Lawmakers told: Approve RH bill as quickly as impeachment vote

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

MANILA -- A group pushing for the approval of the reproductive health (RH) bill urged the House of Representatives to act on the divisive measure as swiftly as it voted to impeach Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) hopes the RH bill will be put to a vote and passed by both House of Representatives and the Senate early next year.

Elizabeth Angsioco, DSWP national chairperson, also expressed confidence that the RH issue will not be sidetracked with the impeachment of Corona.

With a vote of 188 members, the House of Representatives on Monday night impeached Corona for betrayal of public trust, and graft and corruption, among others. The resolution for impeachment was signed just one hour after the contents of the complaint was explained to the lawmakers belonging to the majority bloc.

“What this political issue showed us is the fact that Congress can act swiftly on any issue if it so desires. There can no longer be any acceptable justification to further delay the measure since the HOR has shown the country that time is not a problem,” Angsioco said.

“The decisiveness should also happen to the more than a decade-old RH bill,” she added. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)