Existing comprehensive sex education to be reviewed — Angara

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Wednesday that he will order for the review of the comprehensive sexual education (CSE) currently integrated in the basic education curriculum amid the debates regarding Senate Bill 1979 or the Anti-Adolescent Pregnancy Bill.

Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd) will hold an executive meeting by Friday to discuss the call from a House member to suspend the implementation of the CSE.

“Titignan namin from a legal point of view kung pwede ba naming gawin ‘yun dahil mandato ng batas ‘yun eh… ‘Yung CSE based on Reproductive Health Law and on HIV/AIDS Prevention Law. Meron na tayong ginagawang existing,” he said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

(We will see from a legal point of view if we can do that because that is mandated under the law... There’s an existing CSE based on the Reproductive Health Law and on HIV/AIDS Prevention Law.)

“Maaaring i-suspend namin to review pero ‘yung suspension na permanente, ang tingin ko as a lawyer, hindi namin pwedeng gawin ‘yun dahil batas po ‘yun eh,” he added.

(We can suspend the implementation just for the review purposes, but to permanently suspend it, I think as a lawyer, we can't do that because that's the law.)

The plan to review the existing CSE came after Angara’s meeting with a group concerned about its implementation. The DepEd chief, however, clarified that there are no concepts like "masturbation" included in the curriculum.

Marcos reaction

This was in reference to the claim of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that some of the contents of SB 1979 were “ridiculous,” “abhorrent,” and a “travesty of what sexual and sex education should be to the children.”

“Na-alarma rin kami na may ganung tinuturo. So chineck namin, pero mukhang wala naman. Siguro sa ibang bansa ‘yung tinuturo na ganung curriculum. ‘Yung sinasabi na 0-4 may tinuturo na masturbation… Kaya right after the meeting, sabi ko i-review natin ang CSE dahil parang hindi nga tama, hindi akma, o hindi angkop sa age group ‘yung tinuturo, ‘yong konsepto na ‘yun,” Angara said.

(We were also alarmed that such topics were being taught. So when we checked, there was nothing about that. Maybe that is included in the curriculum of other countries, that the ages 0-4 should be taught about masturbation… After the meeting, I asked for the review of CSE because it doesn’t seem right or suitable for that age group.)

“So nung chineck namin, wala naman palang ganun. But nonetheless, given what's happened, ‘yung mga pangyayari ngayon, eh talagang ire-review namin ang CSE,” he continued.

(But when we checked, there’s nothing. But nonetheless, given what's been happening now, we will still review the CSE.)

Marcos has guaranteed that if the bill includes these ''absurdities,'' it will not stand a chance and he will immediately veto it.

Substitute bill

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, principal author of SB 1979, has repeatedly denied the inclusion of such topics in the bill and encouraged critics to read the entire bill.

Several senators have withdrawn their signatures from the committee report on SB 1979 amid concerns aired by some groups over the proposed measure.

Hontiveros said she would file a substitute bill following the development.

Angara also said that DepEd, as an implementing agency, will abide by the policies from the Congress and directives from the President regarding the CSE implementation.

“I think tama ‘yung statement ni Pangulo na dapat age-appropriate ‘yung ating itinuturo. ‘Wag tayong mag-introduce ng konsepto na kumbaga offensive or hindi angkop, hindi nga age-appropriate. Hindi tamang ituro sa gano’ng edad. So definitely susunod tayo sa direktiba ng ating mahal na Pangulo,” he said.

(I think the President's statement that what we teach should be age-appropriate is correct. Let's not introduce a concept that seems offensive, inappropriate, or not age-appropriate. It’s not right to teach about that at that age. So we will definitely follow the directive of our President.)

The CSE has been integrated into the K to 12 curriculum even before the ongoing discussions about its implementation under the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill.

The DepEd in 2018 released the policy guidelines on the CSE implementation in all public and private elementary, junior and senior high schools nationwide.

Based on DepEd Order No. 31, series of 2018, signed by then Education Secretary Leonor Briones, CSE is a “curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality that is scientific, age-and-developmentally appropriate, culturally and gender-responsive, and with a rights-based approach.”

The Education Department’s policy guidelines also noted that CSE “teaches life skills among learners to help them develop critical thinking about risk behaviors related to poor reproductive health outcomes, enhance self-esteem and develop respectful intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships that enable them to deal with the complex changes happening in them throughout their lives.”

EXPLAINER: What is Comprehensive Sexuality Education?

— RSJ, GMA Integrated News