Philippines: Education department and Catholic church resist proposal to distribute condoms in schools

Manila: The education department and the influential Catholic church have resisted the health department’s proposal to distribute condoms in schools to prevent the rising number of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), officials said.

“Education Secretary Leonor Briones wants to study this matter carefully as it involves students in basic education. We intend to work closely with the health department on this matter,” said education assistant secretary for legal and legislative affairs Tonisito Umali.

“The inclusion of sex education in elementary and high school levels, a provision of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law which was passed in 2012, is enough to raise youth awareness on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and stop the rising number of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines,” said Umali.

Fr. Cunegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)- Episcopal Commission on Youth expressed the same sentiment, adding, “We appeal that officials have a wider engagement in communities to dialogue and explain about the rising cases of HIV-AIDS, and not impose a short term solution such as giving free condoms to students — this solution is without any foundation at all.”

“We have to impart knowledge to students, and explain to them about morality and humanity — in solving this problem,” said Garganta.

But health secretary Paulyn Ubial said that sex education is not enough to address the rising AIDS-HIV cases in the country, adding, “We need a realistic approach to control AIDS-HIV. Condom use should be the last resort to do this. But we have to think outside the box now.”

A resolution approving distribution of condoms to senior high school students was passed, according to the Philippine National AIDS Council. “Condoms would not be given randomly to students. Condom distribution would be accompanied by counselling and education about sexuality and reproductive health,” the Council explained.

There were 3.112 new HIV cases from July to October 2016, on top of 7,756 new HIV cases from January to October this year. These figures show an average of 1,000 new HIV cases a month or 33 people a day in 2016.

The 2016 figures brought the total number of reported cases to 38,114 HIV cases from 1984 when the health department started taking HIV-AIDS test on controlled sectors.

Of the 38,114 HIV cases, 3,507 progressed into AIDS, from 1984 to third quarter of 2016.