Enrile: RH bill will not be passed this year

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Thursday dashed the hopes of those who are expecting the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill this year, but denied that there are efforts to delay its approval by Congress. “We are not delaying [it, but] I don't think it will pass this year,” Enrile said at a weekly forum at the Senate. “There are many issues to be clarified.” He said this days after Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III blocked Sen. Pia Cayetano’s attempt to close the Senate debate on the measure and proceed to the period of amendments. Cayetano is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2865 or The Reproductive Health Act of 2011. Congress will be on break from Dec. 17, 2011 to Jan. 15, 2012 for the holidays. Enrile said he considers the RH bill “one of the most delicate bills to come by,” noting that it is “not just a health bill.” “The RH bill will have to be thoroughly discussed and debated. I  would support this bill if it is only to provide health measures to womanhood but this has an impact on our country and its future not only in terms of health but in terms of economic growth and in terms of its security, and it terms of its viability as a country,” he said. Enrile said he had already questioned Cayetano and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the principal author of the bill, regarding the population aspect of the measure. He, however, pointed out that he has yet to delve into the economic, security, and religious aspects of the bill. “You cannot have an economy without people,” the Senate president said. “If we’re not careful in enacting the RH bill and in crafting it we will reach a point in time where we have no farmers or very few farmers, very few fishermen, very few producers, very few taxpayers, very few consumers. What kind of a country are we going to have?” “And then you will have an aging population and if your population is mostly senior citizens then your economy will suffer,” he added. Cayetano had earlier said they are ready to engage oppositors in a debate about the RH bill. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News