Bishop urges groups to take condom issue to streets

A Catholic prelate on Thursday called on church groups to take to the streets the protest against the state’s push for condom distribution and sex education, saying it is the only way to pressure the government from implementing the said programs. "Church organizations [such as] Knights of Columbus, Couples for Christ, Catholic Women’s League and the Parents and Teachers Association should unite. This (government policy) is destroying our country. We have the right to protest. Let’s take it to the streets," Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes was quoted as saying in an article on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website. Bastes said Filipinos "should not believe President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for she has no particular standpoint on the issue." Earlier, the Palace supported the health department’s push for the distribution of condoms as part of its campaign against HIV/AIDS. Reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the country rose from 174 in 2001 to 835 in 2009. But a CBCP official had said the Church could not be dragged into any compromise on the issue of the use of condoms. [See: CBCP official: No compromise in condoms issue] Meanwhile, Department of Education Secretary Mona Valisno earlier said it will integrate lessons on sex-related diseases and unwanted pregnancies to the elementary and high school curricula. Valisno said sex education in schools is "still better" than students learning from other sources such as the Internet. [See: DepEd chief set to integrate sex education in RP’s basic curriculum] "We will make it happen. We will continue with its implementation because we really need this. We will talk with the Church and make them understand that it is a very important topic that our school children should learn," Valisno said. The education department has identified at least 29 schools in the National Capital Region, Cebu, Zamboanga, Davao, Olongapo and Masbate as pilot areas for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-partnered sex education program called "Power of You." But former CBCP head Archbishop Oscar Cruz argued that sex education "would only increase sexual activity among teens, not decrease it," adding that the responsibility to educate children rests on the parents instead. "Sex education especially with its human dimension and moral consideration are better left to the parents of the students," Cruz said. He added that if the government really wants such program for the school children, it should give its modules instead to parents and let them decide what is proper for their children. Earlier, 3,000 people attended a rally against a "conspiracy against life" led by members of the Knights of Columbus, the CBCP article added. — with a report by Nikka Corsino/LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV