Whatever Happened to Sex Education in the Philippines?
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The words “penis,” “vagina,” and “sex” sounded crass to me when I was growing up. Saying them was "unbecoming" of me as a lady. They earned me some sharp looks and thick, unspoken judgy eyes. No one, however, ever bothered to explain why. The rule was always just: don’t speak about sex or don’t think about sex. Don’t you dare have sex, I was told. Doing the deed is a sin, but somehow pregnancy is a blessing. Now that’s a thought. Next came the questions. Color me confused (and substantially frightened).
I am lucky to have learned the important things before any permanent damage was done, thanks largely to the internet and some friends better informed than me. The most important thing I picked up? Turns out sex doesn’t automatically result in a baby. Phew. And I know some conservative parents are out there itching to say they were bad influences. But trust me, I needed that awareness to be able to take care of myself, even protect myself. And what was I to do, when the adults refused to even acknowledge the subject?
Sex education is a highly sensitive matter in the Philippines. The mere mention of it triggers opponents to go on long-winded tirades about moral decadence. They say that sex ed teaches children how to have sex (teachers aren’t out there flat-out telling students to “go forth and procreate,” okay?). Some argue that it threatens the sacred foundation of marriage (not things like, you know, infidelity and marital abuse). And many still believe that sex is an inappropriate topic for conversation, much less a subject to be taught in educational institutions. '
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There has never been an appropriate moment to talk about it, apparently. That’s why it’s the least bit surprising to see our teen pregnancy rates. Ten years after the passing of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act into law, high teenage pregnancy rates plague the country. They have even escalated to a point where it was declared a national emergency. Almost seven girls aged 14 and younger are giving birth in the country every day, according to a 2021 report by the Commission on Population. No wonder why.
The vocal resistance of the Church has had a marginal influence on this matter. You can imagine how difficult it must be to develop a comprehensive sex education curriculum, when the very idea of sex for pleasure, actualization, or conversation is unwelcome.
Are you even a Filipino student if you didn’t go through the most harrowing sex-ed class experience during high school? As a matter of fact, that’s not even where it begins.
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They start us young. For instance, the wider, weirder practice of separating girls and boys. Schools reprimand them for harmless things: sitting beside each other during lunch, sharing an innocent hug. Any form of social intimacy is the devil’s doing. You would get cooties! How absurd. News flash for the anti-cootie community: the path to pregnancy isn’t paved by these benign interactions. If only there was a healthier way for kids to learn this.
Schools mainly underscore the importance of abstinence, even when various studies coming from international agencies like UNICEF, time and time again, have reported that good quality sex education “can lead to a decrease in unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.”
“Telling children not to do something, in place of teaching them how to do it safely, is as weak of a method as the proverbial pull-out game.”
The current allowable amount of truth in sex education for the young is built on fear. Sexually transmitted diseases (and graphic images of them) are often used as scare tactics. It does more damage than good.
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This gets to a point where students don’t even have room to understand the concept of safe sex. So not only does this undermine the potential for developing sex-positive mindset and behavior, it also contributes to the stigma around STDs. You’d be surprised with the number of people who grow up not knowing what STDs and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are. It’s alarming, really.
No amount of lectures on abstinence or purity ceremonies (sure, make students promise to remain celibate until marriage. I’m sure those purity rings work just as well as any contraceptive) would stop young people from having sex. Not unless you chain them to their parental figures at all hours of the day.
There’s this unhealthy emphasis on being “prim and proper," too, which perpetuates outdated gender roles by putting the heavier responsibility on women, lest they risk being labeled as “promiscuous.” I guess that’s society for you. Think about it: the Virgin Mary got pregnant without sex. What an impossible standard. Well, surprise, surprise: it takes two to tango. Adolescents, regardless of gender, should be taught how to protect their own sexual well-being.
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Where does this leave us? This is a generation equipped with poor information and confused attitudes about sex. Today’s youth grow up in circumstances where they are privy to both the positive and negative results of open internet access. The environment in which they are spending their formative years continues to change, in both landscapes and rhetorics. Hence, we must push for the kind of formal sex education that prioritizes sexual diversity, relationships, consent, and SOGIE—just as much as basic reproductive science.
No one wishes for their children to engage in dangerous sexual practices, contract sexually transmitted diseases, or, god forbid, become mothers before their brains even fully develop. Wouldn’t it be better to empower them with knowledge and encourage responsible behavior early on rather than leave them in the dark? Yes, it would be.
