A pro-children’s group has denied allegations that it is spreading fake news and fear against the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).

“Project Dalisay is not a campaign against any politician, any senator, and definitely we are not fear-mongering,” said Project Dalisay representative, former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. 

“We are all busy but carved out time to sound the alarm on a threat that many, including us, did not recognize at face value,” she pointed out.

Project Dalisay is an initiative of the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution (NCFC). 

Sereno responded to the remarks made by Sen. Risa Hontiveros against the viral video of  Project Dalisay which the  lawmaker claimed has been pushing for the scrapping of Senate Bill No. 1979, also known as the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act.

“Nakakagulat at nakakagalit ang mga kasinungalingan na kumakalat sa social media laban sa panukalang batas na ito (It’s surprising and makes one angry about the lies that has been spreading in social media against the bill),” said Hontiveros who authored the bill that introduces CSE.

Sereno explained that the video of Project Dalisay discussed "the dangers of CSE which is an international sexuality program (and) was brought INTO THE BILL when it repeatedly referenced the terms ‘Comprehensive Sexuality Education’, ‘CSE’ and ‘International Standards."

“This program proposes that children be taught Sexuality Education ‘as early and as comprehensively as possible’,” the Project Dalisay representative said.

Sereno warned that “these international standards, which were referenced in both the bill and DepEd (Department of Education) Memo 31,  are not only ineffective in addressing the problem, they have harmful effects on children.”

“We will not see the actual words ‘childhood masturbation’ in the bill - words that will never appear in any promotive bill - but by repeatedly referencing CSE, and mandating implementation of CSE in all schools nationwide, it can only be interpreted to refer to the two existing documents embodying the international standards of CSE - the UNESCO and WHO Guidances, both of which discuss masturbation as normal, not harmful, and in WHO, an explored topic at a very early age. These are ‘RED FLAFS’ that we are duty-bound as Filipino parents to raise,” she stated.

Meanwhile, the former chief justice called for a public discussion of the bill.

“None of us were invited to any hearing until we learned about it at the 11th hour,” Sereno said about the Senate hearings done on the proposed measure.

Sereno added that Project Dalisay doesn’t have the right to ask questions at the Senate interpellation stage.

“Our only access to make our position known is reach out to our fellow Filipinos through different media and to legislators who are willing to give us private hearings,” she said.

“We are willing to go through a line-by-line discussion of SB 1979 with the Filipino people. It is high time we discuss what we value most – our children, our families, and how much we value them,” she added.