THE Senate on Wednesday formally ratified what is considered to be a less controversial reproductive health (RH) bill which seeks to improve public access to reproductive health services, including natural and artificial family planning options.

Voting 11-5 the Senate accepted that bicameral version of the bill and leaving its fate on the hands of President Benigno Aquino 3rd who earlier certified the bill as urgent.

The RH bill seeks to promote better maternal care, responsible parenthood, and youth education on sexual and reproductive health issues.

President Aquino on Wednesday said that he expected both the RH bill and the sin tax bill on his table before December 31 for his signature.

Meanwhile, what was once considered impossible finally came through last night after the House of Representatives ratified the controversial reproductive health bill on Wednesday night via a viva voce vote.

Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay, the principal author of the reproductive health bill in the House, noted that the RH measure hurdled the Bicameral Conference Committee retaining the empowerment of women and couples to freely and responsibly determine the number and spacing of their children.

There were 224 lawmakers present during the viva voce voting, the last day of session for 2012.

Moreover, Lagman cited that the RH bill also authorized to promote reproductive health, including voluntary contraception, prioritizing the poor and the marginalized.

“The national government and the local government units [LGUs] are jointly responsible for the implementation of the reproductive health law with the LGUs receiving financial and technical assistance from the national government,” Lagman said in a statement.

In his speech during the signing of the 2013 General Appropriations Act, the President thanked Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile for the passage of the national budget as well as for tackling the RH bill and sin tax measure.

“Siyempre po inaasahan nating lalapag sa aking mesa upang malagdaan ko ang mga batas na natukoy sa lalong madaling panahon, preferably ho this year [Of course, I expect these bills to land on my table for signing at the soonest possible time, preferably this year],” the President said

Likewise, Strategic Communications Secretary Ramon Carandang said that the sin tax reform measure may be signed by the President into law within the week.

Senators who voted in favor of the bill were Senators Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, and sibling Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Franklin Drilon, Teofisto Guingona 3rd, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Serge Osmeña 3rd.

Those who voted against were Enrile, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto 3rd, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Gregorio Honasan and Aquilino Pimentel 3rd.

Senate version defended
True to her word, Sen. Pia Cayetano, defended the Senate version of the reproductive health bill before the Bicameral Conference Committee and was able to retain the amendments earlier introduced by some Senators.

One of the contentious provisions the bicameral panel was able to reconcile is the proposal to grant minors access to contraceptives. The lawmakers agreed that teenagers will only be given contraceptives upon securing parental consent.

On the other hand, minors who already have a live-in partner or have a child may avail of the contraceptives even without parental consent.

The final RH bill version also mandates all government hospitals to distribute contraceptives for free. The mandate, however, will remain optional for private hospitals.

As for the RH education the Department of Education (DepEd) will come up with guidelines that will be used by all public schools in teaching students about RH, while private schools will have an option to adopt the said guidelines or craft their own.

Cayetano also was able to retain highly contested phrase “safe and satisfying sex life” in the final version of the bill.

It was Sotto, who moved to strike out the phrase during the period of amendments saying that it is not acceptable to Filipino culture.

But Cayetano argued that the phrase simply recognize the right of women to be intimate and enjoy her personal relations with their husbands.

Meanwhile, the bicameral panel scrapped the amendment introduced by Sen. Ralph Recto seeking to remove the responsibility from local government units in implementing the RH law.

Sotto in an interview said that he is satisfied by the way pro RH lawmakers defended the Senate version and admitted that the final version of the bicameral has lessened some of his apprehensions towards the bill.

Enrile, who is also anti-RH, in an interview before the session maintained that his vote will be based on his conscience, faith and the notion of the national good that is why he couldn’t vote in favor of the bill.

“Either way, they have the numbers to pass it. I’ll probably register a negative vote to be consistent,” he added.

Lacson, who is also part Senate bicameral panel described the meeting on RH bill as “very conciliatory” that is why the discussions did not last long and the panel were able to approved it in one day.

“It was a very reproductive afternoon, a reproductive day after all,” Lacson said.