Marcos: Comprehensive Sexuality Education very, very, very important

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. acknowledged the need to address teenage pregnancy amid talks about the implementation of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).

In an ambush interview, Marcos said the number of cases of teenage pregnancy in the country continues to rise. 

“Well, as long as – ‘yun na nga, because you know what, I think what you are talking about dumadami ang teenage pregnancy, dumadami ang single mothers, dumadami ang sakit na…” Marcos said.

(I think what you are talking about is the rising number of teenage pregnancy, rising number of single mothers, rising number of illness…)

“And even… Kasama na rin diyan, pagka teenager ‘yung nanay, hindi marunong alagaan ‘yung bata. Hindi nila alam – marunong alagaan ang sarili nila ‘pag buntis sila. Kung anong kakainin; kung nanganak na, kung ano ang ipapakain doon sa bata,” he added. 

(Teenagers who become mothers usually are not knowledgeable of taking care of their child, they don’t know how to take care of themselves during pregnancy. They don’t know what to eat or what to feed their child.)

Marcos said teaching CSE to the students is very important.

“These are all of the things that we need to address. And so, the teaching of this in our schools is very, very, very important,” the President said.

“And to make young people, especially, knowledgeable about what are the options that are truly available to us, and what the consequences are – what the consequences are of having a child too soon, too early,” he said.

He added children having children is a very difficult situation both for the child and the parent.

The National Coalition for the Family and the Constitution (NCFC) earlier expressed concern over the discussion of concepts like “gender fluidity” and “sexual diversity,” contraception, abortion, and non-traditional relationships under the CSE.

The group said those topics contradict traditional Christian and Islamic morality on family life.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara had maintained that the agency listens to the sentiments of the public as regards their measures, noting that the agency is open to suggestions in relation to their efforts.—AOL, GMA Integrated News