Report on rising pre-marital sex alarms Church leaders

MANILA, Philippines - Some Catholic Church leaders has expressed alarm over news reports that pre-marital sex in the country is on the rise.

“I am not familiar with the objective and background of the study that was conducted by the University of the Philippines. But if their output came out with this finding, then it is alarming,” said Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) -Episcopal Commission on Youth, over the weekend.

He said the report should be a wake-up call for the various sectors of society to coordinate their actions to address the problem.

Results of the survey of more than 19,000 Filipinos between ages 15-24 last year showed that pre-marital sex was on the rise, with an increasing number of people meeting partners and sharing sexually explicit material online.

Former CBCP public affairs committee chairman emeritus Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez said he was also saddened by the news.

He, however, added that it should be seen as a challenge to help the youth be conscious about their moral values.

“It is a challenge for us to impart to the youth the right moral values. We have to get into the reasons why this immoral situation has come about,” Iniguez said.

He also urged members of media to do their share in values formation.