Language issue sidetracks House debates on RH bill

Debates on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill at the House of Representatives were briefly sidetracked on Wednesday after a lawmaker opposing the measure criticized a proponent of the bill for speaking in Tagalog. Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol said he could not continue with the interpellation if Akbayan Rep. Arlene Bag-ao would answer his questions asked in English using the Tagalog language. “The official language is English and Filipino... I insist that there should be interpreter... Tagalog is not an official language. If she wants to speak in Tagalog, then there should be an interpreter," he said at the House plenary. Bag-ao however insisted that she is using the official Filipino language and must be allowed to do so throughout the interpellation. “Ang akin pong opisyal na salita ay Bisaya pero ako po ay naniniwala na tayo po ay dapat linangin sa ating sariling wika," she said. Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin moved to suspend the session to talk to her colleagues, and eventually convinced Bag-ao to speak in English during the debates. Garin, however, said that Bag-ao was actually using the Filipino language. “For the record, in so far as the deliberations in the House of Representatives, both English and the Filipino language are accepted," she said. Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay and Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco were debating on the RH bill, formally known as House Bill 4244, as of posting time. - Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News