Aquino: No plan to hold plebiscite on RH bill

(Updated 5:46 p.m.) The government is not keen on holding a plebiscite on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill because Congress is still deliberating on it, President Benigno Aquino III said on Wednesday. "Hintayin na muna natin yung final output ng mga committees saka plenary debates (Let's wait for the final output of the committees and plenary debates)," Aquino told Palace reporters in an interview. Aquino said he hopes to discuss the RH bill with lawmakers during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meet so the executive branch can "come up nwith something we can fully support." Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning (PCDSP) head Secretary Ricky Carandang earlier said Malacañang has not considered holding a plebiscite to know the public sentiment on the RH bill. The RH bill seeks to promote both natural and artificial means of birth control. "Let Congress figure out what to do with those bills [six versions]. If they want to pass the bill then let's take a look at it, " he told reporters in Malacañang. "There are six versions of the RH bill pending. It's up to Congress to figure out how to prioritize that so it's not in our hands," he added. Bukidnon Rep. Jose Ma. Zubiri III, a co-author of HB 96, had said a plebiscite should be held to let the people decide on the issue. “They say there are only a few of us pushing this. I throw this challenge: Let’s give this to the people," Zubiri said. “If for whatever reason it doesn’t pass here, let’s submit to a plebiscite. It affects the people, let the people decide," he added. A ranking Catholic official, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, expressed openness to the idea of holding a plebiscite although he described it as a "very tall dream" because government resources are needed to implement the proposal. “If the plebiscite would include (the dissemination) of proper information to the people, then that is good ... But if a plebiscite means there is proper information for the people for them to decide, it would be better," Pabillo said. Malacañang and the Catholic Church leadership, which is strongly opposed to the use of artificial birth control methods, are set to hold a dialogue on the issue. Carandang said the dialogue has yet to be set. Bill 96 Several versions of the RH bill have been filed in previous congresses. In the present Congress, the RH bill is known as "Bill 96" whose main proponent is House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman of Albay. The bill is based on the premise that the country's population growth impedes economic development and exacerbates poverty. It also seeks to “guarantee universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information." Moreover, it seeks a “consistent and coherent national population policy," citing studies that show that "rapid population growth exacerbates poverty while poverty spawns rapid population growth." The Catholic Church promotes only natural family planning and is opposed to the use of artificial methods such as condoms and birth-control pills, saying these could lead to promiscuity and a rise in abortion cases. Responsible parenthood President Aquino is pushing for "responsible parenthood," saying he is open to government support for all types of birth control methods if couples are properly informed of their choices. The president said last September that the government "is obligated to inform everybody of their responsibility and their choices, at the end of the day government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method." — LBG/VVP/RSJ, GMANews.TV