The Senate Committee on Basic Education will hold an inquiry into the status of the country’s sex education amid concerns on the controversial provisions of the proposed Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act or Senate Bill No. 1979.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate basic education panel, said he is keen on holding a committee hearing to discuss about the status of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) implementation of the existing laws and sex education programs taking into consideration the concerns regarding SB 1979.
Gatchalian also said he is taking into account President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s recent statements regarding the risky provisions of the measure.
“Amid debates on implementing sex education in schools, where the President has emphasized the important role of parents—a stance I completely agree with—the Senate Committee on Basic Education will conduct an inquiry on the DepEd’s implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education and its consistency with the mandate of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Act of 2012 or Republic Act No. 10354,” said Gatchalian.
“It is worth noting that Section 14 of the RPRH Law already calls for age- and development-appropriate reproductive health education for adolescents,” the senator said.
Nevertheless, Gatchalian said he recognizes the need to expand such policies to curb the rising number of teenage pregnancies and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.
“I maintain that the country needs to do more in reducing teenage pregnancies and HIV infections, but we must do so in a way that recognizes the important role of parents and parent-substitutes in the formulation and implementation of policies that will have a lasting impact on the well-being of our children,” he said.
Gatchalian said the Parent Effectiveness Service Program Act or Republic Act No. 11908 already provides for such mechanisms under its implementing rules and regulations.
“And I call for their effective implementation to address challenges facing our youth,” the lawmaker said.