FACT-CHECK: Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill not meant to teach youth to be ‘sexually active’

CLAIM: Senate Bill 1979 will teach the youth to be sexually active. 

RATING: FALSE

A Facebook page falsely claimed that Senate Bill 1979, also known as the “Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023,” would encourage and teach youth to be “sexually active.”

The Facebook page further claimed that the bill would destroy the innocence of children.

Contrary to the claim, the bill mandates the education of the youth on human sexuality, reproductive health, and the consequences of early pregnancy.

In a media conference on Jan. 15, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said, “Walang anumang probisyon tungkol sa pagtuturo o paghikayat ng masturbation sa mga batang edad 0 to 4 years old o yung magtuturo daw diumano ng ‘bodily pleasure’ sa mga batang 6-9 years old o na ituturo din daw sa bata na may ‘sexual rights’ sila.”

(There is no provision regarding the teaching or encouragement of masturbation among children aged 0 to 4 years old or the one that is supposed to teach “bodily pleasure” to children 6-9 years old, or to also teach the child that they have “sexual rights.”)

Hontiveros also said that the bill seeks to address the issue of early pregnancy in the Philippines, an issue that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) identified in 2019 as a “national and social emergency.”

On Jan. 20, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that he would “immediately veto” the bill if it passes in its current form.

As of writing, the post has drawn 7,756 reactions, 7,752 shares, and 1,450 comments on Facebook.  Leigh San Diego

PressOne.PH is a verified signatory of the Code of Principles of the International Fact -Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter. The code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network is a series of commitments organizations abide by to promote excellence in fact-checking. We believe nonpartisan and transparent fact-checking can be a powerful instrument of accountability journalism..

PressOne.PH believes that fact-checking is essential to combating misinformation and disinformation, and in informing and educating citizens and voters. Read more of PressOne.PH’s Fact-Checking Policy by clicking here.

The public is welcome to send feedback or requests for fact-checks at factcheck@pressone.ph.

If you believe PressOne.PH is violating the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), you may submit a complaint directly to the IFCN website: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy