At the root of each of the issues above (among the many more that exist) is a need to teach people about them in an appropriate, unbiased, and accurate way–presenting young people, early on, with the evidence, not the ideologies.

With 504 teenage mothers giving birth every day as of this year, the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) urges President Duterte to declare adolescent pregnancy as a national emergency.

PopCom cited “moral decadence” as the top reason for the rise of teenage pregnancy in the country. Regional director Lydio Español Jr. expressed his concern that “contribution of religious belief to abstain from premarital sexual activities” has dwindled over the years. And aside from declaring a national emergency, PopCom said that it’s important to rally the religious sector in curbing teen pregnancy.

While the RH bill was finally enacted under the Aquino administration, its implementation was delayed by legal questions raised by its critics before the Supreme Court.

According to the latest report on the implementation of the RH law, the education department has not yet developed the minimum standards of comprehensive sexuality education that schools should comply with.

Additionally, the Catholic Church opposes implementing sex education in schools as well as the distribution of contraceptives. The Church prefers to rely on parents to teach their kids about reproductive health. However, many families are either unequipped to do so or will not address the subject directly with their children.