This petition aims to  promote and edify the sex education here in the Republic of the Philippines for the well-being of Filipino youth; To promote liberated ideas regarding comprehensive sexuality education, sexual abstinence & healthy sexual guidelines, implementing pliable sex education in school curriculum and its application to one’s lifestyle, normalizing of discussing sex education, open and understanding parental support, and to lessen conservative views for the coming and growing generation. 

According to the HIV/AIDS and art registry of the Philippines of January – March 2020 of the Department of Health (DOH), Metro Manila posted the highest number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases among all regions from January to March 2020. Of the 2,818 new HIV cases reported nationwide during that period, 30 percent or 852 were from the National Capital Region, followed by Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) with 18 percent or 517 cases. From January to March 2020, there were 129 newly diagnosed adolescents. Of these, three were 10-14 years old, 23 were 15-17 years old and 103 were 18-19 years old. Ninety-six percent (124) were infected through sexual contact (23 male-female sex, 76 male-male sex, and 25 had sex with both males & females). Whereas ninety-four percent (2,658) of the newly diagnosed were male. The median age was 28 years old (age range: 1-78 years old). Almost half of the cases (48%, 1,359) were 25-34 years old and 30% (834) were 15-24 years old at the time of diagnosis.

One of the most pressing issues that the Filipino youth are facing today is teenage pregnancy. the Philippines has one of the highest adolescent birth rates among the ASEAN Member States. Recent World Bank data shows that the Philippines has 47 births annually per 1,000 women aged 15-19, higher than the average adolescent birth rates of 44 globally and 33.5 in the ASEAN region [cf. Lao PDR (76), Cambodia (57), Indonesia (48) and Thailand (43)]. This entails that more than 500 Filipino adolescent girls are getting pregnant and giving birth every day. Furthermore, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimate, the Philippines’ population will reach 108.8 million in 2020. More than 53 million are below 25 years of age, including 10.3 million adolescent girls (10-19 years old). National Demographic and Health Survey also said that 2% of Filipino teenage women are pregnant and another 8% for early motherhood. This just means that we Filipino youth are illiterate when it comes to sex education. 

Teenage pregnancy and overpopulation are major problems that our country is facing. In proposal to that, to minimize the risks of teenage pregnancy and the possibility of overpopulation, we request that the Department of Health (DOH) to implement sex education as a mandatory subject in high-school. In the process we also need the education department to take a role in implementing this subject, seminars for educators for proper teaching of this sensitive topic should be taken into account. The implementation of sex education could really help build a stronger and smarter community specifically for those young adults who are into exploration and intimacy and while sex education may or may not help reduce the likelihood of rape, what sex education can aim to educate about rape is the concept of consent which can also help ensure that these individuals are not manipulated or taken advantage of, knowing about rape as part of sex education can also help strengthen a victim’s defense in the field of the court of law. In the case that the amendment of Sex Education is not possible, we then recommend an alternative method where the youth can also be taught through community programs.

Comprehensive sexuality education can improve health outcomes for young people. It can help them learn more about their bodies and how to recognize abnormal gynecological symptoms, steps they can take to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other dangers to their health, and where they can go for reproductive health services. Furthermore, according to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), programmes that promote abstinence as the only option have also been found to be ineffective in delaying sexual initiation, reducing the frequency of sex or reducing the number of sexual partners. Programmes that combine a focus on delaying sexual activity with other content are effective and that sexuality education either in or out of schools does not increase sexual activity, sexual risk-taking behavior or STI/HIV infection rates. Sex Education doesn’t only discuss how a child is born but it also explains the biological, psychological, and sociological aspects of sexual behavior and it also plays a big role in their sexual development, all of which could aid in transforming children into healthy and responsible adults.

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Promote sex education in the Philippines for the well-being of the Filipino youth.