DepEd suspends distribution of sex modules to public high schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) has shelved its planned sex education program for public high school students amid pressure from the Church and concerned parents.

DepEd officer-in-charge Fe Hidalgo stopped the distribution of sex modules to be used by teachers after the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), along with parents belonging to the conservative groups, threatened to charge her before the Ombudsman should she insist on teaching sex to students.

Hidalgo was supposed to meet with officials of the CBCP last week, but had to reset the meeting due to conflicting schedules.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Vilma Labrador confirmed yesterday that Hidalgo ordered the suspension of the distribution of sex modules.

Labrador explained that so far only two areas in Metro Manila have received the sex modules as part of the department’s pilot stage for its sex education program.

"Before we circulate them, we need to get feedback. So far, we have been receiving a lot of comments," Labrador said.

Hidalgo earlier refuted claims by the CBCP that the public school system was espousing pre-marital sex by teaching high school students the use of condoms and other contraceptives.

She acknowledged that pre-marital sex is included in the subject of reproductive health, but the emphasis is on the consequences of the act. The goal, she said, is to discourage, rather than encourage, pre-marital sex.

In a letter to Hidalgo, Dr. Angelita Aguirre, head of Human Life International, an attached agency of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said she finds the inclusion of sex education in various high school subjects "disturbing."

She insisted that the subject is devoid of "full disclosure and truth telling" because it fails to inform students that a condom does not guarantee 100 percent protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

A teaching module obtained by the CBCP shows that DepEd has integrated population education in subjects such as Health, English, Pilipino, Araling Panlipunan, Science and even Technology and Livelihood Education.

DepEd said the inclusion of sex education, which had been set for implementation this school year, aims to educate young adults on "their physical, mental and social well-being."

Officials decided to come out with the module to educate the young not only on the reproductive health system and overpopulation, but also on the dangers of early and pre-marital sex.

In the module’s foreword, Hidalgo explains that "information and services are made available to adolescents to help them understand their sexuality and protect them from unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and subsequent risk of infertility."

The DepEd secretary said the reproductive health needs of this group should be based on information "that helps them attain a level of maturity required to make responsible decision."

For his part, Dr. Zahidul Hugue, UNFPA representative in the Philippines, said the integration of sex education in other school subjects is necessary to address the reproductive health concerns of adolescents, who are increasingly exposed to risky behavior.

However, Hugue pointed out that the module might create wrong impressions and encourage teenagers to try pre-marital sex. "Sex education is better left to the parents."