Gatchalian: Educating parents, local officials key to curbing childhood pregnancy

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian emphasized Sunday that tackling the rise in childhood pregnancies requires educating both parents and local officials, not just implementing Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, Gatchalian stressed that addressing childhood pregnancy involves multiple factors beyond sex education.

“Napakahalaga ng papel ng magulang na dapat natin ding turuan sila dahil sila ang pinagkakatiwalaan ng bata, sila ang nakikita ng bata araw-araw. So, dapat ang mga magulang natin educated din kung paano kausapin ang kanilang mga anak,”  he said.

(The role of parents is crucial. They are the ones children trust and see every day, so they must also be educated on how to talk to their kids.)

He also highlighted the importance of community involvement, particularly barangays, in handling reports of violence and abuse.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Basic Education Committee, is advocating to replace CSE with a Reproductive Health Education curriculum, aligning it with the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has implemented CSE under Department Order 31, series of 2018, while the proposed Adolescent Pregnancy Bill by Senator Risa Hontiveros also includes CSE provisions.

However, some groups have raised concerns over CSE’s content, arguing that certain concepts may be inappropriate. Civil society organizations and foreign leaders have suggested alternative solutions to curb teen pregnancy.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa recently sounded the alarm on the "very high incidence" of childhood pregnancies. Citing 2022 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, he reported that 59 out of 100,000 girls under 15 years old became pregnant. — DVM, GMA Integrated News