黑料社

Sotto derails RH bicam meeting

Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The bicameral conference committee tasked with reconciling the Senate and House versions of the reproductive health (RH) bill suffered a setback Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III invoked several rules barring the bill鈥檚 principal sponsor, Sen. Pia Cayetano, from forming the Senate contingent to the bicameral conference committee and from holding the bicameral meeting.

Citing Rule 12 Section 35 of the Senate rules, Sotto said only Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile could appoint the seven senators who would comprise the chamber鈥檚 panel in the bicameral meeting.

Cayetano鈥檚 office has yet to provide Sotto clean copies of the RH bill that contain the amendments he introduced on Monday night.

In a 13-8 vote, senators approved the measure on Monday night.

Sotto said he wanted to read the clean copies of the Senate and House versions as, according to him, he intended to become a member of the bicameral panel.

But as Senate majority leader, it would be imprudent for him to leave his post inside the session hall and attend the 4:30 p.m. bicameral meeting that Cayetano called in the Senate Tuesday.

Some members of the House of Representatives, who were to participate in the bicameral meeting, were already in the Senate building before the afternoon session.

Sotto said the bicameral meeting was considered a committee hearing.

Senate rules also did not allow senators to hold hearings when there was a session. Otherwise, this could result in a lack of quorum, he explained.

Tradition

Cayetano, however, said Senate 鈥渢radition鈥 allowed the chairman of a committee the 鈥減rivilege鈥 of naming bicameral members instead of the Senate President.

鈥淚t is my prerogative to select the members. I don鈥檛 think there is anything wrong (with that). It is absurd and contrary to ask to delay a process which I would like to continue,鈥 she said.

Cayetano would have wanted her brother, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, and Senators Ferdinand Marcos III, Teofisto Guingona III, Francis Pangilinan, Panfilo Lacson and Sotto to join her in the chamber鈥檚 bicameral panel on the RH bill.

鈥淣othing prevents me from calling a bicam (meeting). I am offended that (I am) being imposed upon, not to call for a bicam. The House panel already agreed to hold it here (in the Senate),鈥 she added.

The senator also said she was 鈥渙ffended鈥 by Sotto鈥檚 apparent new 鈥渟teps being taken to delay the process鈥 of turning the RH bill into law.

Senate President Enrile said the tradition that Cayetano invoked was allowed only when no member objected to the bicameral lineup or its creation.

Enrile and Sotto are the Senate鈥檚 most vociferous opponents of the RH bill. Despite the numerous amendments they managed to include in the Senate version of the bill, they still voted 鈥渘o鈥 to its approval on second and third readings on Monday.

The two claimed the RH bill would promote promiscuity, result in an aging population supported by fewer younger people and merely accommodate the global birth control business.

Drilon鈥檚 suggestion

Sen. Franklin Drilon stood at one point and proposed that Cayetano be allowed to meet with House members in a 鈥減rebicameral鈥 meeting.

鈥淚t would not be a bicameral conference, your honor,鈥 Drilon assured Enrile.

Drilon also suggested that the bicameral conference be held this morning instead after senators shall have gone over the clean copies provided by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Delayed

As it is, the schedule set by RH sponsors for the bill鈥檚 road to ratification and signing into law in Malaca帽ang was already delayed.

Cayetano and a bill鈥檚 sponsor, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, initially wanted the bicameral conference held Tuesday, the reconciled version鈥檚 ratification Wednesday and its submission for President Aquino鈥檚 signature so it could become law by Thursday.

If the bicameral panel begins its work only Wednesday, such a schedule will have to be revised.

Sotto immediately clarified that his objections were not another attempt to delay the bill鈥檚 transformation into law.

鈥淚f I were intent on doing that, the unfinished business for this day alone would already take us four days to take up, but I鈥檓 not insisting on that,鈥 he told Cayetano before Enrile ordered an end to their bickering.

Senate coup?

Last week, Santiago warned that Enrile鈥檚 opposition toward the measure could lead to his 鈥渉ighly likely鈥澨 removal as Senate President between January and February next year.

Santiago added that Enrile鈥檚 move of returning the gifts that she and Cayetano gave the Senate President for Christmas was seen as an indication of the animosity borne out of their differing positions on the RH bill.

Santiago quoted Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who had his own verbal tussle with Enrile over another issue, saying that Malaca帽ang 鈥渉as already been giving careful attention to (the) political contretemps鈥 in the Senate and that the hostilities arising from the RH bill ran counter to 鈥渢he flow of this present administration.鈥

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