7 govt agencies support Reproductive Health bill - DSWD chief

MANILA, Philippines – Seven government agencies have officially declared their support for the controversial Reproductive Health bill, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said Tuesday. In a press conference, Cabral said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Education (DepEd), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Commission on Population (PopComm), and the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) all stated their support during Congress deliberations on the much-contested measure. Cabral said the seven agencies' statements of support can be found in their position papers submitted during the House and Senate hearings on the bill. While the issue has not been included in the agenda of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's meetings with the Cabinet, informal talks among some Cabinet members reveal that "a clear majority" of them support the bill, Cabral added. The DSWD secretary is one of the signatories in the online petition of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network, which has so far amassed 3,968 signatures. "It is my personal conviction and everybody is entitled to his own opinion," said Cabral. She said she is supporting the measure because she believes that couples have the right to decide on the number of children they want to have, saying the government should provide access to reproductive health information and services to enable citizens can make informed decisions. Cabral said she is not afraid of any possible "backlash" from anti-RH bill solons now that Congress is currently conducting budget deliberations, saying she trusts that legislators will act fairly. "Alam nila (legislature) na ito (RH bill) ay separate sa trabaho na ginagawa ng lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno para sa kapakanan ng mamamayan," Cabral said. House Bill 5043 or "An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development," is currently on second reading in the House, where it is facing staunch opposition from at least 75 lawmakers and various Catholic groups who claim that the bill is pro-abortion. The bill, which espouses the mandatory purchase of contraceptives by state hospitals alongside age-appropriate reproductive health education, has passed deliberations in the committees on health, population and family relations, appropriations, and rules. - GMANews.TV