Admitting that President Aquino issued an order to them, administration allies in the House of Representatives said the vote for the termination of debates on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill carried out through viva voce was upon the prodding of Aquino but claimed that there was no order from Aquino to pass the bill.
House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II who moved to terminate the debates said there has to be an end to the discussions in order for the bill to go through the legislative mill.
The vote came shortly after Aquino met with House members in Malacañang at around 1 pm resulting in allies of the administration, employing their advantage in numbers, terminating the deliberations on the bill.
After tackling the regular business for the day, Gonzales took the floor and moved for the termination of debates on House Bill 4244 or the RH Bill.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez opposed the motion saying it was originally agreed by the House members upon the insistence of Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte that the House was to vote on the termination of the debate on  the RH Bill today.
“The Speaker said we were to vote on the termination of the debate on the RH Bill on Aug. 7. Today is Aug. 6. Why accelerate it by one day?” Rodriguez said.
The Cagayan de Oro solon added he was not yet finished with his interpellation on the issue having finished only two of the six points he was to raise against the measure.
Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing also objected to Gonzales’ motion saying no one, not even the President can influence the House on its decision, in reference to the caucus called by Aquino yesterday.
Bagatsing said Aquino did not even try to influence the House members on his personal position on the issue.
“He (Aquino) said we should vote according to our conscience. That this matter should be a conscience vote. But how about those who do not have a conscience?” Bagatsing said.
Citing a technicality, Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas said no motion to terminate the debate unless at least three lawmakers have spoken in favor for and two against the measure. Yielding to Mandanas, President Speaker Noli Fuentebella allowed those who still want to speak to take the floor.”
Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay also opposed the termination of the debate.
Fuentebella then proceeded with the division of the house through viva voce with the “Ayes” winning over the “Nay” votes.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco then moved for a nominal voting. After the session was suspended for a few minutes, Assistant Majority Leader, Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin then moved for the suspension of the deliberation of the RH Bill.
According to Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo they were not asked to vote in favor of the passage of the bill.
“The President only asked us to terminate the debates. He did not pressure us to vote in favor of the bill,” said Castelo, one of those who attended the meeting with the president.
An official statement from Malacañang said that  “the President echoed the view that the Responsible Parenthood measure had been discussed thoroughly over the past several years and expressed his desire that Congress move on to the next step in the legislative process.”
In the House, militant members of Congress and their supporters continued to put pressure on the leadership to pass the bill.
Partido ng Manggagawa General Secretary Judy Ann Chan-Miranda said that “Poor women need family planning services and commodities which they cannot afford.  Millions of poor women and adolescents are left uninformed about their reproductive health rights and needs.  We do want merely want a ‘yes’ vote to the RH bill, we want the provisions intended to address the reproductive rights and needs of poor and working women and adolescents intact.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, reacting to the termination of debates said that the passage of the bill will not be good for the country.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, former CBCP President, said the bill “will be tragic and catastrophic for the Filipino people.”
For his part, Lipa Archbishop Ramon  Arguelles described efforts to pass the questionable measure as a manifestation of “imperialism.”  He added he is saddened by the imperialists’ “local agents” whom he described as “traitors” to the country’s sovereignty.
He said foreign powers and their puppets are not after the Filipinos’ future “but for the extermination of the poor and those who believe in God.”
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, SVD said the passage of the RH bill will cause the slowdown of development in the Philippines.
The CBCP warned it will campaign against lawmakers who will vote in favor of the passage of the RH bill.
The tone of congressmen coming out of the caucus in Malacanang was, however, similar to them having agreed to back the passage of the RH bill that Aquino wants enacted before the end of the year.
Some 180 congressmen who attended what should have been a caucus for Liberal Party (LP) members supposedly arrived at a consensus after having lunch with Aquino.
Gonzales said aside from the “Yes” votes, they also agreed to wrap up the initial legislative process and allow the controversial bill to be passed on its first reading a day before they are supposedly slated to vote on it.
Gonzales likewise pointed at Paranaque congressman Roilo Golez as the one who even asked that the voting procedure be conducted even before the anti-RH bill advocates swarm the Batasan today (Tuesday). Votation would be made openly.
He suggested to the Members of the House to cast subsequently a conscience vote on the bill, which vote entails the following: the courage to make a decision as leaders of their respective constituencies; not to be cowed by intimidation of reprisal at the polls; and (c) to address the major problems like ills in health and backlog in education which are aggravated by a ballooning population.
Congressman Edcel Lagman, the main proponent of the bill, said Aquino met with leaders of the House and expressed his desire to see it passed.
He said he was confident a majority of the 285-member House would agree to end divisive debates on the bill which has polarized the largely Catholic nation of almost 100 million.
The bill seeks to make it mandatory for the government to provide free contraceptives as well as introducing sex education in schools, which the politically influential Catholic church has rejected.
“It can be done tonight. It is just a termination of the debates but it is a big step toward approval of the bill,” Lagman said before the start of the session yesterday.
Lagman said once congress voted to end the debates, the next legislative process would be to open the bill for amendments ahead of its passage.
Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda confirmed the president met with the legislators to speed up the bill’s passage.
“The president echoed the view that the responsible parenthood measure had been discussed thoroughly over the past several years and expressed his desire that Congress move on to the next step in the legislative process,” he said.
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes compated the railroading of the RH voting during a radio interview Monday with the  case of former Chief Justice Renato Corona impeachment case which was railroaded and hurriedly done after the president used his power and influence in the politics.
Bastes hinted that the “luncheon meeting” at the Palace among members of the House is a signal that he will persuade them to pass the RH bill. Pat C. Santos, Fernan J. Angeles and AFP