Senators withdraw signatures on teen pregnancy bill; Hontiveros eyes substitute bill

January 22, 2025 , 06:06 PM

By Clarist Mae Zablan

(January 22, 2025) – Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday expressed plans to file a substitute bill on addressing teenage pregnancy after a number of her fellow senators withdrew their signatures on the measure, citing concerns raised by faith-based organizations.

In a letter to Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero, four senators — Sen. JV Ejercito, Sen. Cynthia Villar, Sen. Nancy Binay, and Sen. Bong Go — asked to withdraw their signatures from the committee report on Senate Bill No. 1979 or the proposed “Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act.”

“While we believe that the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy is an issue that must be urgently addressed, it is our position that further dialogues with stakeholders is essential, in order to accurately dispel misconceptions and remove objectionable portions from the bill,” the letter, dated Jan. 21, stated.

In separate letters to Escudero a day later, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Bong Revilla also said they would “disassociate” themselves with the bill, citing public sentiments on the measure.

Hontiveros, a principal author and sponsor of the bill, said she plans to file a substitute bill to account for the concerns raised by various groups.

“Naintindihan ko na baka may mga konsiderasyon silang inisip na nagtulak sa pag-withdraw nila sa isang bill na naglalayong tumugon sa tumataas na kaso ng teen pregnancy. Gayunpaman, umaasa po ako na basahin nila ang subsitute bill na plano ko pong i-file na nagsasaalang-alang sa mga pangamba ng iba’t ibang grupo,” she said in a statement.

Last week, the measure was met by opposition from Project Dalisay, an initiative led by a coalition of Christian groups chaired by former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, claiming that the bill’s provision on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) pushed for teaching young children inappropriate sexual concepts.

Proponents of the measure have refuted the claim. The contents of the bill in the Senate also proposed that the CSE implemented in schools must be scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, and culturally-sensitive.

The bill in the Senate has been approved at the committee level and is pending plenary approval. The counterpart measure in the Lower House was unanimously passed on third and final reading in 2023.

A non-government organization, Child Rights Network (CRN), criticized senators who withdrew their signatures, saying it is “not just counterproductive but unfair” towards proponents of the measure who participated in the legislative process since the bill was filed.

The group also urged senators, particularly Sen. Joel Villanueva and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, to show what provisions in the bill that they believed to be “inappropriate.”

“[A]nd for once, be fair to those who have worked hard to support a legislation that protects children, especially girls, from the dire consequences of abuse and teenage pregnancy,” CRN said in a statement. “Do it through the proper legislative channel.”

(CD | With reports from Maeanne Los Baños-Oroceo, News5)

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