Sex education in Philippine public schools

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine elementary and high schools will start teaching basic sex education as a pilot program in the conservative Roman Catholic nation, officials said Tuesday, brushing aside concerns by church leaders that it may encourage promiscuity among the youth. [I smell something fishy in this quickie of a government program!]

The classes, however, won't include information about contraceptives — another controversial topic in this heavily Catholic nation. [Oh really!]

Starting this year, sex education will be integrated in regular subjects including science, health, English and physical education, said Assistant Education Secretary Teresita Inciong, who is heading the project funded by the U.N. Population Fund. [Bingo!  Now that is the one stinking!  The UN is the one leading the charge in the culture of death!  How in the world will a sex education curriculum funded by the UN would not contain anything about contraception, huh?]

"It will be better if the schools teach sex education rather than children just picking this up from just anywhere like the Internet," said Education Secretary Mona Valisno. [That is a good point but the better one is this:  Where are the parents?!]

The Adolescent Reproductive Health program will be initially tested in 80 public elementary and 79 high schools, starting with grade five pupils aged 11-12, Inciong said.

The initiative, which Inciong said will mainly focus on explaining bodily changes and relationship with the other gender, has run into opposition from the dominant and influential Catholic Church, which earlier this year also objected to the free government distribution of condoms for fear of encouraging promiscuity. [You think?  Has anyone seen TV footage of the distribution of condoms?  They are giving it to any Tom, Dick and Jane in the streets!  Even kids!  I am not joking, even kids!]

Monsignor Pedor Qitorio, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said the church believes sex education should be the primary responsibility of parents. If it is taught to students, it should not start in grade school but in college, he said.

He said the church is opposed to the government style of teaching that is "too focused on the reproductive faculties because parents feel this will lead to promiscuity among the youth, encourage what we are avoiding — early practice of sexuality outside of marriage."

Inciong said the use of condoms and other contraceptives will not be part of the curriculum, citing opposition from parents.

"They say that if you teach that, you are telling (children) you can have sex, but only safe sex," she said. "But I have no doubt (children) know about that already." [What the @#$%&!  Axe Inciong.  We have too much dumb people in government but this one...in the Education Department?  The country needs some respite from these idiots!]

Instead, the lessons will discuss personal hygiene and physical changes during puberty like menstruation, Inciong said. More importantly, they will include teaching children to say no to inappropriate behavior by older relatives or strangers that lead to child molestation and sexual exploitation.

She said sex is a taboo subject in Philippine families and children learn about it from peers or the Internet rather than from their parents.

A more recent social phenomenon of children left behind by their parents working abroad also has taken a toll on the traditional family structure in the Philippines, where many kids are now brought up by grandparents, relatives or neighbors. A tenth of the population works abroad. [And we have the government to thank about this.]

***

You see we have our own Obama and Pelosi here in the Philippines!