๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (๐๐๐) ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ โ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐
Seventy-three (73%) percent of Filipinos are in favor of teaching concepts of sexuality, sexual health, and family planning in schools in an age-appropriate and culturally sensitive manner to help students make responsible and informed choices.
This is what a Pulse Asia survey conducted in the last week of March 2025 showed.
โWe should not underestimate the importance Filipinos place on children receiving accurate information to help protect themselves from abuse, unwanted and early pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV,โ said Ms. Au Quilala, Executive Director of the Philippine Legislatorsโ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), the advocacy organization which commissioned the Pulse Asia survey in support of human development policymaking.
PLCPD is the Convenor of the Child Rights Network, the largest advocacy alliance of organizations and government agencies pushing for child rights laws in the Philippines.
โWhat is even more encouraging is the positive outlook majority of Filipinos have in entrusting schools as spaces where children can have responsible discussions about their bodies and relationships,โ Ms. Quilala said.
The survey comes at a critical time, as teen pregnancy prevention legislation is being derailed and reproductive health rights are under attack from disinformation campaigns.
These efforts spread rumors and clickbait claims โ such as falsely and maliciously alleging that CSE is about teaching childhood masturbation โ in order to undermine long studied proposals with strong backing from civil society and the government, including parents and faith-based organizations.
This is also against the background of the rising cases of adolescent pregnancy, particularly among girls aged 10โ14 and even younger, which have been increasing in recent years, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
More alarmingly, government data shows that most girls, especially in the 10-14 age bracket, were sired by men much older than them, revealing a sexual abuse or statutory rape dimension.
โCSE is not the only solution to preventing abuse, but it is part of the solution. We cannot turn a blind eye on children being sexually abused or becoming victims of statutory rape because we failed to give them the proper information they need in order to protect themselves,โ said Ms. Quilala.
๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
โSexuality education is best taught at home, and parents should take primary responsibility for this. But we cannot deny the reality that many Filipino parents also need support on how to openly and properly talk to their children about sex. These conversations are often avoided or the information shared is incomplete, which prevents children from getting the real help they need. This is why we see cases of teen pregnancy, HIV, and sexual abuse or statutory rape,โ Ms. Quilala said.
According to a study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), 44% of young Filipino females and 39% of young Filipino males lack material resources about sex, often relying on social media. Youth awareness on HIV and AIDS also dropped to its lowest level since 1994, according to another UPPI study.
โIt is much better that children learn about topics such as sexuality and reproductive health in an ageโappropriate and culturally sensitive manner in settings such as schools, rather than picking them up from random sources without any proper guidance from an adult,โ said Ms. Quilala, adding that we also need to support the training of teachers because they act as second parents and schools serve as childrenโs second homes.
Ms. Quilala said that we should trust teachers because even though they are not the biological or adoptive parents, they also carry the duty to protect their students, help them finish their education, and support them in reaching their full potential.
โThe Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill, if passed into law, will complement our existing laws on statutory rape, anti-online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, the prohibition of child marriage, and the Reproductive Health Law โ measures that the PLCPD and the Child Rights Network have advocated for,โ Ms. Quilala said.
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ
โWe urge our policymakers and lawmakers to listen to the insight revealed through the Pulse Asia survey and fully implement comprehensive sexuality education in schools, pass important legislative measures such as the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill, and move discussions away from those that distract and stigmatize the indispensable role of sexuality education toward a healthier and more empowered community,โ Ms. Quilala said.
She added that the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill, for instance, will not only strengthen CSE but support teen parents continue their education and receive health services, increase teen access to reproductive health services, and support teen male involvement in preventing adolescent pregnancies.
The Pulse Asia nationwide survey was conducted last March 2025, which was within the campaign period for the midterm elections. The overall error margin is ยฑ 4.0 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.
Respondents were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement, โIt is important to teach concepts of sexuality, sexual health, and family planning in schools in an age-appropriate and culturally sensitive manner to help students make responsible and informed choices.โ
73% agreed, while only 13% disagreed, and another 14% said they cannot say if they agree or disagree.
The Pulse Asia survey is the second public opinion poll that showed a favorable perception for the need for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), the first one of which that was released was by WR Numero, conducted last April 2025, and showed that 84.5% of Filipinos are in favor of CSE. #
About the Philippine Legislatorsโ Committee on Population and Development
The Philippine Legislatorsโ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) is a group of forward-looking legislators and advocates committed to working to develop viable, responsive, and people-centered public policies on population and human development.
PLCPD is the Convenor of Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines, the largest national alliance of organizations and government agencies pushing for child rights laws in the Philippines.