Councilor Pilar Braga, the chairperson of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology, Arts and Culture, on Monday said she hopes certain provisions of Senate Bill 1979, known as the “Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill,” will be reconsidered.
Braga, in a privilege speech on January 21, expressed her opposition to the bill.
Braga, in an interview with the Madayaw Program over the city-owned Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR), said that while the bill’s overall goal is good, some of its original provisions need to be changed.
She said the bill incorporates the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) technical guideline which she finds “alarming,” adding that it teaches children about childhood masturbation as early as age four, introduces six-year-olds to the idea of bodily pleasures through the five senses, and advocates for children to have their own sexual rights by the age of nine.
“Because of the many opposition to the bill, I hope that the original author will somehow reconsider that particular provision,” she said.
“Kay kung wala ta nagsaba-saba bahin niana’ng provision, basin nakalusot lang na. In fact, the other senators nga wala pod guro nila na-realize or nakita na nga provision, gi-withdraw nila ang ilang support for that bill (If we did not react to that provision, it might have been passed. In fact, other senators who were unaware or did not see the provision withdrew their support to the bill),” she said.
She said even with the best intentions, teachers must be skilled, especially when it comes to teaching sensitive topics.
“Ang atoang intention maayo, pero kung dili pod maayo ang pagtudlo, meaning, if the teacher is not competent enough to teach such sensitive topic basin nuon masobrahan [or] makulangan (Our intentions are good, but if the instruction is poor—that is, if the teacher is not competent enough to teach such sensitive topic, they might teach these things excessively or inadequately),” she said.
“It’s simply not teaching sex education, we need competent teachers to do it. Kita man gani maglisod man gani ta’g istorya sa atoang mga anak about such things, unsa nalang kaha ang teachers in a classroom of 50 students? (We even find it difficult to discuss such topics to our kids, how much more for the teachers who manage a class of 50 students?),” she added.
Braga also said that parental supervision should be maintained in every family and that family is a key component in addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy. CIO
