International groups behind RH thrust — Sotto

The enactment of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill is an alleged “condition” being imposed to the government by some international organizations, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.

Sotto, however, was quick to add that this is still a raw information but he is now in the process of verifying this particular report.

“I will expose it when I have more details,” he said, adding that he is also awaiting the submission of the list of supposed lobby groups pushing the Senate’s approval of the measure, believed to have set aside huge amount of lobby funds or purported to be some pharmaceutical companies.

As this developed, a move has been taken by proponents of the measure in the upper chamber to expedite the floor debates and ensure its inclusion in the daily order of business of the Senate.

At least 14 senators, as of last night, have backed up the call made by Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano.

While there were talks that such was supposedly just a ploy for the proponents to get the pulse of their colleagues, whether they could muster needed votes, Santiago explained that it was actually just intended to appeal to the senses of the leadership of the upper chamber to ensure continued floor debates.

This, she said, should not be gleaned as the number of votes that the Senate Bill 2865 is expected to earn as their colleagues’ decision to affix their signature in the manifesto they have been passing around, should not be interpreted that way.

In the manifesto, a copy of which was distributed by Santiago to reporters, those who signed merely “wish to show interdepartmental courtesy and support President Aquino’s recent statement that priority should be given to the RH bill.”

“In the spirit of the 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 following calendar for RH bill debates: the RH bill shall be included in the daily agenda every Monday and Wednesday until the debate is closed on second reading; and in the daily agenda, the RH bill should be called first, provided the debate for each day shall be limited to one and half hours, to accommodate other pending bills,” it said.

Among those who signed the manifesto were Senators Panfilo Lacson, Alan Peter Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Manuel Villar, Franklin Drilon, Gregorio Honasan, Sergio Osmeña III, Ramon Revilla Jr., Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, Francis Pangilinan and Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

But whether there are continuing debates on the floor, the matter is far from being approved as the ongoing deliberations are still at the level of interpellation after the sponsorship of the measure.

They have yet to arrive at the so-called period of debates and amendments which is at the stage of third reading, before the bill is elevated to the bicameral conference committee for its final form, Sotto said.

In an interview with reporters, Sotto made mention of the supposed “pressure” coming from some known organizations abroad for the RH bill to be adopted in the country.

But as to what will be at stake, is still being verified by the majority leader.

But one lobby group, the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP) allegedly received $617,000 from the International Plant-bearing Fruit Federation based on a 2010 financial statement, he said.

Sotto said he has sought from Sen. Pia Cayetano a list of pharmaceutical companies “supporting” the bill and is just awaiting submission of the document.

“RH is already being carried out by the DoH (Department of Health). We do not need to make it into a national policy. The only reason why it is being pushed is because, from what I gather, and I’m still trying to confirm this information, is that this is being imposed as a condition by some groups abroad for the Philippines to pass the RH bill,” he said.

During the plenary session, Sotto took the floor to denounce criticisms hurled at him for standing firm in opposing the passage of the bill and for supposedly being anti-women’s rights.

“They’re completely wrong. I always place women in the pedestal. If you will check on history (records), my mother was one of the founder of the women’s rights movement in the country. My grandfathers, Senator and Rep. Filemon Sotto and Sen. Vicente Sotto were the principal authors of the women’s right to suffrage. You can check in the journal of the history of the Philippines.

“And contrary to (the claims) of my detractors, I placed, established and created a women and children crisis center in the Visayas and I’m putting up one in Luzon, in the process now. I challenge them now to come out and tell me what they have done so far to contribute to the society, to the welfare of Filipino women. Maybe a lot of talking, but not in deeds Mr. President,” he said. –Angie M. Rosales, Daily Tribune