The National Council of Churches in the Philippines supports condom distribution in schools

Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV) cases are on the rise in the Philippines. To stop the spread of the virus, the Department of Health has developed a plan to distribute condoms in schools. Taking into consideration the situation with HIV in the country, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) supported this effort but stated that the distribution of condoms in schools has to be within the framework of the effective implementation of a comprehensive and age appropriate sex and sexuality education.

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines is a fellowship of ten mainline Protestant and non-Roman Catholic Church denominations, and ten service-oriented organizations in the country. The group strongly believes that failure to use condoms is one of the main reasons for the fast-growing epidemic of HIV in the Philippines.

“Primarily, a comprehensive and age appropriate sex and sexuality education through the combined efforts of government, civil society and church is paramount to counter the flood of information or misinformation accessible to our young people. The correct and consistent use of condoms has proven to be effective in preventing HIV transmission between discordant couples,” the group stated in a statement.