6 senators drop support for anti-pregnancy bill

At least six senators on Wednesday withdrew their support for Senate Bill No. 1979, also known as the controversial Anti-Adolescent Pregnancy Bill, dimming its chances of passing in the chamber.

In a letter addressed to Senate President Francis Escudero, Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito, Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Christopher “Bong” Go, Ramon Revilla and Loren Legarda withdrew their signatures from Committee Report No. 41, which contains the bill that proposes the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) program.

“In light of the recent feedback and numerous concerns raised about Senate Bill 1979, entitled An Act Providing for a National Policy in Preventing Adolescent Pregnancies, Institutionalizing Social Protection for Adolescent Parents, and Providing Funds Thereof, we respectfully request the withdrawal of our signatures from the said committee report,” their letter read.

“While we believe that the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy is an issue that must be urgently addressed, it is our position that further dialogue with stakeholders is essential in order to accurately dispel misconceptions and remove objectionable portions from the bill,” they said.

Binay, Villar and Go, who are all running for different positions in the May 2025 elections, were three of the 18 senators who had signed the committee report.

Meanwhile, Ejercito is a half-sibling of Jerika Ejercito Aguilar, a member of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), a national organization of Christian churches, denominations, and mission groups in the Philippines that is opposed to the bill.

In a separate letter to Escudero, Senator Jinggoy Estrada also withdrew his support for the proposed measure, citing the “sentiments and grave concerns of various private organizations that have expressed strong opposition to the proposed legislation.”

Estrada is also a half-sibling of Ejercito-Aguilar.

For his part, Revilla said, “Upon further study and taking into consideration the recent sentiments and information voiced by our kababayan, I find myself in conflict with the possible outcomes should the said legislative measures be enacted into law.”

“While I remain committed to addressing critical issues, such as adolescent pregnancy and supporting comprehensive protection measures for adolescent parents, I believe that certain aspects of the proposed legislation require further refinement to better align with my advocacies and the interests of our constituents,” he added.

The PCEC, through Project Dalisay, is opposed to the Anti-Adolescent Pregnancy Bill as it “poses a significant threat to our societal, moral and spiritual foundations.”

The group also expressed its strong opposition to the implementation of the DepEd’s CSE program, which it said “includes topics that challenge traditional family values, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and rights related to sexual activity and reproductive health.

“The program introduces concepts like ‘gender fluidity’ and ‘sexual diversity,’ suggesting that people can choose their sexual identity beyond the binary of male and female,” its petition to the Senate read.

“It also emphasizes sexual rights, which could be interpreted as encouraging early sexual activity, and includes discussions on contraception, abortion, and non-traditional relationships. These concepts contradict traditional Christian and Islamic morality regarding marriage, procreation and family life,” it added.

According to former Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno, who chairs the PCEC’s Legal Advisory and Public Policy Review Commission, 11 senators have pledged to reject the measure.

The other senators who signed the committee report were Risa Hontiveros, Pia Cayetano, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Win Gatchalian and Grace Poe.

Senators Robin Padilla, Francis Tolentino, Imee Marcos, Lito Lapid and Revilla also signed the committee report. Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara also signed the committee report back when he was a senator.

Sponsored by Hontiveros, SBN 1979 served as a substitute bill for Senate Bill No. 1209 and Senate Bill No. 651, which were authored by Revilla and Marcos, respectively.

Both of Recilla and Marcos, however, disassociated themselves from SBN 1979, stressing that their version of the proposed measure did not contain provisions such as the CSE program.

Substitute bill

For her part, Hontiveros called on her colleagues to read the substitute bill she would file that aims to address concerns expressed by various groups, particularly from the faith and family sectors.

“I understand that they may have considered certain factors that led to their decision to withdraw from a bill aimed at addressing the rising cases of teen pregnancy,” she said in a video statement.

She continued: “However, I hope they will read the substitute bill that I plan to file, which will take into account the concerns of various groups.”

Earlier this week, Hontiveros clarified that SBN 1979 had no provisions to teach children how to pleasure themselves sexually.

Responding to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s claim about the proposed measure, Hontiveros denied the bill would encourage children to “try other sexualities.”

“Mr. President, with all due respect, it is clear that the bill does not even contain the word ‘masturbation.’ It also does not include ‘try different sexualities,’” Hontiveros said in a social media post.

“Comprehensive Sexuality Education contains the very same elements you support: teaching children about anatomy and the consequences of early pregnancy. These are also the things we are advocating for,” she said.

She said, however, that she is willing to accept amendments to refine the bill “so we can move it towards passage.”

Marcos promised to veto the bill if it advanced through Congress, citing the measure’s “ridiculous” and “abhorrent” provisions.

“Over the weekend, I finally read in detail Senate Bill 1979. And I was shocked, and I was appalled by some of the, some of the elements of that,” Marcos told reporters.

“You will teach four-year-olds how to masturbate, that every child has the right to try different sexualities. This is ridiculous,” Marcos said.

“If this bill is passed in that form, I guarantee to all parents, teachers, and children: I will immediately veto it,” he said.