SC postpones RH law oral arguments

The Supreme Court has rescheduled the oral arguments on the controversial Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health law, the implementation of which the tribunal had temporarily stopped.

At a press briefing Tuesday, Supreme Court Public Information Office (PIO) chief and spokesman Theodore Te said from the original June 18 schedule the date of the oral arguments was moved to July 9.

"Because of the many interventions that have been filed recently as well as several other petitions still coming in... the court has reset the oral arguments for July 9 at 2 p.m.," he said.

Te said the rescheduling of the oral arguments would give the justices more time to "thresh out the issues that have yet to be joined."

The court has earlier set a preliminary conference for June 6 at 2 p.m. in preparation for the oral arguments. On Tuesday, the court added a second day for the preliminary conference on June 18, also at 2 p.m.

Te said the court also granted six "petitions in intervention" or requests from several parties to participate in the oral arguments.

Among these petitions were those filed byAlbay Rep. Edcel Lagman; former Health secretaries Esperanza Cabral, Jaime Galvez-Tan, and Alberto Romualdez Jr.; Sen. Pia Cayetano; John De Venecia; Filipino Catholic Voices for Reproductive Health; and the Inter-faith Partnership for Responsible Parenthood Inc.

The intervenors asked the high court to lift the 120-day status quo ante order it issued in March as they insisted that the law was constitutional.

President Benigno Aquino III signed last December the Reproductive Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, one of the most controversial measures handled by legislators. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News