Marcos Jr. to read substitute teen pregnancy bill

MANILA, Philippines —  President Marcos wants to see the new version of the controversial anti-adolescent pregnancy bill, which has lost some support in the Senate after he vowed to veto it.

Under the proposed Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill or Senate Bill 1979, a comprehensive sexuality program will be “a compulsory part of education” and will be integrated at all levels to normalize discussions about adolescent sexuality and reproductive health, as well as to remove stigma.

Marcos had threatened to veto the bill, saying he was shocked and appalled by some of its elements. Last Wednesday, seven senators withdrew their signatures from the measure, prompting its sponsor, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, to announce that she would file a substitute bill.

Opponents of the original measure claimed that it will expose children to inappropriate content, citing a provision which states that the comprehensive sex education (CSE) will be in line with “international standards.”

According to the bill’s critics, the international standards pertain to the curriculum crafted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which, they said, tackle concepts like childhood masturbation and sexual rights.

“I need to read the substitute bill first,” Marcos said in a statement sent to reporters yesterday by Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez.
New version

During the Kapihan sa Senado yesterday, Hontiveros welcomed the President’s response and said the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) already asked for a copy of the substitute bill for the President to review.

In Hontiveros’ substitute bill, the definition of a Comprehensive Sexuality Education program is shorter compared to the more sweeping definition in the original version.

The program is now defined as “age-appropriate, culturally relevant program to teaching about sexuality and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, and non-judgmental information.”

The original bill defines CSE as the “process of acquiring complete, medically-accurate, relevant, age and development-appropriate, and culturally-sensitive information and skills on all matters relating to the reproductive system, its functions and processes, human sexuality and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, and gender roles.”

The original bill further defined CSE as having the “purpose of developing the skills of young people for them to make informed decisions such as the capacity to distinguish between facts and myths on sex and sexuality, and critically evaluate and discuss the moral, religious, social, and cultural dimensions of related sensitive issues such as contraception and abortion, and decide to prevent risky behaviors that can undermine the realization of their aspirations and potentials.”

Hontiveros denied that the substitute bill “watered down” the CSE program, in response to the opposition of the conservative group of former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and following the statement of Marcos that the bill has “woke” provisions on gender identities.

“The substitute bill is not watered down at all. It is still an acceptable version to our partner advocates, because it is still true to the goal of preventing adolescent pregnancies,” Hontiveros said.

The CSE is an “important preventive measure” to warn the youth about the dangers of early pregnancy, she added.

“I continue to oppose the President’s misinterpretation of the bill as well as the fake news and disinformation being propagated by some groups,” Hontiveros said, referring to Sereno’s National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution which falsely claimed that the bill promotes masturbation among the youth.

Anti-ignorance

According to a CSE advocate, Hontiveros’ proposed bill will protect Filipino children and save them from ignorance about sex, not “hyper-sexualize” them.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, Palawan-based Roots of Health (Ugat ng Kalusugan) executive director Amina Evangelista Swanepoel advised Marcos to thoroughly review the proposed CSE bill, saying it did not include teaching “masturbation” to children as young as four years old.