Women's group asks PNoy to express RH support in SONA

A women's advocacy group said the Reproductive Health (RH) bill could be passed swiftly if President Benigno Aquino III cites in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the bill is among his priorities. Beth Angsioco, national chairperson of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines, said a SONA pronouncement will propel a quicker movement of the RH bill, which moved rather swiftly during the first regular session of the 15th Congress. She said their group is confident that there is enough time to pass the controversial bill before the budget session, which usually falls around the month of August, and also in time for Christmas. "If President Aquino wants, the RH law can be his Christmas gift to the Filipino people, particularly to poor women," she said. "After all we do not see the President turning back on his earlier statements pushing for the RH bill." "With the passage of the RH bill, the 11 mothers dying daily due to pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications will be reduced drastically. What could be a better Christmas gift than the gift of life to poor women?" she added. Angsioco also said the "overwhelming" support for the RH bill shows that it shouldn't take long to pass the bill, even if a bicameral committee is convened to harmonize the House and Senate versions. "The Executive branch, led by the President, is for it. The House leadership is for the Bill. And the big number of Senators who signed Senator Pia Cayetano's committee report is proof that more than the majority in the Senate are supportive of RH," she said. Not urgent but... In May, Aquino said he will not certify the RH bill as urgent but might include it on the second batch of priority bills he will be sending to Congress. "I think it will be included in the next list of priorities. The first that we submitted to Congress [were] 23 or 24 measures already. So may mga naipasa na dun, may luwang na na na-create pwede na siguro natin imungkahi," Aquino told reporters. Aquino, a Catholic, has been at odds with some Catholic bishops for his support for the RH bill and the responsible parenthood bill, which promotes both natural and artificial methods of family planning. The Catholic Church accepts only natural family planning methods. Last week, the RH bill has been endorsed for plenary approval after gathering signatures from 20 senators. Debates for the bill's adoption or rejection will take place in July. Meanwhile, the measure was being discussed in plenary at the House of Representatives before the Congress went on recess. The plenary debates will continue when the House session resumes. — Candice Montenegro, VVP, GMA News