“I will not allow RH to be put aside”



Transcript of ambush interview with Sen. Pia S. Cayetano
Senate session hall

Q: Mam reaction po doon sa sinabi ni Senate President Enrile na isasantabi o ‘second priority’ muna ang RH bill (to give way to Sin Tax and Budget bills)…

SPSC: Bakit kaya ganun ano? Favorite bill na ‘isantabi’ ang RH bill ano? Tsaka honestly, we only need a few minutes because during the caucus before we went on break, ang alam kong mag-aamend si Senator Recto na lang at si Senator Senrile. Hindi naman mahaba yun eh. Yung pinakamabusisi na nga na amendment inabot lang kami ng mga 30 minutes, tapos isasantabi? Naku naman.

Tapos sinabi kahapon, ang session namin hanggang 8:00 pm. Eh alas singko pa lang naman ngayon kaya nga ako nandito. Ready naman ako eh, although hindi naman naka-schedule yan (RH bill) today. But I had it scheduled for next week, nagpasabi na ako sa office ng Majority Floor Leader para ma-schedule na yan.

Honestly, I’m a little bit disappointed with all the drama. Because bakit kailangan isantabi? Pwede naman i-take up? Masisipag naman kami. Hindi naman nagkukulang sa kasipagan ang mga kasamahan ko. Wala naman yata dito na pwedeng sabihin na ayaw magtrabaho. It’s just a matter of ‘kung ayaw, ayaw.’ Di ba?

So hindi pwedeng sabihin na may ibang mas importante kasi maraming panahon. Yung sin tax nga ngayon, ilang minutes lang na-takeup yun? Inabot ba ng isang oras? Wala. Ano’ng oras ngayon, alas singko, marami pang panahon. Huwag na tayong mag-drama na isantabi no. Ano yan eh, mga ‘pa-effect’ yan to give people the impression that the bill is no longer active; that it’s no longer pending. It [RH bill] is very active and I will not allow it to be put aside.

Q: So ano yun Mam? Hindi totoong walang oras for that dahil lang sa sin tax at budget?

SPSC: Not at all. Look at the time now, it’s 5:00 [pm]. O ano’ng oras ba nag-adjourn kahapon? Mga 7:00? So drama yun, hindi po totoo yun.

Note: This interview was conducted shortly after the adjournment of Wednesday’s session at around 5:00 pm. Sen. Cayetano went straight to the Senate from the airport after attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference on Gender and Politics at the House of Parliament in London where she delivered a speech.

Photo: Sen. Pia Cayetano being interviewed after the adjournment of Wednesday’s session at past five o’clock in the afternoon.
-- 
MINA TENORIO
mina@likhaan.org

Likhaan Center for Women's Health, Inc.
88 Times Street, West Triangle Homes,
Quezon City  1104 Philippines
Tel: (63 2) 926-6230
Fax: (63 2) 411-3151
Email: office@likhaan.org

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