SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday called on the Department of Education to revisit its comprehensive sexuality education program to prevent female learners from dropping out of school due to pregnancy.

Presiding over the Committee on Basic Education hearing on the analysis of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 Results for the Philippines, Gatchalian lamented that the bright future of female students getting pregnant is taken away from them as they opt to drop out and become full-time mothers.

Based on the record, one of ten 15-19-year-old female students got pregnant.

“If they are not aware of sex education, not aware of their bodies, not aware of the perils if they get pregnant early, they would drop out. The problem with that is they will never go back to school. The way forward is to prevent,” the senator said.

Meanwhile, former DepEd Sec. Leonor Briones said it is a rising national challenge brought about by many factors that requires a holistic approach to solve the problems.

For her part, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda wants to address the problem of teenage pregnancy and sexual abuse through the cooperation and collective efforts of various government agencies such as the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Justice.

“What are your prospective recommendations and solutions to address this? I am sure we did not just know where and sit idly by and witness it. You’ve done solutions within your power. And what is it that you want the Senate to do? As a body, as an institution, what kind of innovations and convergence do you want with the DSWD, with the DOJ, even with the police?” Legarda asked.

“So we have a children and women’s desk and you should therefore teach sex education, not just for the girl children but also for the boys so that they will know what is applicable and what’s not should be done and what is proper and so that they could speak out. I know sometimes it’s cultural and it’s difficult,” she added.