The Philippine Online Chronicles

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago brushed off legal obstacles to passing the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill in Senate, saying the controversial measure is constitutional, during her sponsorship speech at the Senate yesterday afternoon.

“If the Senate passes the RH bill, our action would amount to a legislative construction of the Constitution,” Santiago said. “Hence, if we pass the RH bill, it will enjoy a presumption of constitutionality if it is questioned in the Supreme Court.”

Santiago emphasized that the bill is mandated by the Bill of Rights, particularly Article 3 Section 7 stating “the right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized.”

“The right of the mother in the lowest social class is equal to the right of the mother in the highest social class. Thus, to make information on reproductive health accessible to the rich but not to the poor would be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause,” the senator said.

Santiago also noted that the country may be held liable to international law if it fails to enact the RH bill, citing that the Philippines is a party to the Proclamation of Teheran, the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.

The President included the RH bill in its trimmed list of priority bills presented during the second Legislative-Executive Development Authority Council (LEDAC) meeting on Tuesday.

Aquino has called for “expeditious action” on the bill despite firm opposition from some members of the Catholic church.

“From the very start, the (Catholic) church will not agree to the RP (responsible parenthood) bill, owing to the fact that there are provisions which encourage the use of the artificial planning method,” said Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

Several groups and personalities also praised the President for including the bill as one of its priorities.

Forum for Family Planning and Development president Benjamin de Leon said, “We are so happy that finally, after so many years, there is a President who truly listens to the voice of his people.

House Minority Leader Rep. Edcel Lagman said that the approval of the bill in the House “by a huge margin” may be possible following the President's endorsement.

However, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said they are disappointed with the bill's inclusion in the priority bills, insisting fon further dialogues between the Church and government officials regarding the issue.

“Let us not abbreviate the period of debate. Let us hear the sentiments of the people on the merits and demerits of this bill. Don't railroad its passage [into law],” said CBCP executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro.