InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
(UPDATE – 5:15 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III endorsed the consolidated reproductive health bill as a priority legislative measure at the second meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council on Tuesday, along with 12 other bills.
After the Ledac meeting, Mr. Aquino briefed reporters on some changes he planned to seek in the RH bill, however, particularly one meant to protect the rights of “conscientious objectors,” apparently in anticipation of protests from church-backed groups.
The President said the executive branch presented 10 amendments to the bill, which will now be called the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development bill.
Malacanang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in an interview before the meeting, "We don't have new bill so we are endorsing the consolidated version of the RH bill and then we will propose amendments.”
In contrast to the priority accorded the RH bill, the Freedom of Information bill, which Aquino promised during his presidential campaign to enact, failed to make the cut.
Lacierda explained the FOI bill was again not included among the priority measures because several concerns in the Palace version of the bill still need to be addressed.
On the RH bill, the Palace will seek to provide funding for information on natural family planning methods, which are not too clear in the consolidated version of the measure, Lacierda said.
He said the Palace will also ask that age-appropriate RH education start from Grade 5 and not Grade 4.
"We are also proposing some minor deletions and suggestions, but essentially the entire bill is okay," Lacierda added.
Lacierda said Aquino held a last-minute meeting with Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. Monday afternoon before deciding to include the RH bill among the priority measures.
‘Conscientious objectors’
President Aquino asked Congress, meanwhile, to amend a provision in the consolidated RH bill requiring hospitals to carry a full-range of modern artificial family planning methods.
Aquino, in an interview after the second Ledac meeting Tuesday afternoon, said “conscientious objectors” should be exempted from the provision.
“That provision will be modified. It (Palace proposal) recognizes that Church-based hospitals can practice their faith in recognition of freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.
The President said the executive also pushed for funding for natural family planning methods, which was not clearly defined in the consolidated RH bill, as well as for age-appropriate sex education to start from Grade 5.
Aquino said the executive also pushed for the removal of a provision setting the ideal family size at two children, but lawmakers informed him the provision has already been deleted.
The President, however, stressed that the Palace-backed bill should not be considered a “compromise” or a watered-down bill.
“There are certain provisions that, upon reflection, are not necessary to achieve the desired aims, and that is what we tried to achieve,” the President said.
The other priority measures are:
- A measure to index so-called sin taxes on tobacco and alcohol products to inflation. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said part of the revenues generated through this measure will be earmarked for public health projects.
- A measure delineating the country's final forest line in keeping with a Constitutional provision mandating Congress to delineate the forest line and mark it on the ground. Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the measure, which will cost around P1.8 billion, will protect some 15 million hectares of forestland by marking the country's 80,000 kilometer forest line. Paje said the government has already filed close to 8,000 reversion cases involving forestlands that have been titled because of non-compliance with the Constitutional provision.
- A measure providing higher penalties for the theft and destruction of disaster monitoring equipment and early warning devices, according to Science Secretary Mario Montejo.
- The Kasambahay Bill, which Abad said seeks to standardize salaries for household workers.
- Measures to strengthen People's Television-4. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Secretary Herminio Coloma said the intention of these measures is to allow the state-run TV network government is seeking amendments to the PTV-4 Charter to allow the network to generate commercial revenues.
- A measure consolidating the Philippine Statistical System, which socio-economic planning chief Cayetano Paderanga said was a proposal from Congress.
- A measure to introduce amendments to the Human Security Act, more popularly known as the anti-terrorism law, specifically on the definition of the crime of terrorism.
- A measure expanding the scholarship program of the Department of Science and Technology.
- A measure strengthening the government’s rural electrification program.
- A measure amending the Urban Development and Housing Act.
- A measure to protect individual information and data privacy.
- A measure seeking to give broader protection to consumers.
