RH Bill will pass congress- Lagman
By Ed de Leon

LEGAZPI CITY – Congressman Edcel C. Lagman of the 1st district of Albay, one of the principal authors of the controversial Responsible Parenthood-Reproductive Health (RH) Bill otherwise known as HB No. 4244, said today that he was confident that the RH Bill will be approved by congress before his 6th term as congressman ends.

He said he based his optimism on the following reasons, first, there are already more than 100 congressmen who support the passage of the Bill; second, the house leadership under speaker Sonny Belmonte is sympathetic to the measure if we based it on his record during his three term as mayor of Quezon city when he caused the passage of a local ordinance similar to the RH Bill; and third the stand of President Benigno S. Aquino III that he was pushing for responsible parenthood and for an informed choice.

The 1st district solon said that several surveys conducted by reputable polling firms, like the Social Weather Station and Polls Asia, have shown that more than 70 percent of Filipinos are in favor of the passage of the Bill even if majority of Filipinos are devout Catholics.

Lagman said that he will treat the passage of the RH Bill to be his diploma when he graduates from the fifteenth congress.

He also stressed that the RH Bill does not contain any provision legalizing abortion, on the contrary it is pro-life and will reduced by 85 percent the induced abortion reported cases which average about 800,000 cases per year because of lack of access to family planning services offered under the Bill.

Furthermore, the passage of the bill will be able to approximate the targets under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) regarding health, maternal and child care, education, poverty, population management, and environment care.

Lagman also said that the proponents of the RH BILL are ready to be interpellated during the plenary session but so far the oppositors are trying to delay the proceedings by questioning the quorum.

Lagman and and partylist Rep. Angelo Palmones of AGHAM were here as guest speakers during the Policy Forum on Responsible Parenthood- Reproductive Health Bill held here today. (EDLeon, PIA V/Albay/mal)