Palace hopeful absent lawmakers will vote for RH bill

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday expressed hope that the 64 members of the House of Representatives who did not vote last week on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill will join pro-RH lawmakers in finally pushing for the measure’s approval on third and final reading this afternoon.

The House passed the bill on second reading last week, 113-104 votes, with three abstentions.

“RH advocates in the House are counting on the absentees from last week’s session. Most of the absentees are being counted as pro-RH. So, hopefully the (pro-RH) vote will be sustained,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

“Certainly, the President’s certification of the bill will hasten things in the sense because from second reading, according to the law, if there is no certification they will have to wait a little longer before they can lobby for third reading,” she said.

Valte added that President Aquino’s certification will expedite the passage of the RH bill in both chambers of Congress.

The Palace official also belied insinuations that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile will be ousted early next year for opposing the measure.

“My understanding of the write-up is that it’s Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s personal assessment of the goings on in the halls of the Senate. As far as we are concerned, the Senate President is okay with us,” Valte told state-run radio dzRB.

She declined to comment on the statement of Batangas Archbishop Ramon Arguelles that Aquino would be killing 20 million Filipino children the moment he signs the RH bill into law since it would virtually be espousing abortion.

Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle yesterday made a last-ditch appeal to lawmakers to “kill” the RH bill.

“I appeal to our legislators in the House of Representatives and the Senate to welcome Jesus with joy,” Tagle said in his message during the first dawn Mass, which started yesterday.

– With Helen Flores