Pinoy teens and sex: Just how much do they know?

Can you get pregnant from just one time? The answer is yes, but not everyone knows that. 

 

Asked by GMA News Online, one teen-age respondent, who shall remain anonymous, said she had no idea how many times you need to have sex in order to get pregnant. The respondent, a sexually active 17-year-old college freshman, said she learned about sex from friends in third year high school. "Nakahalo siya sa mga biruan," she said. 

 

She also learned a little about sex from her health teacher in high school, but added that her current sex partner taught her everything from oral sex to “actual sex,” including how to prevent pregnancy without using contraceptives.

 

"Isa na dun ay naka-depend sa male kasi siya 'yung naglalabas ng sperm eh," she said. 

 

Although she was aware that contraceptives such as condoms can be used to prevent pregnancy, she said she did not use these during sex. "Ayaw ng sex partner ko. Anyway, I trust him naman na safe talaga siya," she said.

 

"It's to prevent pregnancy, pero wala daw kwenta kung gagamit nito," she also said about condoms.

 

She said she would prefer to get her information about sex from her family and from school. According to her, sex education in her school is just incorporated in health subjects. "It depends sa teacher kung i-incorporate niya," she said. Interestingly, a study conducted by McCann Philippines in 2006 showed that only about six out of 10 Filipino youth aged 20 and below considered casual sex as wrong together with taking something without paying, use of violence, drugs, drunk driving, suicide, and marital infidelity while about half think that pre-marital sex, sex on TV, phone/Internet sex, porn, and sexually explicit language is wrong. Sex ed and the RH bill

 

The ways to prevent pregnancy, along with other important information regarding sex and reproductive health, are expected to be more widely known to Pinoy teens once the RH bill is signed into law. It was approved by both houses of Congress this week, and is expected to be signed into law by President Aquino before the end of the year.

 

Among the more controversial issues is the inclusion of sex education in schools.

 

Under House Bill 4244 or the consolidated RH bill, parents have the option whether or not their children will attend sex education classes, which will include: 

 

Despite the inclusion of values formation, the Catholic Church strongly opposes the proposed sex education modules, as these will include information about artificial contraceptives.

 

According to a report on the CBCP website last August, sex education will further corrupt Filipinos.

 

Some students themselves would prefer to learn about sex in school, which has already been the case in some schools. In 2008, the Department of Education pilot-tested modules of its "Adolescent Reproductive Health" program in over 150 elementary and high schools. 

 

Asked by GMA News Online, some teenagers specifically said they preferred not to get information from their parents, relying instead on other authority figures, or even friends. 

 

One 18-year-old respondent said she would prefer to get information from an authority figure other than her relatives. Another respondent, 17, said getting information from a teacher or doctor would be better, as "it seems much more formal and reliable than simply learning through hearsay and ‘advice.’"

 

"I learned that using contraceptives did not guarantee that sex was safe from diseases, according to several articles I’ve read online regarding the RH bill," she said when asked if there was anything she knew that she later discovered was wrong.

 

Her high school did not have a sex education program, but the students learned about sex during their biology class in their sophomore year. The school also organized a seminar where a gynecologist spoke to the students about sexually transmitted diseases.

 

For her, the best way to prevent pregnancy is to be responsible. She explained that "'being responsible' doesn’t simply mean not having intercourse—it can also mean using condoms/contraceptives in order to prevent getting pregnant."

 

Another respondent, 18, said she preferred to get her information from science teachers, or someone older than she whom she trusts, but not her parents. "Some of my friends know a lot of stuff about sex, so I get some of my information from them," she said.

 

She and a few of the other respondents first learned about sex in Grade 5, from their science or health teachers. However, they described the information as vague and technical. 

 

Now a freshman at a public university, she took up a class on Gender and Sexuality, an elective subject which she said is the closest thing there is to a sex education program at her school. The professor teaches using a practical approach, using samples and visual aids, she said.

 

There are also some who prefer to learn about sex at home. One 19-year-old respondent said she first learned about sex from her parents. She was told that sex "is for married people to show their love and have children." While sex education was integrated in biology and homeroom classes in her school, she said she preferred to get her information from her parents. 

 

A 17-year-old respondent also said she would prefer to get information about sex at home, but she first learned about sex in high school, from a speaker. "He taught us the importance of getting married before having sex. He also discussed the consequences of premarital sex," she said. 

 

Another respondent, a 17-year-old student at a private Catholic school, knew about sex as early as five years old. "My parents would warn me about rape because going to school, I had a tricycle school service," she said. Apart from warning her about rape, her parents also discussed sex with her. "They told me what it is, what it does, how it works, and possibly what it can do to my body if I get pregnant," she said.

 

She shared that she was glad to get the information from her parents, and that because of their openness, she never felt the need to find out things behind their backs.

 

"Unfortunately though, living in the Philippines, teens seek their answers on questions concerning sex from other teens as well. And that is a very bad idea. That is why I’d like to learn about it from school too, so we can all just look at it maturely," she said.

 

She also learned about the reproductive system in Grade 5, "just when the girls are getting their periods, which is very helpful. They teach us the organs and what they basically are for." 

 

She also said that she was also able to clarify some things online. "I thought that if a guy just pulls out right before ejaculation, it would prevent pregnancy. But I guess that’s a myth," she said when asked if there was any information that she later discovered was wrong. 

 

Only one of the respondents said she was sexually active.

 

On providing contraceptives to teens

 

Minors seeking access to artificial contraceptives will be required to get parental consent after Sen. Ralph Recto proposed that amendment of the Senate's RH bill.

 

The bill's co-sponsor, Sen. Pia Cayetano, pointed out that many minors do not seek their parent's consent when making decisions. However, the Senate voted 9-7 to approve the amendment on December 12.

 

The average age in the Philippines for the first sexual encounter is 18, according to the most recent (2002) Young Adult Fertility Survey (YAFS) of the University of the Philippines Population Institute. According to the survey, about 16 percent of Filipinas 15 to 24 years old have had premarital sex. Contraceptive use during premarital sex for the first time was at 27.6 percent for males and 14.5 percent for females. 

 

As of 2011, one in 10 mothers who gave birth in the country in 2009 were teenagers, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO). —With a report from Amita Legaspi/KG/RSJ/HS, GMA News Illustration by Analyn Perez