8 questions for Philippine Sen. Risa Hontiveros about her adolescent pregnancy bill

Hontiveros, sponsor of the proposed legislation, explains misconceptions about it and the urgency for its passage.
Jason Gutierrez
2025.01.24
Manila
8 questions for Philippine Sen. Risa Hontiveros about her adolescent pregnancy bill “Anna” (not her real name), who became a mother at 15 years old, carries her daughter while in a café in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Aug. 23, 2024.
Camille Elemia/BenarNews

In an interview with BenarNews, Philippine opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros defended her controversial bill that seeks to address teenage pregnancy through a comprehensive sex education campaign, amid criticisms from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and conservative religious groups over its alleged provisions.

Hontiveros, the principal author and sponsor of Senate Bill 1979, or the Adolescent Pregnancy Bill, submitted a new version of the proposed measure on Wednesday, following the backlash that forced some senators to withdraw their support.

The controversy erupted as the Philippines struggles with the problem of rising teenage pregnancies. More than 500 adolescents become pregnant and give birth every day, giving the country the dubious distinction of having the highest adolescent birth rate in the region, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

“As the author of the bill, I am both surprised and disappointed at some of the lies spread on social media,” Sen. Hontiveros told BenarNews this week, referring to backlash over her proposed legislation.

“We all want what’s best for our children, but outright lies, disinformation and misinformation can lead to more harmful decisions about our teens’ lives,” she said.

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Philippine Sen. Risa Hontiveros speaks during a Senate hearing of a bill that aims to establish prayer rooms in all public offices and establishments, in Manila, Jan. 23, 2025. [Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit/Senate of the Philippines]

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier promised to veto the bill, claiming the first version of the proposed measure contained shocking and explicit provisions.

“It is a travesty of what sexual and sex education should be to the children,” the president said on Monday, adding the bill contained “woke absurdities” that were inappropriate for younger children. 

“You will teach four-year-olds how to masturbate. That every child has the right to try different sexualities,” he said, referring to the alleged provisions of the bill’s first version. “This is ridiculous.”

“If this bill is passed in that form, I guarantee all parents, teachers and children – I will immediately veto it,” Marcos said. “I am a parent and I’m a grandparent. So, I feel very strongly about this.”

Marcos’ outburst came out after Project Dalisay, an initiative of the National Coalition for the Family and Constitution – a church-backed conservative group – began an online petition against the bill. 

In this predominantly Catholic nation – 80% of Filipinos subscribe to the religion – the church has campaigned hard against sex education, with some conservative groups saying the bill could encourage more pregnancies among teens.

Project Dalisay said the proposed law “introduces policies that could undermine the innocence of our youth and traditional family structure.” Its proponents said the bill would “hypersexualize children at a very young age” and among others, encourage “early childhood masturbation.” 

But a quick study of the first version of the bill did not appear to include such provisions. Rather, there is a provision declaring that comprehensive sex education  (CSE) in schools should be “guided by international standards,” which Hontiveros says may have been misinterpreted as too liberal by the bill’s opponents. 

BenarNews had reached out to Hontiveros this week to ask her eight questions about her bill: 

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Advocates call for the passage of a Senate bill addressing teenage pregnancy and defend the bill’s comprehensive sexuality education provision, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Jan. 24, 2025. [Child Rights Network Philippines]

BenarNews:  President Marcos has said that the bill contained “absurd” and “shocking” provisions, is this true? 

Risa Hontiveros: No, it is not true. It is very clear that the bill does not include shocking provisions, not even the word “masturbation.” Nowhere does it also say “try different sexualities.”

BN: Mr. Marcos vowed to veto the bill in its present form unless changes are made. Do you agree? 

RH: No. The bill contains the very same things that Mr. Marcos supports – teaching kids anatomy and the consequences of early pregnancy. That is what I am pushing for. I am willing to accept amendments to refine the bill, so we can steer it to passage.

BN: Are legislators facing pressure from the Catholic Church or other religious groups?

RH: No comment on that.

BN: How big of a problem is sex education, or the lack thereof, among Filipino teenagers in the conservative Philippines?

RH: The National Economic Development Authority has said that teenage pregnancies are a national and social emergency. That is the reason why we are working to have the Adolescent Pregnancy Bill passed in Congress, so we can help, support and protect the youth. This bill is not just necessary. It is urgent. We cannot ignore this issue anymore.

As the author of the bill, I am both surprised and disappointed at some of the lies spread on social media. We all want what’s best for our children, but outright lies, disinformation and misinformation can lead to more harmful decisions about our teens’ lives.

These outrageous claims from Project Dalisay were pulled out of thin air.

As a mother of four, three of whom are girls, and faithful to the church, I will not stand for these lies. I am appealing on our stakeholders to have their voices heard to stop the spread of this fake news.

BN: Why do you think that faith-based groups are engaged in “fake” news to discredit the bill?

RH: I don’t have a problem with different stakeholder organizations that are against this [bill]. But it should be all on the basis of facts, especially since the proposed law is aimed at protecting a very vulnerable sector of our society to the point that teenage pregnancy is considered a national and social emergency. 

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Mothers hold their babies born in a leap year at a maternity hospital in Manila, Feb. 29, 2024. [Jam Sta Rosa/AFP]

BN: What happens now after you filed a substitute bill and after several senators withdrew their support?

RH: We’ve filed the substitute bill. It is now very clear in its provision that it guarantees academic freedom and religious freedom …. I hope this brings us all together to finally pass a prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill that we so desperately need.

The substitute bill clearly states that those who will be given comprehensive sexuality education are (children) 10 years old and above. And what they were earlier saying that the old version includes zero to 4-year-olds was a complete fabrication, “fake” news and a lie. I hope the present form is now acceptable to everyone.

BN: What is the implication now of the withdrawal of signatures [of the other senators who earlier supported the bill]?

RH: I told them to re-study the substitute bill, which I think will unite the senators to address this national emergency

BN: Were those opposing the bill properly represented when the bill was going through the committee-level hearings?

RH: Yes. There were various organizations called and different faith communities too, including some who belong to Project Dalisay.

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