Feature: The RH Bill, its issues, concerns and answers in Cagayan Valley

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela, August 26 (PIA) — Despite the various regional summits on the controversial Reproductive Health Bill or HB 4244 spearheaded by the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development in the country, its passage still depends on various factors within the halls of Congress in the next few months.

In his overview of the Regional Summit on the RH Bill for Northern Luzon held here, PLCPD Local Advocacy Officer Dante Tizon said the enactment of any proposed bill depend much on various factors which the bill should meet headway.

The PLCPD which is an NGO based within the Congress building has been assisting the Philippine Legislature in the passage of various bills including the Clean Air Act, Anti-Violence Against Women and Children, the Expanded RA 8353 and the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, among others.

At least four speakers delved on related issues on Reproductive Health presented before 15 sectors in the Cagayan Valley region.

Tizon identified HB 4244 as the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill, the salient features of which were presented by Ifugao Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Jr.

“We have to understand the features of the bill so as to appreciate its wisdom,” Baguilat said.

Population Policies Through the Years

Baguilat said during the Marcos Era, family planning and population control has been used as a development strategy from 1972 to 1986.

When the administration of President Corazon C. Aquino set in, the same program on Family Planning was made part of the social welfare and health.

However, Baguilat claimed it was during the Ramos Administration that population management program under the Population-Resources-Environment (PRE) was highlighted as it signaled the start of the RH program.

It was learned that it was during the time of President Joseph Estrada (1998-2000) that the budget for family planning program was included with the release of a series of administrative orders for Reproductive Health.

In 2001 until 2010, President Arroyo signed a policy on Family Planning at the national level with comprehensive RH delegated to the local government units which included Safe Motherhood projects.

To date and under the present dispensation, Baguilat said programs and policies of the Department of Health on RH were strengthened and a proposal to increase the budget for the program.

Since 2001 to 2010, the Congress has passed a bill on reproductive Health to include HB 4110 (Reproductive Health Care Agenda Act of 2001), HB 3773 (The Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act of 2005), and HB 5043 on the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008.

The Philippine Scenario on RH Situations

Since several years ago, RH-related bills were proposed, most of which zeroed in on informed choice, right to health and sustainable human development as rationale.

It was cited during the summit by Congressman Baguilat that there has been a noted high maternal mortality ratio where three to five thousand women die each year due to birth-related incidents.

“Over half of these maternal deaths or 59 percent were unreported,” the lawmaker said.

The report likewise noted that almost 60 percent of the poor women are delivering unattended by skilled attendants while a high 46 percent of the 3.1 million births in the country are unplanned or unwanted.

The participants to the summit saw a grim scenario when the lawmaker presented that unwanted pregnancy causes over 400,000 induced abortion every year over a scenario that over-all contraceptive use, and other modern methods, is low.

What is worst is that many women having induced abortion are poor, married and Catholics.

In Cagayan Valley, dependents between 15-64 years old are aplenty with a one-child gap between actual and wanted fertility.

The RH Bill Policy Response

The bill provides that it shall be the policy of the State to guarantee the exercise of reproductive rights, gender equity, equality and women empowerment. It likewise guarantees universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality RH information and services as it intend to eradicate discriminatory practices, laws and policies that infringe on a person’s exercise of RH rights.

Under its principles, the Act enables couples and individuals to decide and achieve their desired number and spacing of their children based on their capacities, among others.

However, the catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has written the Lower House to inform them of their anti-stance on the proposed bill.

“We don’t want any confrontation with the bishops,” PopCom Regional Director Avelino Marallag said,

Earlier, some of the bishops and other sector representatives who have shown rejection over the proposed bill claimed it is actually anti-life as it is pro-abortion.

“We don’t want to debate based on faith alone,” Rep. Baguilat told the summit attendees.

Yet, while he claimed that there have been overwhelming support according to surveys, he admitted that voting for or against the bill is a different thing.

“We only ask them to stop delaying the deliberation,” he added without mentioning what group he is alluding to.

He added that as of this report, there are Congressmen who haven’t decided but the pro-RH group are expected to explain it to their comrades in the Lower House.

Baguilat, however, assured that if and when the RH bill will be enacted, President Aquino can always support programs and projects for reproductive Health as he called on local government units to likewise pass their own RH codes.

“But we’re optimistic it will be passed soon. There’s enough time to explain the features of the bill,” he said.

Based on a recent political mapping, of the 10 congressmen in the region, four have signified their anti-bill stand, one undecided and five pro-RH bill. (PIA)