No to condom distribution

ALLOWING condom distribution to high school students in public institutions is like giving the go
signal to have sex anytime they feel like doing it. It is condoning immorality and abets promiscuity
and reckless behavior that have caused the worsening HIV-Aids case in the first place.

On Dec. 2, 2016, the Department of Health (DOH) said it would distribute condoms to junior and
high school students. It is said to be part of its “business unusual” strategy to check the drastic rise of
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids) among the
youth. The official website of DOH shows that between January 2011 and June 2016, over 8,000
HIV/Aids cases of Filipinos aged 25 and below have been recorded. DOH has allocated one billion
pesos for HIV/Aids program, where 50 to 100 million pesos would go to condom procurement.

DOH has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to carry out the proposal. As the
promoter of quality education where the goal is to produce well-equipped individuals, DepEd holds
the responsibility to distinguish what may inflict intellectual harm and break the values of their
students. As of this writing, the education department has not said yes to the proposal yet, but would
most likely do.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones said they would implement it only after a series of formal talks
with the health agency to analyze the possible impact of the program.

What now?

Such unwise decision is appalling. It is obvious that DOH did not bother to evaluate the
consequences of its rushed decisions, which may actually create a culture of promiscuity to teenagers
who barely know how to cook a decent meal for their starving stomachs. Imagine the parents
witnessing their innocent children receive condoms that are supposedly exclusive to married couples
only. Condom distribution would not end the worsening cases of HIV/Aids among the youth in the
country. What’s worse is that it may even result in more documented “free condoms” as it would
encourage the youth to engage in pre-marital sex.

While it is true that stopping the ballooning cases of HIV/Aids requires urgent attention, DOH needs
to know that there are other logical ways to address the concern. The allotted budget of some P100
million is a lot of money that could have been donated to HIV/Aids patients who do not have the
ability to afford quality medication.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Permanent Committee on Public Affairs, released an official statement saying the government should
focus on educating the people more and not by allowing the high school students to take free
condoms.

“We need to address the rising number of HIV cases in the country. But the government should
invest more in educating people about the perils of sporadic sexual activity than procuring and
distributing condoms,” Secillano said.

Based from the teachings of the Church, sex is a sacred gift between two married couples in order to
procreate. Sex is not just for fun and pleasure. Emphasizing the importance of respecting the
sacrament of marriage, the Catholic Church has maintained that parents should be the first educators
of their children when it comes to instilling how sacred sex really is.

It is gratifying to know, however, that the two high schools in the University has always been aware
when to draw the line between what orders from the education department are worth heeding and
what should not be followed. Should the condom distribution become mandatory even to private
institutions, the University’s Junior High School Principal Marishirl Tropicales promises that they
would say no.

“UST High School has always been conscious in following the mandates imposed by the DepEd and
other government agencies. This, however, must be tempered by the inherent rights of UST as a
Catholic school,” Tropicales told the Varsitarian.

It is the same for UST Education High School Principal Loreto Sauz who maintained that condom
distribution “might give [students] the wrong idea that as long as they are using condom, it’s already
allowed to have sex.”