Senators will now reserve one-and-a-half hours on Mondays and Wednesdays to tackle the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. In a manifesto, 14 senators agreed to have the RH bill top the agenda of sessions on the two days until the debate is closed on second reading. "In the daily agenda, the RH bill should be called first, provided the debate for each day shall be limited to one-and-a-half hours to accommodate other pending bills," the manifesto read. The senators, who started the one-and-a-half-hour debates Monday, said this was to show support for President Benigno Aquino III's recent statement that priority should be given to the controversial proposed measure. Aquino had risked the ire of the Catholic Church when he voiced support for the RH bill, which allows artificial contraception.
Fourteen senators sign a manifesto agreeing that debates on the controversial RH bill will be the top agenda every Monday and Wednesday until the debate is closed on second reading.
"In the spirit of cooperation, and in order to enhance the constitutional right of the people to information on matters of public concern, without committing ourselves to a particular vote on the RH bill, we support the (abovementioned) calendar for RH bill debates," the senators said in their manifesto. Signing the manifesto were:
Miriam Santiago Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano Panfilo Lacson Edgardo Angara Alan Peter Cayetano Franklin Drilon Teofisto Guingona III Gregorio Honasan II Lorna Regina "Loren" Legarda Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Sergio Osmeña III Francis Pangilinan Ramon Revilla Jr. Manuel Villar Jr. During Monday's debates, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III claimed the promoters of the RH bill included groups seeking to legalize abortion, radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo reported. Sotto, who was interpellating Senate health committee chair Pia Cayetano, claimed this is one reason why the RH bill should not be passed. He cited an international group that he said has a brochure showing how to conduct an abortion. The group supposedly gave $617,000 (P25 million) to the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, he added. But the report said Cayetano maintained the RH bill will not legalize abortion. – KBK, GMA News 
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