Escudero not fully supportive of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill

Senate President Francis ''Chiz'' Escudero said Thursday he has proposed several amendments to the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention bill being pushed in the upper chamber, admitting that he is not entirely supportive of it.

''As it was originally reported, no. At least not in its entirety. In fact, I have relayed to the author several proposed amendments to it,'' Escudero said when asked if he supports the proposed measure.

''It's still undergoing the “rigors of legislation” and is currently in the period of interpellation… will await the final version that will be put to a vote where, hopefully, most of my proposed amendments will be carried,'' Escudero said.

He did not specify the amendments that he proposed as regards the bill. Escudero also said former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno did not tell him not to support the measure.

''She did not. She just expressed concerns over it. When I spoke to her she said that their group is against the bill per se,'' Escudero said.

Sereno had insisted that the bill provided that the CSE will be in line with "international standards," which she deemed to be the curriculum set by the UNESCO and the World Health Organization.

Under the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill, Comprehensive Sexuality Program will be “a compulsory part of education, integrated at all levels with the end goal of normalizing discussions about adolescent sexuality and reproductive health and to remove stigma at all levels.”

The author of the measure, Senator Risa Hontiveros, said Senate Bill 1979 has no provisions about teaching or encouraging masturbation for children aged zero to four years old, and teaching "bodily pleasure" or "sexual rights" to children aging six to nine years old.

She said the bill was referenced from the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law as she refuted the claim that SB 1979 is unconstitutional.

The said bill is pending on second reading in the Senate as of March 2023, while its counterpart bill in the House of Representatives was passed on the third reading in September 2023. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News