TO SUSTAIN the gains of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health law, the government has to strengthen sexuality education, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian lsaid.

He issued the statement following the report of the Department of Health that the adolescent birth rate in the country is now at 25 per 1,000 women, exceeding the target of 37 per 1,000 women.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, said that the number of teenage pregnancies remains high.

Gatchalian said that for this reason, there is an urgent need for the government to assess if it is effectively implementing sexuality education in K to 12 schools.

Earlier this year, the senator filed Proposed Senate Resolution No.13, which seeks to assess the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the Department of Education’s policy on Comprehensive Sexuality Education.

A March 2021 discussion paper by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies also revealed gaps in the implementation of RH education, including the lack of qualified manpower and sufficient facilities, training, and instructional materials, among others.

“Bagama’t may nakikita tayong pagbaba sa bilang ng mga maagang pagbubuntis, kailangang masuri pa rin natin kung paano natin tinuturuan ang ating mga kabataang kababaihan na iwasang malagay sa sitwasyon ng pagiging mga batang ina,” Gatchalian said.

“Mahalagang mapigilan natin ang paglobo ng mga bilang ng maagang pagbubuntis sa mga kabataan, lalo na’t ang mga batang ina ay madalas hindi nakakatapos ng kanilang edukasyon at napagkakaitan ng magandang kinabukasan,” he added.