MANILA, Philippines - Results of the national and local elections, where most advocates of the reproductive health (RH) bill won, indicate “maturity” on the part of Filipino voters, health advocates said Wednesday.
 
Contrary to how the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines describes the electorate as immature, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population Development (PLCPD) head Ramon San Pascual said that the voters viewed reproductive health as relevant in their lives.
 
In the Senate, PLCPD estimate that 15 out of the 23 seats will be occupied by pro-RH bill senators. Among them are Jinggoy Estrada, Bongbong Marcos, and Miriam Santiago. They were among the candidates who were endorsed by RH groups a week before the May 10 elections.
 
Estrada is the principal author of the RH bill in the Senate. Marcos is a co-author of the RH bill version in the House. Santiago, for her part, had stood for the RH bill during interpellations.
 
Out of the 286 seats in the House, advocates said that about 65 congressmen and 17 party-list representatives definitely supportive of the RH bill. The number is expected to increase when 84% of the 125 first-term lawmakers publicly make their stand.
 
Pascual predicted that the RH bill would have a stronger chance in the 15th Congress. Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights convenor and priest Jose Dizon said that the victory of pro-RH candidates just showed that the Catholic Church cannot impose its preference on the voters.

Secular vote
The Catholic Church vehemently opposes the decade-old RH bill, a population control measure that seeks government budget for reproductive health education, supply of contraceptives, obstetric care, and age-appropriate sex education.
 
A new bill has to be filed after House Bill 5043 failed to reach a voting and was shelved when Congress adjourned last February.
 
In late December, the CBCP released a catechism discouraging Catholic voters from picking pro-RH bill candidates. Among the candidates hit by its campaign was frontrunner Benigno Aquino III, who is also a co-author of the RH bill in the Senate. CBCP effectively endorsed presidential aspirant JC delos Reyes, who finished last in the 9-way race.
           
Senatorial candidate and staunch RH advocate in the House Risa Hontiveros is optimistic with the “secular vote” that made its impact on the election results, although she did not make it to the top 12.
 
“There were many people of faith, people who call themselves freethinkers, including agnostics and atheists, but all of them were people of conscience,” Hontiveros said. “They all supported and voted for the pro-RH candidates who are now back in Congress.”
 
She also added that the results are consistent with pre-election surveys of polling outfits Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia. Both concluded that majority of voters would choose candidates who are supportive of the RH bill and modern family planning. A recent Pulse Asia survey showed that 64% of Filipino voters would choose candidates who back the RH bill.
 
“If 85% of Filipinos say they are nominally Catholic, still the majority of respondents said in surveys, ‘I’m Catholic and I support the RH bill,'” Hontiveros said.

According to her, the poll results bodes well for other “progressive” measures that need public support, such as the Lesbians, Gay, Bisexuals, and Transgender anti-discrimination bill, being pushed in Congress.

No problem with budget
Meanwhile, economist Ernesto Pernia explained that the lawmakers should not look at government funding for contraceptives a problem. One of the debatable provisions of the RH bill that divides the lawmakers is that the government would be compelled to allot budget for the supply of contraceptives and reproductive health education.
 
Pernia said that the budget required for the comprehensive family planning law is just a thin slice from the national budget, compared to the funding poured into other programs that do not address the growing population in the country.
 
There will be long-term positive effects on the economy once the RH bill is in place. For example, population control will enable the government to better utilize and prioritize its budget.
 
“We don’t have enough buildings, classrooms, teachers, or books,” Pernia said. “That’s a large expense on the government if they try to provide adequately for all these students.” 

With a slower population growth, the government can also moderate the high unemployment rate, brought by too many job seekers “overwhelming” the available job opportunities.

At the micro level, families will be able to save some of their income instead of “spreading it thinly” across several children. Family savings will be useful for future investment and growth, says Pernia. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)