CBCP official says teaching of sex education up to government

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations might have expressed its support for sex education in public schools in the country but a ranking official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it would be up to government to implement such a scheme.

CBCP-Public Affairs Committee (PAC) chairman Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez pointed out the incoming president still has to decide whether to push through on teaching the controversial subject in public schools.

Iniguez said he has no qualms over the UN endorsement over the program “but it is up to the independent governments if they would implement the policies.”

He said the focus of the Catholic Church is to convince president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III against implementing the teaching of sex education to public school children.

Iniguez suggested the continued efforts to promote sex education and the Reproductive Health (RH) bill – two issues strongly opposed by the Church – might have been part of the UN program in the country.

The UN earlier expressed strong support for the teaching of sex education in public schools believing that it would help provide accurate and appropriate information on how to protect the youth in practicing healthy behavior.

The UN said global leaders of 189 countries met in 2000 and signed the Millennium Declaration, declaring their commitment to attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. These goals cover a wide range of social and economic indicators, including decreasing poverty by half and achieving universal primary education.

In support of the government of the Philippines, the UN has focused its work around the MDGs, addressing the needs of individuals, particularly those living in poverty and deprivation.

Since 47 percent of the Philippine population is below 19 years of age, the UN pointed out that a critical element to helping young people out of poverty is by providing them with the information to enable them to grow up healthy and to make the right choices for their family.

The UN said the responsibility of providing this information to adolescents rests with the State, teachers and the parents. As stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – the most widely signed international treaty – it is the obligation of States to ensure that all adolescent girls and boys are provided with accurate and appropriate information on how to protect their health and practice healthy behavior.

“As a signatory to the CRC, the Philippines, through the Department of Education, is taking this responsibility seriously and integrating into primary grades V and VI topics such as learning about the body, personal hygiene, coping with peer pressure and making responsible decisions,” UN said in a statement.

At the secondary level, the teaching moves on to helping students understand the consequences of unplanned pregnancy, risky behavior and the impact these have on their future.