The implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) by the Department of Education (DepEd) has sparked debate among various stakeholders, with critics citing concerns over its content and potential influence on young learners.
While the implementing guidelines for the CSE in public and private schools were released by DepEd seven years ago, its implementation as outlined in Senate Bill (SB) 1979, or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023 has been is strongly opposed by stakeholders from various sectors.
The CSE under SB 1979 to be implemented by DepEd was opposed by various sectors, including religious groups, parents' associations, and conservative organizations, claiming these infringe on parental authority and promote controversial reproductive health measures.
What is DepEd’s CSE?
In July 2018, former DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones issued DepEd Order No. 31, which contained the policy guidelines on the implementation of the CSE in public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide.
In the DepEd Order, Briones noted that the policy guidelines were issued to “establish a common understanding of CSE concepts and messages and to ensure clear implementation of protocols in the CSE.”
Briones added that the rationale, legal bases, guiding principles, mechanisms, and procedures were designed to assist teachers, school principals, and other education stakeholders in their efforts to “make teaching and learning more relevant, meaningful, and useful to learners.”
The said DepEd Order was for “immediate dissemination and compliance.”
As defined in the policy guidelines, DepEd explained that CSE, citing the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), refers to an “age-appropriate, culturally relevant program for teaching about sexuality and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, non-judgmental information.”
DepEd further explained that curbing the rising incidences of early pregnancy, sexual violence, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among young Filipinos would be strengthened in the classroom with the issuance of the policy guidelines on CSE implementation.
“The need to promptly address the surge in these cases is increasingly becoming urgent; the young generation is really at risk. That’s why it is imperative to enable them to develop into responsible adolescents capable of making rational decisions based on adequate information and a better understanding of reproductive health,” Briones explained in issuing the policy.
According to DepEd, the policy aims to “enhance the holistic wellness of Filipino adolescents and effectively address their needs for health and protection through education by ensuring they are equipped with comprehensive information and appropriate life skills that can advance gender equality and empowerment, clarify their values and attitudes, and reduce risks related to poor health outcomes — thereby enabling them to achieve their full potential.”
Recognizing the school system's role and responsibility in providing learners with their right to good health, DepEd said the policy would establish a “common understanding” of CSE key concepts and messages and ensure clear implementation of CSE protocols in all public and private elementary, junior, and senior high schools, learning centers for Special Education (SPED) and Alternative Learning System (ALS), and laboratory schools of state and local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs).
DepEd added that Indigenous Learning Systems (ILSs) and the Madrasah Education Program (MEP) would integrate CSE standards, core topics, core values, and core life skills into subjects like Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH); Science; Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (ESP); Araling Panlipunan; and Personality Development.
A curriculum-based process of teaching and learning, DepEd explained, the CSE is “anchored on cognitive, emotional, physical, and social aspects of sexuality that are scientific, age- and developmentally appropriate, culturally and gender-responsive, and with a rights-based approach.”
Moreover, DepEd assured that its implementation would “involve parents, teachers, community associations, school officials, civil society organizations, and other interest groups to ensure cultural acceptability, efficiency, and appropriateness of key concepts and messages.”
“As it equips learners with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values, CSE will help them develop critical thinking regarding risky behaviors and empower them to realize their health, well-being, and dignity,” DepEd explained. “It is also expected to contribute to better learning outcomes, reduced dropout rates, increased completion rates, and improved quality of learning,” the agency added.
CSE in the SB 1979
As an educational program designed to equip students with knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and respectful relationships, DepEd assured that the implementation of CSE will help promote informed decision-making, prevent unwanted pregnancies, and reduce sexually transmitted infections among youth.
However, the implementation of the CSE is now facing opposition from some groups, particularly concerning the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill.
Critics argued that the CSE under the SB 1979 promotes early sexual activity, and they believe it may conflict with the bill's focus on preventing adolescent pregnancies by addressing root causes such as lack of support and education.
The tension lies in balancing sexual education with cultural and religious values, which many believe should emphasize abstinence or traditional approaches to sexuality.
Online petition
This month, the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution (NCFC) launched an initiative called “Project Dalisay,” which seeks to “safeguard the sanctity of the Filipino family and the innocence of our children by advocating for sex education that aligns with our cultural, religious, and constitutional foundations.”
An online petition under “Project Dalisay” was also launched and addressed to the DepEd Secretary and members of the Senate, opposing the implementation of CSE and SB 1979.
In the online petition, the group is calling on various stakeholders to express their “strong opposition” to the implementation of the CSE program and the provisions of Senate Bill 1979, claiming these initiatives “conflict with the core values and beliefs upheld by many Filipino families, particularly those of the Christian and Islamic faiths.”
The group alleged that the CSE program, as outlined by DepEd, promotes a comprehensive approach to sexual health education, which includes topics that “challenge traditional family values” — such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and rights related to sexual activity and reproductive health.
“The program introduces concepts like 'gender fluidity' and 'sexual diversity,' suggesting that people can choose their sexual identity beyond the binary of male and female,” the online petition read.
