December 18, 2012 9:20am
After suffering a defeat in both houses of Congress on Monday, the opponents of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill are looking at other forums where they can continue their fight against the controversial bill.
In a historic vote, both houses of Congress on Monday approved the RH bill on third and final reading.
The Senate voted 13-8 to pass the bill while the House of Representatives did the same with an overwhelming 133-79 votes with seven absentions.
The RH bill promotes the use of both natural and artificial methods of birth control. It is being opposed by the Roman Catholic Church, which supports only natural family planning.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), a vocal critic of the proposed measure, said anti-RH advocates are eyeing the streets and the ballot.
“It’s very clear that in this particular forum, we’re outvoted. We really have to look for another forum, either to the streets or... with the ballot, Though (the elections) are kind of far,” Linda Valenzona, a population and demographics expert in the life and family advocacy, said in an article posted on the CBCP news site on Tuesday.
Questioning the bill before the court
On Monday night, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life chairman and Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes indicated the Church may tap lawyers to question the bill before the Supreme Court.
In an interview on radio dzBB, Reyes said the lawyers may raise the issue of religious freedom in questioning the bill.
Valenzona also questioned the so-called “conscience vote” the lawmakers cited in voting for the bill.
She said four Cabinet officials were at the House of Representatives when the voting in the second and third reading took place.
'Until our last breath'
Meanwhile, Mao Almadrones, a University of the Philippines student and a "UP for Life" member who attended the plenary hall proceedings, said he and his fellow members will remember this day well.
“We will stand proud that we fought and we did everything, and we will exhaust everything. As they said, ‘until our last breath’ we will fight for the faith… and not only for the faith but also for the Filipino people,” he said.
He urged other youths to become more actively involved in the crusade to uphold life-affirming ideals in society.
“For us in the anti-RH side, the battle is not yet finished. And it has not yet been won by the other side,” he said.
Anti-RH vigil
Meanwhile, a religious charismatic group held a vigil against the bill near the Batasan Complex in Quezon City until almost 3:00 a.m., radio dzBB's Manny Vargas reported.
The Soldiers of Christ based in Rizal province held a "sharing" of their fears of what would happen once the RH bill becomes law.
The report said the group's members called on Filipinos not to vote for the lawmakers in both houses who voted yes for the bill.
The police said the vigil ended peacefully, with the participants leaving the area voluntarily. - VVP, GMA News
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