A SENATOR on Wednesday called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to enhance the primary school curriculum on sex education and child rights in light of the recent passage of a law raising the age of sexual consent.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said these issues should be taken up at the basic education level.
Republic Act 11648 or the Act Raising the Age of Sexual Consent, signed into law in March, increased the age for determining statutory rape to below 16 from 12. This means those who engage in sexual activities with children below 16 years old are liable for committing statutory rape.
“Part of the role of schools is to teach young people about their rights and how to care for their health, so we must strengthen the capacity of schools, especially teachers and staff, to guide our students,” Mr. Gatchalian, who is seeking reelection in May, said in a statement in Filipino.
Citing a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in March last year, he noted gaps in the implementation of the comprehensive sexuality education such as lack of qualified manpower, facilities, training, and instructional materials.
The senator also noted the importance of children protection programs executed by specialized committees at the school level. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan