Advocacy group, lawmakers debate over sexuality education

Metro Manila, Philippines - Debate intensified between lawmakers and an advocacy group over a bill aiming to prevent teen pregnancy, following a viral video on comprehensive sexuality education.

On Jan. 10, “Project Dalisay” of the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution, released an explainer video titled “Unmasking the Perils of CSE,” hitting the government’s implementation of the comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and Senate Bill 1979, entitled the “Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act.”

The group said the program “hypersexualizes children,” exposing them to sensitive topics at an early age.

They claimed the bill, if passed, may enable children aged zero to four to learn about masturbation and may be taught “to experience their body and pleasure through their senses” at six years old.

“By age nine, they will be taught that they will have their own sexual rights,” Jerika Ejercito Aguilar, daughter of former President Joseph Estrada and Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches family commission member, was quoted as saying in the video.

“An act to prevent teen pregnancy. Ang ganda ganda. Makatao. Mapagmahal sa kapwa. Iisipin mo. Pero kapag binasa mo doon, kapag active sexually hindi na pwedeng sabihan ng parents,” former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said in opposing the bill.

[Translation: An act to prevent teen pregnancy. It's so beautiful. Humane. Loving towards others. You’d think about it. But when you read it, it says that if you're sexually active, parents can no longer intervene or say anything]

‘Outright lies’

In a press briefing, Senate committee on women chairperson Risa Hontiveros slammed the group for spreading “outright lies.”

“Absolutely none of those concepts exist in our bill. Those lines in their supposed rebuttal are complete and total fabrication,” she said.

Hontiveros also denied claims that parents of children who are sexually active may not intervene.

Under section 5 of the bill, it only states that “health facilities, goods, and services should be known and easily accessible (economically, physically, and socially) to all adolescents, without discrimination and without the need for parental consent.”

“Kung saan nila nahugot yan, hindi ko alam. Dahil walang batas o anumang polisiya sa Pilipinas ang magtatangkang magbawal sa mga magulang na gumabay sa ating mga anak,” the senator said.

[Translation: Where they got that from, I don't know. Because there is no law or any policy in the Philippines that would attempt to prohibit parents from guiding our children.]

Sereno said while such provisions are not explicit, the bill was based on international standards - an object of their opposition. The measure’s Section 6 states that the CSE “shall be integrated in the school curriculum, guided by DEPED and international standards.”

“Ang philosophy ng CSE internationally developed ng UN agencies, UNESCO, WHO saying it’s a child’s right to derive pleasure from his body. Kasama sa derivation ng pleasure is touching one’s body. Siyempre hindi mo makikita sa bill. But when the bill says according to international standards dapat mong tingnan ang international documents,” she said in a chance interview.

[Translation: The philosophy of CSE was internationally developed by UN agencies, UNESCO, and WHO, stating that it is a child's right to derive pleasure from their body. Part of deriving pleasure includes touching one's body. Of course, you won't find this explicitly stated in the bill. But when the bill says that, according to international standards, you should look at international documents]

Hontiveros, however, said her bill was anchored on the reproductive health law and responsible parenthood.

DepEd consulting with stakeholders

In a statement, the Department of Education said it is consulting with stakeholders to ensure that the program’s implementation is culturally sensitive and effective. The CSE program took effect in 2018 under the Duterte administration.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said his agency will not tolerate inappropriate concepts to be taught in schools.

“As an implementing agency, we follow legislative developments that might impact our policies. Sinisiguro natin na balanse ang ating pananaw at pagpapatupad,” he said.

[Translation: As an implementing agency, we follow legislative developments that might impact our policies. We ensure that our perspective and implementation are balanced]

Angara also clarified he didn’t file a version of the bill when he was still in the Senate. He said he was “included as a co-author because, at the time the committee report was filed [he] was the chair of the finance committee, and the bill includes a section on appropriation.”

Meanwhile, Win Gatchalian, Senate basic education committee chairperson, said he will set a hearing on the matter to review concerns on the program.

“Ngayon meron nang DO31 na pinapatupad iyon na iyong isang diniscuss namin at kakafull rollout lang I think 2024, 23? 24? Kakafull roll out lang. So kaya hindi natin nararamdaman, ngayon lang natin mararamdaman kasi nationwide rollout na siya,” he said.

“We're preparing getting all the documents, kukuha kami ng mga researchers,” Gatchalian added.

[Translation: Now there’s already (Education) Department Order 31 being implemented, which is the one we discussed before, and I think it just had its full rollout in 2024, 2023? 2024? It just had its full rollout. So that’s why we haven’t felt it yet; we’ll only feel it now because it’s a nationwide rollout…We're preparing by gathering all the documents, we’ll get researchers.]