MANILA -- Several civil society groups, non-government organizations, and public leaders believe that the Reproductive Health (RH) bill has a huge chance to be enacted into a law under the incoming 15th Congress.
In the launch of the third National Multi-sectoral Policy Conference on Human Development, groups engaged in health, women's rights and education are hopeful that the RH bill will be one of the priorities when Congress opens its session on July 26.
Akbayan Representative Kaka Bag-ao said that since President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has stated that he supports artificial family planning methods, more Filipinos would be aware of the advantages of the health bill.
Bag-ao added that majority and minority leaders have expressed their support for the bills calling for the promotion of contraception and sex education despite the objection of the church.
It can be recalled that the bill filed by Representative Edcel Lagman (First district, Albay) in the 14th Congress reached plenary debates under the period of interpellations but was never approved.
Lagman has already re-filed the bill and Representative Janette Garin (First district, Iloilo has also authored another version. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)