Author
Abigael V. Nalzaro
Secondary School Teacher III
Executive Order No. 141, s. 2021 signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte adopts as a national priority the implementation of measures to address the root causes of the rising number of teenage pregnancies and mobilizing government agencies for this purpose. Moreover, the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education will address the prevention of adolescent pregnancies and strengthen adolescents’ capacity to make autonomous and informed decisions about reproductive and sexual health.
POPCOM lauded the president for this EO citing that teenage pregnancy is labeled as an urgent national priority. Moreover, the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Health affirmed the alarming data and current trends of adolescent childbearing where 495 live births are born daily to mothers aged 10-19 in 2019. These data were also validated by the Philippine Statistics Authority-Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.
Hence, Comprehensive Sexuality Education integration in DepEd’s K-12 curriculum is a response to the call to curb the rising incidences of teenage pregnancies and other sexual health issues. DepEd as mandated will provide learners their right to good health through comprehensive sexuality education. It is an education that is scientific, age-appropriate, and culturally-gender-responsive information to the holistic well-being of the learners.
Originally published in ZNNHS website: February, 2022
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