Bong Revilla, Imee Marcos clarify stance on anti-teen pregnancy bill
SENATE PRIB PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines — Two senators have distanced themselves from the controversial provisions of a bill that seeks to prevent adolescent pregnancies in the country.
Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Imee Marcos were listed as authors of Senate Bill No. 1979 (SBN 1979) known as the “Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023.”
It was a substitute measure for several bills, including SBN 1209 filed by Revilla, and SBN 651 filed by Marcos.
But Revilla clarified that his bill “primarily aims to protect children and provide support to adolescent parents.”
“SBN 1979 contains provisions that were not in my bill,” he pointed out in a statement on Tuesday.
Article continues after this advertisement“Kung totoong itutulak ‘yung mga pinangambahan ng ilan sa ating mga kababayan, ako mismo, I will vote against it at haharangin ko na maipasa,” Revilla added.
Article continues after this advertisement(If it’s true that what some of our countrymen feared will be pushed, I myself will vote against it and I will block its passage.)
READ:
Marcos, meanwhile, explained that the substitute bill was “significantly different” from her measure.
“My version of the bill tackled the overwhelming problem of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines, which with 1 out of 10 teenage girls pregnant or with a child, has been cited by the World Bank as not only a moral problem but an economic loss for these girls’ education and future job prospects,” she said in a statement.
“While the present bill is significantly different from mine, in no way does it intend to deprive parents of their primordial authority and guidance,” she said.
Instead, she said, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health, and the entire community are “enjoined to assist parents with medically accurate, culturally sensitive, non-discriminatory information.”
READ: DepEd addresses concerns on CSE program
“Given the plethora of false sex data in the media, the growing incidence of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), in addition to rising teenage pregnancy, I think truthful and age- as well as culturally-appropriate sex education in schools, together with parental guidance, is ever more important today,” Marcos stressed.
SBN 1979 caught the public’s attention after an online petition was initiated by the National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution’s Project Dalisay, opposing some of the bill’s provisions.
In the petition, the group particularly cited a provision mandating the implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in all public and private education institutions.
“It (CSE) shall be integrated in the school curriculum, guided by DepEd and international standards,” Section 6 of the bill read.
For Project Dalisay, however, the mention of “international standards” implied that the country is open to the concepts of CSE, “including childhood masturbation.”
READ: Hontiveros refutes critics of prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill
“Yun ang impact ng pag-incorporate ng ‘international standards.’ The bill imported an entire sexuality worldview and approach,” the group stressed.
