EXPLAINER: What’s So Controversial About Senate Bill No. 1979?
Does it actually promote masturbation like critics have been claiming?
(SPOT.ph) No one wants child or teenage pregnancies to happen—that’s something we can all agree on, regardless of political affiliation. So why is a Senate bill for comprehensive sex education and access to reproductive health services so contested among lawmakers and civil groups, so much so that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has even vowed to veto the bill if passed in its current form?
The urgency of addressing adolescent pregnancy is undeniable. Data from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics show that live births among minors aged 10 to 17 increased from 50,790 in 2021 to 56,574 in 2022. In 2020, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey also found that teenage pregnancy is “the most important problem of women today” in the Philippines. Despite this, the proposed legislation has faced resistance over its perceived implications.
Senate Bill No. 1979 or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act is currently on its third reading. It is authored by Senator Risa Hontiveros and co-authored by Senators Imee Marcos, Ramon Revilla Jr., Sonny Angara, and Christopher Go.
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What is actually written in Senate Bill No. 1979
There have been numerous claims about what Senate Bill No. 1979 is or isn’t but let’s take a look at the written document first to find out the facts.
The proposed law seeks to establish a national framework for addressing adolescent pregnancy through comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the school curriculum, access to reproductive health services, and community-based programs to support pregnant teens and young parents.
If passed, the Department of Education (DepEd) will be tasked with creating and implementing the curriculum, which covers topics like human sexuality, informed consent, contraceptive use, sexually transmitted infections, peer pressure, sexual abuse and exploitation, and issues like pornography. The CSE will be mandatory for all public and private schools—and institutions that refuse to comply will face accreditation reviews.
The goal, as stated in the bill, is to equip adolescents with “knowledge, skills, and values to make informed and responsible choices about their sexual and social relationships.”
Masturbation, hypersexualization, and other concerns in Senate Bill No. 1979
One of the bill’s more contentious provisions is Section 12, which allows adolescents from 16 to 18 years old to gain access to sexual and reproductive health information and services without parental consent.
For those below 15 years old, parental or guardian consent is required, except if they are already sexually active or are survivors of sexual abuse. In such cases, consent can be provided by a licensed social worker, a doctor, or other accredited healthcare professionals. This has raised concerns about the potential erosion of parental authority.
Critics like those behind Project Dalisay argue that the bill promotes early sexual independence, teaches children to consent to sex, and fails to establish abstinence as a goal, among other reasons. They claim that the curriculum risks introducing foreign frameworks from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or World Health Organization (WHO) that are more liberalized in nature.
Many senators, including Senate President Francis Escudero, have expressed that they cannot support the measure in its current form, citing the need for substantial revisions. Senator Joel Villanueva said, “nakaka-budol ang title…Preventing teenage pregnancies, meron pa bang grupo dito sa mundo na ayaw 'yan? But if you read the bill, as they say, the devil is on the details.”
But perhaps the most prominent voice of opposition comes from President Marcos.
“You will teach four-year-olds how to masturbate, that every child has the right to try different sexualities. This is ridiculous. This is abhorrent. This is a travesty of what sex education should be to the children,” Marcos said about the bill on January 20. “I am already guaranteeing, even though it hasn’t been passed yet, if this bill is passed in that form, I guarantee all parents, teachers, and children, I will immediately veto it.”
There is no mention, however, of self-pleasure or masturbation in the bill—contrary to what Project Dalisay and Marcos have claimed.
“Nakakagulat at nakakagalit ang mga kasinungalingan na kumakalat sa social media laban sa panukalang batas na ito,” Hontiveros said. “We all want what’s best for our children. But outright lies, misinformation, disinformation, and promoting fear can lead to more harmful decisions about our teen’s lives. Nililito lang nila tayo.”
To begin with, the CSE curriculum has yet to be formulated, according to the Council for the Welfare of Children Undersecretary Angelo Tapales, as this will only be DepEd’s future responsibility if the bill is actually enacted.
"Wala pa po tayong pinag-aawayan pa talaga," Tapales said.
Hontiveros also clarified the bill will only use international standards as a guide if they align with the welfare of Filipino youth—any standards or recommendations that do not fit the Philippine context or culture will be excluded.
It’s not just adolescents who the bill will target, but parents, too. Section 8 proposes a community-based program for education and awareness of parents and guardians on how to “address the familial and societal norms that encourage risk behaviors” and “encourage them to continue their sexual education with their children and wards in their households.”
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) will also be tasked with revisiting its guidelines to ensure that no media promotes unsafe sexual activities among adolescents.
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