Photos by Guillermo Ocampo. Text by Regina Layug Rosero
Representatives from all over Luzon gathered for the National Consultative Workshops on Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education. The workshop gathered representatives from government agencies, youth organizations, public and private schools, and civil society.
Representatives from all over Luzon gathered for the view, but they were really at Lancaster Hotel for the workshop. The Luzon consultation took place from April 2 to 4, 2013.
The NCWRHSE series is an effort to collect input on a framework on RH and sexuality education, in support of Republic Act 10354.
Percival Cendaña, Commissioner-at-Large of the National Youth Commission
The workshop featured several speakers, who provided information about the state of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the Philippines and in Asia. The first of those speakers was Percival Cendaña, Commissioner-at-Large of the National Youth Commission.
Dr. Avelino from PNAC
Dr. Avelino from PNAC
Participants from Non-Formal Education Sector
Participants from Formal Education sector
The participants were divided into different education sectors, so that they could discuss the challenges and strengths of different approaches.
Gaps and Challenges
Dr. Minerva Vinluan, DOH Family Health Office
The participants reviewed existing CSE programs and identified the gaps and challenges met by different approaches. The challenges they identified included “making the information engaging”: there is so much information available, but is it presented in a way that keeps the audience interested?
Dr. Susan Gregorio, Philippine National AIDS Council
Dr. Susan Gregorio, Philippine National AIDS Council, talked about UNESCO approaches to CSE.
Ross Aguilar, IPPF and FPOP
Jeross Aguilar, International Planned Parenthood Federation, discussed the different CSE challenges in different countries.
Mitos Rivera, Institute for Reproductive Health
Mitos Rivera, Institute of Reproductive Health-Philippines, presented PopDevEd, a framework built in collaboration with the Philippine Center for Population and Development. PopDevEd not only teaches family planning and sexuality concepts, but also frames them in a Catholic context.
Dean Evelina Vicencio, College of Education in the University of the East-Manila
Dean Evelina Vicencio, from the College of Education in the University of the East-Manila, provided consultation for the Department of Education on the K-12 programs. To illustrate different approaches that can be used to educate, she had the participants hold hands and form in groups.
Dr. Carol Guerrero, Director of the DepEd Bureau of Alternative Learning Systems
Dr. Carol Guerrero, Director of the DepEd Bureau of Alternative Learning Systems, talked about education outside the 4 walls of the classroom.
Participants in Davao
The Luzon consultation was the final leg of the NCWRHSE series. The previous consultations were held in Subic, Davao and Cebu.
The findings from all four events will be compiled into a comprehensive framework for RH and sexuality education that is age-, development- and culturally appropriate for Filipinos of different ages all over the archipelago. The framework will be presented in a national conference in May 2013.
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