DepEd chief disowns ‘porno’ comics in sex ed

Education Secretary Mona Valisno has disowned the supposed pornographic comics that Catholic Church officials said were part of the government’s family planning program. In an interview Wednesday night on church-run radio Veritas, Valismo also belied the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)’s claim that the Department of Education (DepEd) has put on hold its sex education program. "Hindi amin yan [Comics], hindi po pornographic (The supposedly pornographic materials did not come from us)," Valino said, adding that her department considers spirituality important and relevant, as well as sexuality in the context of marriage. Some CBCP officials slammed some Department of Health (DOH)-DepEd sex education materials – comics strips and visual aids – being promoted.

Last Tuesday, DOH defended its plan to promote family planning through new videos and comics, saying young Filipinos who reach puberty must be aware of the subject. [See: DOH defends family planning videos, comics] In a radio interview, DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral said her department’s new communication package is age-appropriate, to drive home the message to the youth. "Pag ang tao pumasok sa puberty, ang batang lalaki makabubuntis at [ang] batang babae mabubuntis, kaya kailangan maintindihan ito (When one reaches puberty, the male must realize he can get someone pregnant and the female must realize she can get pregnant. They must understand this reality)," Cabral told radio dzBB in an interview. Sex ed continues On the other hand, DepEd’s Valisno on Wednesday’s interview on Veritas belied a CBCP article claiming that her department’s sex education program has been put on hold, stressing it is still in its pilot stage, undergoing "trial and consultation," and still open to everyone's examination and scrutiny. "Continuous pa ho yan, wala akong sinasabing ihinto ito. Sabi ko lang we have been extending invitations to the general public particularly the CBCP for dialogues on the issue at hand to consider every viewpoint possible (The program is continuing. I never said anything about stopping it. We have been extending invitations to the public, particularly the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, for dialogues on the issue at hand to consider every viewpoint possible)," she said. Last Tuesday, the CBCP news site posted a story claiming the government put on hold the sex education program. [DepEd shelves plan to upload sex education modules] "The government on Tuesday put on hold the teaching of sex education in public schools amid strong opposition from the country’s influential Catholic Church," the CBCP story said. It quoted Valisno as saying, “We decided to hold sex education module in abeyance until a final decision is made on the consulting process." Class suit Last Monday, parents led by CBCP lawyer Jo Imbong filed a class suit in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to stop the Education department from implementing its education the program. The CBCP said Church officials immediately welcomed the decision, reiterating that sex education will not solve the spread of sex-related diseases. Imbong, executive secretary of the CBCP’s Legal Office, said she is grateful with the move made by the government. “We parents appreciate [the] decision. They were enlightened," she said. But Archbishop Aniceto maintained sex education should be the primary responsibility of parents. Other church leaders said that if it is taught to students, it should not start in primary and high school level but in college. CBCP President Bishop Nereo Odchimar earlier said they are still on the process on consulting with CBCP lawyers concerning the legality of the sex education program. “Based on our advice, we’ll make our position clear," Odchimar said. Consultations Valisno said in the Radyo Veritas interview that the DepEd already held consultations on the matter, and attended forums on the subject. She also contested the Church's claim that sex education should be left to parents, saying education must be relevant to the needs of the people and society. Valisno said her department has "alarming figures" that confirm the need to protect children to practice healthy behavior and protect them against illnesses like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and unwanted pregnancy. The education secretary reiterated her call to the public, including the bishops, to give their input even if she steps down from her post on June 30. "We hope you can take a look at the modules. Kung ano ang dapat alisin, alisin natin (We hope you can take a look at the modules. What needs to be removed will be removed)," she said. "Kung sino ang reviewers ninyo and you believe their viewpoints, pakidala sa DepEd maski wala na ako rito. This will be valuable input to the modules (If your reviewers find something wrong with the modules and you believe them, please send their findings to us, even if I have already stepped down. This will be a valuable input to the modules)," she added. For his part, Aniceto maintained sex education should not be school-based but family-based, adding sex education "has been a failure in Russia, Germany and England." — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV