Discussions are ongoing among lawmakers in search of a balanced approach to preventing adolescent pregnancy and addressing public concerns, despite six senators withdrawing their support from the committee report on Senate Bill 1979, also known as the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill. The senators, including JV Ejercito, Nancy Binay, Cynthia Villar, and Bong Go, raised concerns about the provisions of Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) in the bill.
In a joint letter to Senate President Francis Escudero, the aforementioned senators called for further discussions with stakeholders to iron out the issues raised. They acknowledged the importance of combating adolescent pregnancy but emphasized the necessity of refining the bill to clear up misconceptions and address objections, especially concerning the CSE curriculum. Senator Jinggoy Estrada also retracted his support due to concerns from private groups, and Senator Bong Revilla cited conflicts with his legislative objectives and the bill's clauses.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, the bill's sponsor, plans to introduce a substitute measure to tackle the objections. The bill includes a provision for CSE, which requires the integration of sexual education at all levels of education. Critics like former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have criticized this provision, labeling it as excessively permissive and in line with international standards. However, Hontiveros defended the bill, clarifying that it would not adopt controversial international curricula but rather be tailored to fit the Filipino context.
