The birds and the bees in the streets
Your first pimple, the beginnings of a crush, a petty fight over a game&em;those were probably your biggest worries when you were 13. But in October last year, 13-year-old Lealyn* made it to local TV with her struggles to find milk for her five-month old twins.
Lealyn and Tom*, the 17-year-old father, have had to deal with the pangs of puberty alongside the troubles of raising their kids.
Sex ed: A cultural taboo
In the GMA I-Witness documentary "Nanay na si Nene," Dr. Corazon Raymundo says that early pregnancies may be attributed to the lack of available information regarding sex and reproductive health. Raymundo is the overall project coordinator of the Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey, a study conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute.
The lack of information on sex and reproductive health may be blamed on the Church and conservatives, who oppose measures to include sex education in the curriculum.
"With the Philippines being a predominantly Roman Catholic country, sentiments about how pre-marital sex is wrong still run high ... [most people believe] educating the youth on matters of sex will only encourage them to engage in it," says Armand Aguado, president of Advocates for Youth (A4Y). A4Y is an organization that aims to help the youth live a life free from early pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.
Unreliable sources
Teenage pregnancies in private high schools and universities are considered a big deal&em;each "accident" ballooning to become the hot topic of cafeteria talks. For the less fortunate, however, early pregnancy has become commonplace. Does this mean that those of higher economic class are better educated about sex and sexuality?
Not necessarily, says Aguado. With most of our sex education transpiring through the media, Internet, friends, or even parents and relatives, one can never know for sure that the youth are getting the right information.
Effective sex education encompasses everything from sexual development, reproduction, sexually-transmitted diseases, contraception, relationships, and even abortion. These are what the peer educators of Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO) are striving to impart to the youth in different communities.
Empowerment through awareness
There are currently two ZOTO Teen Centers: one in Dagat-dagatan, and another in Bagong Silang. This is where reproductive health (RH) classes are held&em;every Saturday for the youth, and every Sunday for adults. Sometimes, the ZOTO peer educators even travel to specific areas or barangays that are located far from the teen centers.
Prolet Panis, 24, is one of the peer educators for RH classes. She says that it is important to make the students feel comfortable with the issue when starting the class. "First, we state our objective, why we are doing this. Then we ask for their permission if we can use certain words, because using these terms is necessary," she says in a mix of Filipino and English.
The most frequent question they get during RH classes is: "Bakit may mga batang nabubuntis? (Why are there children/teenagers that get pregnant?)" Other common queries revolve about the different bodily changes they experience during puberty.
They also teach about teens' tendencies towards risky behavior. "Of course, at this age of 12, 13 [or] 14, they think that they are already mature and capable of anything. So, we explain to them that this is the reason for their way of thinking, and its effects on them," Panis says in Filipino. They encourage abstinence from the deed, but are also open to the responsible use of contraceptives, even to the point of teaching proper condom usage.
Students are initially shy and awkward when RH classes start. Yet in the end, Panis says the students realize that there is no malice in this issue, and they come to view it in a more positive light.
Crossing the line
There are other organizations with similar causes as ZOTO. The ReachOut Reproductive Health Foundation' "Barkadahan" aims to curtail the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies among street youth. A4Y also has its own programs regarding Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH), that target the less fortunate youth.
Each of these organizations try to cross the poverty line as they push for youth awareness on reproductive health. As Panis says , "Marami akong natutulungan na kabataan na naliliwanagan tungkol sa issue...'Yung nakakabahagi ka sa kahit iilan lang na mga bata&em;ang sarap ng feeling. (I am able to enlighten many young people about the issue. And the feeling of being able to impart something to even just a few individuals&em;it's a very good feeling)."
Although the Filipino youth has gone a long way in being aware about sex, there is still much information that escapes them, says Aguado. There are still many who are forced to shelve their youth in order to face the consequences of their uninformed actions and choices.
He says, "As long as Philippine educational institutions lack a formal sex education course in their curricula, there will be a constant dilemma with the level of awareness of the Filipino youth."
*Names have been changed to protect the individuals.
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