on third reading for it to be passed by the lower chamber.
The bill will then be reconciled with the Senate version, and then ratified by both chambers before it is forwarded to the President for signing.
The Senate version of the RH bill is also currently awaiting approval on second reading.