“It also emphasizes sexual rights, which could be interpreted as encouraging early sexual activity, and includes discussions on contraception, abortion, and non-traditional relationships,” it added, noting that these concepts “contradict traditional Christian and Islamic morality regarding marriage, procreation, and family life.”
The group is also rejecting SB 1979, which mandates the integration of CSE into the national curriculum “without adequate consultation or consent from parents and guardians.”
“This bill also promotes the availability of contraception and reproductive health services to adolescents, a measure that we believe could encourage early sexual activity and undermine the values of abstinence and marital fidelity, which are vital tenets of Christian and Islamic teachings,” the online petition added.
The petitioners also expressed deep concern that the CSE program in the SB 1979, as they are currently structured, could have “harmful effects,” such as undermining parental authority, early sexualization, promoting risky behaviors, contradicting constitutional values, promoting homosexuality/bisexuality, failing to establish abstinence, and introducing age-inappropriate content.
Identifying themselves as “concerned citizens and members of the faith community,” the petitioners are urging DepEd and lawmakers to withdraw the implementation of the CSE program and its inclusion of content that “goes against the values of the Filipino family” and ensure that parents and guardians have the “primary right to guide their children's education regarding sexuality, and that any such curriculum is transparent and subject to parental consent.”
The petitioners are also calling for the rejection of SB 1979 and any provisions within it that “enforce the mandatory implementation of CSE or promote policies that could encourage early sexual activity, reproductive health services for minors, and the normalization of non-traditional gender and sexual identities,” ensuring that any “sexuality education curriculum is aligned with the values of Filipino families and respects the moral, spiritual, and educational integrity of children.”
“We firmly believe that the protection of parental rights, family values, and the moral upbringing of our children is essential to the future of our nation,” the petitioners said.
“We are not opposed to education on health and well-being, but we urge that such education be conducted in a manner that respects the values of Filipino families and protects the integrity of the Christian and Islamic faiths,” they added.
DepEd’s current stance
In response to concerns raised about the CSE, the current leadership of DepEd, under Secretary Sonny Angara, assured that it will remain committed to prioritizing the health and well-being of the Filipino youth.
“We acknowledge the concerns regarding the current implementation of our CSE and a version of SBN 1979, the Teenage Pregnancy Bill,” Angara said in a statement issued on Jan. 15.
DepEd, he added, also “recognizes our role in shaping life skills, values, and behaviors.”
Angara noted that DepEd is “actively collaborating with various stakeholders, including health service providers and community organizations, to ensure that our programs are effective and culturally sensitive.”
“Our efforts include exploring models from our communities and other countries,” he added.
As a former senator who chaired the Youth Committee in the Senate, Angara underscored the need for a “multi-sectoral approach” to address the concerns of the Filipino youth.
“We took proactive steps to address the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy,” he explained. “We filed a resolution aimed at adopting a whole-of-government approach to develop a comprehensive policy framework,” he added, noting that this framework “seeks to prevent early childbearing, mitigate its negative consequences, such as school dropouts, and ensure the welfare and future of our youth.”
However, Angara clarified that he has “not filed any version of this” bill and was included as a co-author because, at the time the committee report was filed, “I was the Chair of the Finance Committee, and the bill includes a section on appropriation.”
Meanwhile, Angara noted that DepEd, as an implementing agency, will “follow legislative developments that might impact our policies” but will ensure a “balanced” implementation of the policy.
Angara then invited all parties to work alongside DepEd in addressing the challenges faced by the Filipino youth. “Together, we can create an environment that fosters understanding, respect, and the well-being of our youth,” he added.
Crisis of teenage pregnancies
Save the Children Philippines, in August 2024, called on the Senate of the Philippines to pass the adolescent pregnancy prevention bill without delay, to address the “escalating crisis of teenage pregnancies” in the country --- particularly among children aged 15 and below.
“Every day, more than 500 adolescents in the Philippines become mothers, a stark and troubling reality that includes girls as young as 10 years old,” Save the Children Philippines, the leading independent children’s organization in the country, said.
The group also warned that these “alarming numbers are not just statistics—they represent the stolen childhoods of countless young girls.”
From 2021 to 2022, the group noted that the Philippines witnessed a “disturbing” 35 percent increase in live births among the 15-and-under age group.
“These pregnancies trap thousands of young Filipino girls in a relentless cycle of poverty, discrimination, and lost opportunities,” the group said. “Forced to abandon their education and assume the heavy responsibilities of parenthood, these girls are being robbed of their futures,” it added.
Save the Children Philippines has been urging the Philippine government to expedite the passage of this “critical bill” to pave the way for a “safer, more equitable, and promising future—for and with children.”
Busting myths
UNESCO, in 2019, released research that “busts” myths about CSE and issued a paper recommending “scripted lessons where necessary to help teachers cover the subject correctly.”
Noting that comprehensive sexuality education is an “essential part” of a good quality education, UNESCO has been pushing for initiatives to “dispel social and political resistance” to sexuality education in many countries.
Based on “Facing the Facts,” the policy paper by the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report at UNESCO, CSE is an essential part of a good-quality education that “improves reproductive health and contributes to gender equality.”
This paper seeks to dispel social and political resistance to sexuality education in many countries.
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