Part II. Position Paper: My stand for the Proposal to impose a liquor license
on liquor sellers to curb teenage pregnancy
With the Philippines having teenage pregnancy as one of the major
social issues we have been long dealing with, I am not in favor of imposing
liquor license to liquor sellers as a means to curb the social issue. Taking my
point of view as someone who focuses in the social development work dealing
with children in need of special protection or the CNSP, I have two (2) points
to discuss.
First, the main problem is not the consumption of liquor by the minors.
Teenage pregnancy is more associated with lack of parental supervision and
lower educational level. It is the duty of the parents at home to teach and
discipline their children about personal values and imbibe them with the
ability to discern between what is right and what is wrong. As mentioned by
Senator Tulfo in the senate proceeding, a formation of a task force of different
agencies concerning the minors’ reproductive health and their welfare such as
the National and Local Government Units, the Department of Health,
Department of Education, and the Department of Social Welfare and
Development, is essential in aiding the prevention of teenage pregnancy.
Second, the schools and educators have a primary task to guide their
students through their adolescent stage by providing mandatory proper sex
education with the help of the abovementioned government agencies. With
premarital sex being inevitable especially in today’s generation, the educators
must emphasize safe sex and the easy access of birth control measures in our
respective local barangays. With the help of the three (3) agencies, the local
government’s duty is to educate the community that there are lots of birth
control options available that the government can provide – making it an easy
access and readily available for those who needs it.
Thus, we do not need another law banning the selling of liquors to
minors because that is not the real problem. Teenage pregnancy is a result of
lack of parental supervision and low level of education. We already have
existing laws in relation to it. We just need to be strict and rigid on its
implementation, and delegate the tasks to the appropriate agencies.