A pregnant patient hugs a friend as she goes into labor. (File photo by Tarso SARRAF / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — “The devil is in the details.”
Senator Joel Villanueva couldn’t help but recall and utter this phrase on Thursday when he rejected the contentious Senate Bill No. 1979, otherwise known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnant Act of 2023.
Article continues after this advertisementSpeaking at a Kapihan sa Senado forum, Villanueva — a devout Christian and proud son of an evangelist – said the legislation is simultaneously shocking, concerning and deceiving.
FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO DFA to tackle WPS row at Bilateral Consultation Mechanism in Xiamen NEWSINFO A first: Comelec discards 6M ballots costing P132M NEWSINFO Mall guard sacked for destroying young girl’s sampaguita for sale“Ang point ko lang, nakakabudol yung title ng bill – preventing teenage pregnancy,” Villanueva told reporters.
(My point is that the title of the bill is very deceiving — preventing teenage pregnancy.)
Article continues after this advertisement“Anong grupo ng tao dito sa mundo na ayaw itong titulo na ito na i-prevent natin yung teenage pregnancy? Pero kapag binasa mo kasi yung buong bill, sabi nga nila, the devil is in the detail,” he explained.
Article continues after this advertisement(What group of people in the world will reject this title that we should prevent teenage pregnancy? But if we read the entire bill, just like what they are saying, the devil is in the details.)
Article continues after this advertisementFor the senator, this bill seems to be a prelude to abortion.
While he agrees that adolescent sexuality should be taught, he still questioned the need for it to be integrated in all levels.
Article continues after this advertisement“Pati sa Kindergarten, pati sa Grade 1, pati sa Grade 2? Tapos, ano ang specific na gusto nilang ituro? Teen dating, issue ng pornography, paggamit ng contraceptives, etc,” said Villanueva.
(Even among Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2? And then, what specific topics are we aiming to teach? Teen dating, issue on pornography, use of contraceptives, etc.)
“Ngayon, saan daw ipapatupad ang pagtuturo nito? Public and private schools. Ano raw ang gagamiting guidelines? International standards. E ano ba ang sinasabi ng international standards?” the senator wondered.
(Now, where are we going to implement this? Public and private schools. What guidelines are we going to use? International standards. But what do international standards say?)
“Puntahan natin yung World Health Organization: Zero to four-year-olds are to be taught early childhood masturbation. Four to six year-olds are to be taught skills to talk about sexual matters [like] what feels good,” he said.
lele247 slot(Let’s check WHO: Zero to four-year-olds are to be taught early childhood masturbation. Four to six year-olds are to be taught skills to talk about sexual matters [like] what feels good.)
He proceeded to detail that under international guidelines, six to nine year-olds are to be taught about acceptable sex, ejaculation, enjoyment and pleasure from touching one’s own body.
Meanwhile, he claimed that these guidelines likewise indicate that nine to 12 year-olds are to be taught the skills to make a conscious decision about whether to have sexual experiences or not.
These instructions supposedly come with information about masturbation and orgasm.
“I just can’t believe that we’re even entertaining this idea. May Konstitusyon tayo. Bakit international guidelines? Bakit tayo susunod sa kanila? May sarili tayong kultura eh,” said Villanueva.
(We have our Constitution. Why are we going to follow international guidelines? Why will we follow them? We have our own culture.)
He then proceeded to question why various agencies are being “activated” or tapped to implement the legislation, making him question whether or not there’s a national emergency for sexuality education.
“E pambihira… Ano ba yan? Meron ba tayong national emergency sa sexuality education? Is this a priority? E akala ko ba mababa yung rank natin sa [Programme for International Student Assessment],” he said.
(Goodness. What is that? Do we have a national emergency in terms of sexuality education? Is this a priority? I thought our PISA ranking is bad?)
“Akala ko ba kailangan natin pagtuunan ang pagtuturo ng math and sciences sa ating mga kabataan. E ngayon ito. Dito tayo magpo-focus?” the lawmaker inquired.
(I thought we needed to focus on teaching math and sciences? And now this. We will focus on this instead?)
“Ako po, hindi ko itatago yung aking saloobin dito. I will continue to say it: I am rejecting this bill,” he emphasized.
(I wouldn’t hide my sentiments on this. I will continue to say it: I am rejecting this bill.)
Villanueva received information that many of his colleagues in the Senate are poised to withdraw their co-authorship of the bill following the controversy it was subjected to.
“It’s not for me to comment as to why they will be withdrawing their authorship, co-authorship. I cannot answer as to why,” he said.
But will he support SBN 1979 if it will not adhere to international standards and instead, push the government to create its own guidelines regarding teaching sexuality?
The senator answered in the affirmative.
“Of course. [If it] would be based on our culture [and] on our beliefs na pinapangalagaan natin yung innocence ng ating mga kabataan. Hindi natin sila itutulak sa ganyan,” he replied.
(If it would be based on our culture and on our beliefs that we have to protect the innocence of our children. We won’t push them into that.)
“Huwag nating payagang maglaro ng apoy yung mga bata. I guide natin sila,” he added.
(Let us not let our children play around fire. Let us guide them.)
Prior to this, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, author of SBN 1979, already refuted the circulating “lies” surrounding the legislation.
“Nakakagulat at nakakagalit ang mga kasinungalingan na kumakalat sa social media laban sa panukalang batas ito,” Hontiveros observed.
(The lies being spread on social media against this bill are shocking and infuriating.)
“We all want what’s best for our children. But outright lies, misinformation, disinformation and promoting fear can lead to more harmful decisions about our teens’ lives. Nililito lang nila tayo,” she said.
(We all want what’s best for our children. But outright lies, misinformation, disinformation and promoting fear can lead to more harmful decisions about our teens’ lives. They’re just confusing us.)
The opposition lawmaker’s remarks came after the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution’s Project Dalisay made an online petition seeking to junk SBN 1979.
The coalition claimed that the legislation poses a significant threat to the country’s societal, moral and spiritual foundations.
Hontiveros, during a press conference also on Wednesday, debunked one by one these “lies,” maintaining that the legislation contains no provisions seeking to encourage masturbation to children aged 0 to 4 or teach bodily pleasure to children aged 6 to 9.
“Absolutely none of those concepts exist in our bill. Those lines in their supposed rebuttal are complete and total fabrication,” she said.
She likewise emphasized that the controversial Comprehensive Sexual Education is not derived from Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe.
ChocoVron Vice President Marissa Lourdes Yala told the Philippine News Agency on the sidelines of the US-PH 2024 Trade Mission Conference at The Manila Hotel on Friday, October 18, that the P500 million (US$8.75 million) expansion plan of the company will triple the capacity of its production facility in San Pedro, Laguna.
While the Marcos administration has been exerting efforts to attract more green power developments to the market, the sector may be dealing with some hitches as the projects are now “being processed for termination” due to the companies’ failure to meet committed timelines, the agency noted Sunday.
She maintained that the measure has been crafted based on principles of responsible parenthood and reproductive health law.
“Wala ring sinasabi sa bill na kailangan sundin ang mga patakaran sa ibang bansa. Kaya maling mali talaga yang mga post nila na unconstitutional daw ang Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill,” said Hontiveros.
(There is also nothing in the bill that states that foreign policies must be followed. So their posts that the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill is unconstitutional are really wrong.)
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“I can confidently say [that] these outrageous claims from Project Dalisay were pulled out of thin aircombonanza casino,” she added later on.
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