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13th Congress: Update on Pending Bills as of June 9, 2006
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Anti-Family Bills are successfully blocked, 1st Pro-Family Bill approvedWe continue to share good news on the legislative front, even though four anti-family bills have progressed beyond Committee approval and are now at the Period of Sponsorship in Plenary.
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During the final two sessions before the recess of Congress on June 7-8, 2006, authors of House Bill 3773 (“Responsible Parenthood and Population Management” calling for widespread promotion of reproductive health services) and House Bill 5285 (“Magna Carta for Women” with reproductive health provisions) tried unsuccessfully to complete the approval process of their proposed Bills.
Thanks to pro-family Congressmen who were alert enough to question the basis of these anti-family Bills, the Bills were not passed this week. Congress adjourned sine die on June 9 and will resume Sessions on July 24.
House Speaker Jose de Venecia was able to discontinue the sudden deliberations on HB 5285. Pro-family Congressmen Cong. Hermilando Mandanas and Baham Mitra were among the pro-family congressmen in Plenary at that time. They were later joined by Cong. Eduardo Zialcita.
On June 6, 2006, Cong. Janette Garin also gave a Privilege Speech questioning the delay of deliberations on HB 3773. The House Committee on Rules may at any time put on the agenda any Bill that is in the period of Plenary discussions, but a Bill may or may not be taken up at that time, depending on the urgency of other Bills on the Calendar.
ALFI’s participation in this effort included the coordination on inquiries, prayer brigade, and the preparation of Guides and Executive Summaries prepared for pro-family allies on the perils of HB 3773 and HB 5285.
The unexpected arrival of the new Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Most Reverend Fernando Filoni, also helped. The Nuncio paid a courtesy call to thank Speaker de Venecia and Congress for the abolition of the death penalty under House Bill 4826, which was passed on June 6, 2006.
The other piece of good news is that HB 5028 (“Rights of Conscience Act” to protect discrimination against health workers who do not wish to provide certain reproductive services such as artificial birth control, sterilization, assisted reproduction, etc.) was approved by the Committee on Health, voting at its meeting of May 23, 2006 when the Bill was introduced.
Author Cong. Hermilando Mandanas, in his sponsorship speech, said that the Bill provides protection for health practitioners, does not violate the rights of patients, and is directed towards procedures that are not illnesses.
At the May 23, 2006 Meeting, ALFI was one of the guests invited to present its position on the Bill. ALFI expressed support for the bill, explaining that there should be no controversy with a right of conscience act; that procedures are elective and not life-threatening; and that even if some procedures are illegal today, the Bill correctly anticipates the possibility of legalization and protects the health workers.
The Bill was also supported by the Phil. Medical Association, the Private Practitioners Group of physicians, the National Nurses’ Association, and the CBCP. Cong. Mandanas was commended for the Bill by these groups and his colleagues.
HB 5028 may need to be discussed at another Committee on Health meeting so that those who were not present can be convinced of its merits and signify their approval in the Committee on Health report.
Aside from HB 3773 and HB 5285, two anti-family Bills that we hope will not advance in Plenary are:
• HB 634 (“The Anti-Discrimination Act” allowing legalization of same-sex unions as an ordinary license), as approved by the Committee on Civil, Political and Human Rights under its Committee Report of Sept. 1, 2005.
• HB 5012 (Substitute to HB 1021) requiring private employers to give free annual seminars on women’s rights, development, gender equality etc. This Bill caught us unaware when it was quietly approved by the Committee on Labor and Employment on Jan. 18, 2006. We were not invited to any hearings.
We continue to pray and hope that the 13th Congress may realize the perils of introducing population management and widespread promotion of artificial contraception, despite pressures from the United Nations funding agencies.
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