The Philippine Department on Education has turned down plans of the local health department to distribute condoms among schools. The rejection was announced Feb. 3 by education authorities. The condom distribution would have been a strategy intended to eradicate the spread of HIV in the country, feared to be one of the fastest spreading epidemics in the Asian region.
Earlier in December, the local health department said that it will distribute contraceptives in academic institutions as part of their intensive campaign to prevent HIV. However, it caused an uproar from legislators and religious sects. Rights activists express grievances against the government for allegedly neglecting the implementation of programs that educate gay or bisexual men about safe sex. In a recent study, it has been discovered that the spread of HIV in the country victimizes gay or bisexual men. The Philippines is also a religious nation, with more than 80 % of its population being devout Catholics.
ABS-CBN reported that the local department of education forbade the health department to carry out the condom distribution because the agency is only bound by laws to provide “sexuality education.” Education assistant secretary Tonisito Umali also said in an interview that the education department is doing its best to be more sensitive to the perspective of parents. Furthermore, the education department also said that they obtained several feedbacks which proves that parents strongly oppose the move planned by DOH.
Meanwhile, Inquirer.net reported the country’s senate majority leader vowed to do everything in his capacity as a lawmaker to stop the local health department in its initial plan to distribute condoms in schools. Sen. Vicente Sotto said that the distribution of condoms will seem a signal for minors to have sex. He also cited that under Philippine laws, sex with and among minors is strongly punishable by law.
Aside from HIV, the country is also facing a major health issue with the rise of Zika virus. It has been reported that the newly-feared disease can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse. The United Kingdom recently reported its first case of sexually-transmitted Zika virus
