Christianity is already embedded in Filipino culture due to the three centuries of Spanish colonization. Being a Christian country, sex education is a sensitive topic that is mostly frowned upon, especially by elders. Religious doctrines state that pre-marital sex is a sin and that children must not engage in such activity until marriage. With that belief, most Filipino people disagree to implement sex education in the school curriculum because they think it encourages children that it is alright to have sex as long as they use contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. Also, they believed it may increase sexual relations which is against religious beliefs. In fact, before passing The Reproductive Health Law, it became a very controversial issue in the Philippines because religious churches engaged in many protests to pressure the senate to reject the bill. However, if we look past beliefs and culture, the increasing population puts a burden on the country’s limited supply and the percentage of unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines is a solid 54%. Moreover, unwanted and teenage pregnancy often results in child abuse and indirectly contributes to poverty. Reproductive Health Law was passed due to the foregoing reasons but was not strongly implemented in the different localities of the Philippines.
Teaching children about sex can be difficult and uncomfortable, but it is essential. According to research done by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), sex education poses several benefits such as delayed sexual initiation; reduced risk-taking; increased use of contraception; and improved attitudes related to sexual and reproductive health. Moreover, in the Philippine setting, sex education may decrease the percentage of teenage and unwanted pregnancy, HIV and STD, child abuse, and poverty. As much as there are benefits, disadvantages may also occur such as motive for initiating sexual behavior and tainted modesty. However, if we look into the bigger picture, the advantages far outweigh its downside so implementation of sex education in the school curriculum is necessary to increase children’s knowledge and awareness of the importance of reproductive health.
References:
Philippine Statistics Authority. (n.d.). One in three births in the Philippines is unplanned. Retrieved September 4, 2022, from https://psa.gov.ph/article/one-three-births-philippines-unplanned
Rahmani, A., Merghati-Khoei, E., & Fallahi, A. (2018). Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Sex Education in Young Women: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of High-Risk Behaviors and Addiction, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.5812/ijhrba.57221
UNESCO. 2015.Emerging evidence and lessons and practice in comprehensive sexuality education review. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002431/243106e.pdf