MANILA - Emotions ran high on Tuesday at the House of Representatives over the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

After the House voted to ratify the 2012 Budget, the plenary tackled the controversial bill.

RH bill author Arlene Bag-ao made a parliamentary inquiry asking the leadership if the bill can be put to a vote before the end of the year.

Bag-ao noted that the bill has been the subject of interpellations since May. She also noted that 2 scheduled interpellators, Congressmen Orlando Fua and Gabriel Luis Quisumbing, were scheduled to interpellate but were absent.

She reminded the leadership that House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte committed to have the bill put to a vote before the end of 2011.

Bag-ao noted that the House only has 5 more session days left before going on Christmas break.

Bag-ao was interrupted by Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol, who accused Bag-ao of grandstanding. Apostol is a critic of the RH bill. 

It was then that the RH bill groups in the gallery, dressed in purple, started both cheering on Bag-ao and jeering at Apostol, and accused critics of the RH bill of subverting the people’s will on the RH bill.

The security escorted the group out of the session hall.

However, Apostol moved to adjourn, a motion that won when it was put to a vote.

Bag-ao, in a subsequent ambush interview, explained that Apostol delayed the interpellation today because he was eating merienda for about an hour.

Bag-ao criticized the deliberate attempt to delay the bill.

There were an estimated 120 people in the pro-RH group.