MANILA, Philippines — Even in the age of digital media and the internet, sex remains a prohibited topic in Filipino homes.
The Commission on Population (Popcom) reported Filipino parents still refuse to discuss and teach the rudiments of sexuality to their adolescent children.
“Our parents are not open discussing about STI (sexually transmitted disease), about HIV/AIDS, about teenage pregnancy, they are not open. It is still considered as a taboo. There is stigma in premarital sex,” Popcom - National Capital Region director Lydio Español said.
“Adolescents said that it’s a taboo for them to discuss about it at home,” Español added.
For this reason, teeners are likely to seek information from less reliable sources.
“Adolescents are resorting to their own ways of looking for information, like from the internet, from their friends, which, we cannot say, are reliable or accurate information,” he explained.
Español stressed the importance of parents of teaching their children so as to take away the stigma of sex education.
Sexual education is already being taught in schools, but supplemental teaching at home about it is still necessary for young Filipinos, he said.
“Our schools are openly discussing about it. And our adolescents are very receptive to know what are really the facts behind what they think they should learn and understand about adolescent sexuality,” Español pointed out.
He said the Department of Health and Department of Education should improve the sexuality education in the school curriculum.
Español said Sangguniang Kabataan should also help in bringing sexual education closer to the adolescents.
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law mandates the public schools to provide age-appropriate reproductive health education to adolescents.
But the Catholic Church believes that teaching sex education is the primary responsibility of parents and guardians.