SECRETARY Leonor Briones of the Department of Education (DepEd) said her agency has not yet given the Department of Health (DOH) the green light to give out condoms in schools.
Briones, who was in Bacolod City Saturday afternoon, was reacting to reports that both the DeEd and the DOH will already start distributing contraceptives next year to address the rising cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) among the youth.
In her speech, Briones said: “I deny the news item which came out in a broadsheet and was announced over the radio that we have given DOH a go-signal to distribute condoms because we have not even talked about it.”
She pointed out that “we have the highest teenage pregnancy in Asia,” but the proposal to give out contraceptives to curb the problem is a “very, very sensitive issue. It involves faith and morals.”
Briones added: “It involves many things and whatever DOH does, they have to clear it with us. It is a DOH program which I respect very highly, but the object of the protective initiatives is ours and our learners.”
She reiterated that they have not start talking about the proposal yet.
“We have agreed to talk on how they’re going to... (go about the program), what is the operational aspect of it,” she said.
Briones said she is sure that somebody from DOH won’t be standing outside the classrooms to distribute condoms as the students come in.
“It has to be age appropriate. You can’t give condoms to kindergarten children,” she added.
"Senior high to continue"
Briones said that the Senior High School under the K to 12 program of the National Government will continue.
“We are proceeding with the Senior High School program. We will start the Grade 12 this coming school year,” she said.
Briones acknowledged the birth pains in the implementation of the new curriculum since, “we lack resources, school buildings, and laboratories.”