DEC.

18, 2012

NR # 2957

RH bill hurdles 3rd reading approval in the House

Voting with an emphatic yes, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. led the 219 lawmakers in passing on third and final reading House Bill 4244 otherwise known as the The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011. House members voted 133 in the affirmative, 79 in the negative and 7 abstained, affirming their earlier vote on second reading last December 12 of 114-103-3. Mondays nominal voting was expeditious as explanations of votes were allowed after all House members casted their votes. Rep. Abigail Faye Ferriol (Party-list, Kalinga) voted for the bill noting the Benjamin of the House votes yes to the bill. Rep. Romero Quimbo (2nd District, Marikina City), who arrived at the plenary hall with an IV just to cast his vote for the bill, did so saying, Para sa bayan. In casting his affirmative vote, Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga (1st District, Quezon), stated, May my mother forgive me. Reps. Jerry Treas (Lone District, Iloilo City) and Rodante Marcoleta (Party-list, Alagad), both voted for the bill with a resounding YES, YES, YES! However, there were House members who, although blood-related, voted differently on the measure, such as mother and daughter Reps. Imelda Dimaporo (1st District, Lanao del Norte) and Fatima Aliah Dimaporo (2nd District, Lanao del Norte). Mother Imelda voted for the measure while daughter Aliah cast a negative vote. Likewise, spouses Rep. Florencio Bem Noel (Party-list, AN-WARAY) voted no on the bill while his wife, Rep. Josephine Veronique Lacson-Noel (Lone District, Malabon City) voted in the affirmative. Among the salient features of the bill are: The State guarantees public access to and relevant information and education on medically safe, legal, ethical, affordable, effective and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices and supplies which do not prevent implantation of a fertilized ovum in the uterus, as determined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 The State shall also provide funding support to promote modern-natural methods of family planning consistent with the needs of acceptors. There shall be no demographic and population targets and the mitigation, promotion and/or stabilization of the population growth rate are incidental to the advancement of reproductive health and sustainable human development. The State shall likewise prioritize the needs of poor women and men in marginalized households as identified by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) and other government measures for identifying the marginalized, who shall be voluntary beneficiaries of reproductive health care, services and supplies for free. The teaching of reproductive health and sexuality education shall be promoted and conducted with due deference to cultural, religious and ethical norms of various communities. The FDA shall update the Philippine National Drug Formulary (PNDF) with respect to modern family planning products and supplies in accordance with standard medical practice. Meanwhile, the Senate almost simultaneously passed the bill on third and final reading with 13 yes votes, eight no votes as well as zero abstentions. The measures will now go to a bicameral conference committee so that both versions could be unified. (30) lvc