Court won't stop sex education

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City court has junked the petition of parents asking for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on sex education in selected schools by the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Evaluating the respective points raised by the parties, the court finds that the issuance of a TRO is not justified under the circumstances,” Judge Rosanna Fe Romero-Maglaya of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 88 said in an order dated June 28.

Maglaya denied the petition for a TRO filed by individuals led by defeated Ang Kapatiran senatorial candidate Jo Aurea Imbong.

“In the instant case, the petitioners failed to show their clear and unmistakable right alleged to have been violated to entitle them to the relief being prayed for,” the court said, noting that the sex education project is still in its pilot testing stage.

“None of the petitioners were able to show that their children, who may be the subjects of the assailed program, are students of the said pilot schools,” it added.

The judge set the hearing for the petition for preliminary injunction on July 28.

Imbong led the petitioners in filing last month the civil suit against then education secretary Mona Valisno and undersecretary Ramon Bacani to stop them from enforcing the teaching of sex education in schools.

The petitioners asked the court to stop the teaching of sex education and declare DepEd Memorandum No. 261 series 2005 as null and void.

Imbong belongs to the same group that filed the case against advertisements for condoms, including those featuring action star Robin Padilla.