Students from the Araullo Highschool read materials containing sex health education during the Health Information Dissemination Program held on October 01, 2019. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — A bill that its authors say is meant to prevent teen pregnancies — through, among other mechanisms, comprehensive sexuality education — reaped criticism this week for allegedly seeking to teach children to masturbate and to take away parents' authority over their offspring.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chair of one of the committees that prepared Senate Bill No. 1979, said that those are not part of the proposed legislation and that critics of the bill are making false claims.

"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," Hontiveros said this week.

(I don't know where they got that from. Because there is no law or any policy in the Philippines that will seek to prevent parents from guiding their children)

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Despite that, the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution, through its Project Dalisay campaign, maintains that passage of the bill will sexualize children, “[teach] children to consent to sex” and “[promote] homosexual/bisexual behavior” alongside more than a dozen effects it said it would bring.

Opponents of the bill, including Sen. Joel Villanueva, say that even though these aren't found in the proposed legislation, references to international standards from the World Health Organization and UNESCO in SB 1979 and its counterpart House Bill No. 8910 mean that is what will happen anyway.

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In a 2023 fact sheet, WHO stressed that CSE "does not promote masturbation."

It also recognized, however, that "children start to explore their bodies through sight and touch at a relatively early age", and that they may need appropriate information about boundaries and privacy.

WHO recommends providing information on “early childhood masturbation” at a young age in the context of teaching children to “talk about (un)pleasurable feelings in one’s own body” and to “express [their] own needs, wishes and boundaries, for example in the context of 'playing doctor'."

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WHAT IS COMPREHENSIVE SEXUAL EDUCATION?

According to UNESCO, comprehensive sexual education is a curriculum-based and scientifically accurate "process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality."

Among the concepts included in CSE are setting boundaries, the importance of consent, and the prevention of abuse.

Other approaches include focusing on abstinence outside marriage, or teaching abstinence alongside contraception and other safe sex options, WHO says in "Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe", the document that critics of the bill said is the basis for CSE in the Philippines.

The Department of Education has said CSE in the Philippines will not simply copy and paste how it is done in other countries, adding in a briefer that “there is a localization which takes into account local culture in context.”

DepEd also stresses "there is no instruction on masturbation" in its CSE curriculum.

WHO, in the Standards, stresses that these are "voluntary and non-mandatory...evidence and practice, and recognizes the diversity of different national contexts in which sexuality education is taking place." 

It adds "there are some issues and content that might be considered acceptable in some countries...and each country will have authority to make  appropriate decisions, respecting notions of human rights, inclusion and non-discrimination."

The bill is going through the legislative process while teen pregnancies are on the rise and while, according to the UP Population Institute, there is “a heavy reliance on peers and social media for information about sex and reproduction and an increasing share of youth with no one to consult when they have questions about sex.”

Hontiveros, in defending the bill, said the number of teen pregnancies is now a "national emergency" that requires urgent intervention.

According to SB 1979, developing and promoting CSE is meant to help young Filipinos “decide to prevent risky behaviors that can undermine the realization of their aspirations and potentials.”

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'NAKAKA-BUDOL'

But for Sen. Villanueva, who categorically said at the Kapihan sa Senado forum this week he rejects the bill, the proposed legislation is deceptive (nakaka-budol).

"Meron bang grupo ng tao dito sa mundo na ayaw itong titulo na ito… pero kung binasa mo yung buong bill… ang sabi nga nila, the devil is in the details," he said.

(Is there any group in this world that will oppose the title of this bill? But if you read the whole bill... as they say, the devil is in the details)

He said that under WHO guidelines, children 0-4 years old “are to be taught early childhood masturbation” and those between 9-12 years old are to be taught how “to make a conscious decision to have sexual experiences or not.”

To be clear, these are in the Standards, which also recommend teaching children of that age how to “refuse unwanted sexual experiences” and that it should be “mutually consensual, voluntary, equal, age-appropriate, context-appropriate and self-respecting."

'RELIGIOUS VALUES PART OF CURRICULUM'

He also claimed that since CSE would be compulsory, this would remove schools' and parents' authority over what children should be taught about sex and sexuality.

"Kung isang Christian school, for instance, ayaw magpatupad nito? Anong mangyayari? Tatanggalan sila ng accreditation?" he said.

(If a Christian school, for instance, does not want to implement this? What will happen? Will they lose their accreditation?)

DepEd in its briefer said that implementation of CSE in the Philippines integrates "Filipino cultural and religious values while addressing the health and safety needs of learners” and that it recognizes the rights of parents “as primary educators of their children.”

It also said that Republic Act No. 10354 — the Reproductive Health Law passed in 2012 — mandates the inclusion of CSE in school curricula “but underscores the need for it to be delivered in a manner that is consistent with the religious convictions of the learners’ families.”

Villanueva said he remains unconvinced, citing letters he said he has received calling the proposal radical, inappropriate and damaging to children.

"Gaya nung [Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill] again… Sige, anti-discrimination pero parang prelude to same-sex marriage. Ito, parang prelude din to abortion," he said 

(This is like the SOGIE Bill again. Yes, it's anti-discrimination but it is like a prelude to same-sex marriage. This one, it's like a prelude to abortion.)

Villanueva did not mention a specific provision in SB 1979. The SOGIE Bill, which has been stuck in Congress for decades, does not contain any provisions on same-sex marriage.

ANGARA: PARENTS' ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT

Education Secretary Sonny Angara, a former senator and listed as co-author of SB 1979, has distanced himself from the bill, saying he was only included because the proposal involved the Senate Finance Committee that he used to chair.

He has also said that the DepEd is open to proposals and suggestions from stakeholders.

“Ano man ang aming tahak, naniniwala kami sa aktibong pakikilahok ng mga magulang sa pagkatuto ng ating mga mag-aaral,” he also said.

(Whatever steps we take, we believe in the active participation of parents in our students’ learning)

“Together, we can create an environment that fosters understanding, respect, and our youth’s well-being. We invite all parties to work alongside us as we navigate this important journey,” he also said.