Conservative groups who seem to think that the mere mention of the human anatomy would lead our youth down the path of debauchery and societal collapse have got the Comprehensive Sexuality Education program all wrong. 

With the Department of Education now reviewing it amid allegations that it includes provisions teaching children about “early childhood masturbation,” one has to wonder: Did anyone even bother to read the curriculum, or is this just another moral panic by the ignorant few? 

Let’s face it. The government isn’t training toddlers to be the next generation of Hugh Hefners. That’s a fever dream concocted by individuals who probably think a uterus is a type of dinosaur.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education isn’t about encouraging sexual activity; it’s about providing age-appropriate, scientifically accurate information. You know, like explaining to kids that babies aren’t actually delivered by storks or are found in cabbage patches. Radical, isn’t it? 

The whole point of CSE is to empower young people with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about their bodies and relationships. But apparently, certain groups would rather keep them in the dark, because ignorance has such a stellar track record of preventing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.

President Marcos, to his credit, has thrown his support behind sex education but does not agree entirely with Senator Risa Hontiveros’ Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill (Senate Bill 1979), which he said promotes “woke” ideologies. 

The bill aims to address the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies in the Philippines, where approximately one in 10 young Filipino women has already given birth. And yet, the opposition’s response seems to be: “Let’s just tell them not to have sex and hope for the best.”

This abstinence-only mentality is as effective as putting up a “No Swimming” sign during a flood. Adolescents are going to explore their sexuality whether adults like it or not. The question is, do we want them to do so armed with facts or with myths perpetuated by their equally clueless peers? 

Teaching kids about consent, contraception, and the consequences of unprotected sex isn’t corrupting their innocence; it’s equipping them to navigate reality responsibly.

Of course, the usual suspects are up in arms, claiming that CSE undermines parental authority. Because nothing says “good parenting” like leaving your children to figure out their reproductive health from TikTok or urban legends. 

Ironically, the same people who scream about the “erosion of family values” are often the ones who have no problem ignoring the very real crises teenage parents face: a disrupted education, financial instability, and a cycle of poverty that’s as relentless as their moral outrage. 

The truth is, what these critics fear isn’t the corruption of youth, but the loss of control over a narrative they’ve monopolized for generations. Heaven forbid young people learn that they have agency over their own bodies and futures. But let’s not pretend this is about protecting children. If it were, there would be just as much noise about child labor, malnutrition, or the abysmal state of mental health care in the Philippines. 

So, as the Department of Education reviews the CSE curriculum, one can only hope they stick to science and common sense rather than pander to baseless hysteria. Because when it comes to safeguarding the next generation, ignorance isn’t bliss — it’s a ticking time bomb.

e-mail: mannyangeles27@gmail.com