Romeena Minor

If not in schools, where would you rather children learn about sex? 

The undying resistance regarding the inclusion of comprehensive sex education in the basic education curriculum is a blatant refusal to save children from falling prey to the gruesome cruelty of ignorance.
Data from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that one in 20 Filipino infants are born to mothers aged between 15 to 19. More alarmingly, live births of girls aged 10 to 14 have significantly increased in the last few years, ballooning to 3,343 in 2023 from 2,412 in 2019. At this point, it is not even teenage pregnancy; it has become pre-teen or child pregnancy. 


What worse negligence, and what greater violation to the innocence of children is there than to stand idly by as this heinous abuse to their naivety takes place? 

The mere thought of children bearing children with high-risk pregnancies is undoubtedly bothersome enough, but to find out that majority of these child pregnancies are cases of statutory rape, where the fathers are significantly older than the mothers, makes it all the more disturbing. Committee on Population and Development (CPD) Executive Director Jeepy Perez disclosed that in 3,000 teen pregnancies in 2023, 99 percent, or about 2,970, have fathers over 17 years old. Perez then reaffirmed the urgent need for the implementation of CSE. 

The proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act, or the Senate Bill 1979, authored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, seeks to address this very issue by making CSE a compulsory part of education programs integrated at all grade levels. Specifically, it aims to equip young learners with adequate knowledge, skills, and values, ultimately enabling them to arrive at informed and responsible decisions about their sexual and social relationships. SB 1979 all the more strengthens the existing, yet ineffective, CSE in curriculums, as mandated by a 2018 Department of Education (DepEd) order. 

In choosing a stance in this dilemma regarding the need for an improved CSE, it is crucial to understand that learning about the complexities of sexualities and reproductive health will not strip off the inherent innocence of kids in primary school; rather, it will keep them wisely informed and immune to misconceptions. 

Furthermore, it must be made clear—although it already is, but perhaps not for all—that the heart of SB 1979 is neither teaching children self-pleasure nor encouraging them to engage in sexual activities at young ages; rather, it is enabling them to have a firm grasp on their bodily systems, teaching them not to allow just anyone to touch their private parts, and ultimately, empowering them through inculcating correct, reliable, and age-appropriate information into their young minds. 

After much clamor, Hontiveros had performed necessary amendments to the bill. The voices of concerned, enraged, and confused parents have been heard. Suggestions of the greater public have been taken into account. This time around, the favor ought to be returned—listen to our cries for the immediate passing of RA 1979, not for the sake of self-gain and whatnot, but for the welfare of the children. 

For the longest time, Filipinos have been kept in the shadows by treating these matters as taboo when it really should be something that can be discussed without getting awkward or ashamed, for both parents and children alike. As we further enter the depths of advancement in the 21st century, may we realize it is high time to set aside the outdated beliefs we once held onto in order to address real problems that subsequently require real solutions. 

The delay, or worse, disapproval, of SB 1979 will not block children’s access to information regarding sexualities and reproductive health; it will not stop them from learning about their bodily systems, nor will it restrain their curiosity from getting the better of them. Refusal to give children due process and access to sex education only puts them at higher risk for incorrect and possibly even exploitative sources. 

I recall an interesting quote I heard from one of my co-journalists: “Keep two in the dark, then comes three.” To resist CSE is to stifle the desperate calls to shield the younger generations of Filipinos from the wrath of ignorance, and to do so is to encourage the forthwith arrival of doomsday—as if it has not already come.