Sexuality in the Philippines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia a.new,#quickbar a.new{color:#ba0000} /* cache key: enwiki:resourceloader:filter:minify-css:4:f2a9127573a22335c2a9102b208c73e7 */ if ( window.mediaWiki ) { mw.config.set({"wgCanonicalNamespace": "", "wgCanonicalSpecialPageName": false, "wgNamespaceNumber": 0, "wgPageName": "Sexuality_in_the_Philippines", "wgTitle": "Sexuality in the Philippines", "wgCurRevisionId": 449422573, "wgArticleId": 26228165, "wgIsArticle": true, "wgAction": "view", "wgUserName": null, "wgUserGroups": ["*"], "wgCategories": ["Human sexuality", "Philippine culture"], "wgBreakFrames": false, "wgRestrictionEdit": [], "wgRestrictionMove": [], "wgSearchNamespaces": [0], "wgFlaggedRevsParams": {"tags": {"status": {"levels": 1, "quality": 2, "pristine": 3}}}, "wgStableRevisionId": null, "wgVectorEnabledModules": {"collapsiblenav": true, "collapsibletabs": true, "editwarning": true, "expandablesearch": false, "footercleanup": false, "sectioneditlinks": false, "simplesearch": true, "experiments": true}, "wgWikiEditorEnabledModules": {"toolbar": true, "dialogs": true, "hidesig": true, "templateEditor": false, "templates": false, "preview": false, "previewDialog": false, "publish": false, "toc": false}, "wgTrackingToken": "70440235a399b63dec4f959cdf6feeb7", "wikilove-recipient": "", "wikilove-edittoken": "+\\", "wikilove-anon": 0, "mbEditToken": "+\\", "Geo": {"city": "", "country": ""}, "wgNoticeProject": "wikipedia"}); } if ( window.mediaWiki ) { mw.loader.load(["mediawiki.page.startup"]); } Sexuality in the Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Sexuality and sensuality in the Philippines or Filipino sexuality refers to human sexuality and sensuality as perceived, expressed, experienced, and valued by the Filipino people. This encompasses sexual behavior, sexual practices, and sexual activities exhibited by Filipino men and women of the past and the present. This is also related to courtship as practiced in the Philippines, which involves strategies in finding or attracting partners for physical and emotional intimacy, sexual contact, sexual reproduction, building a family, and other forms of individual interactions or interpersonal relationships, as set and dictated by their culture and tradition, religion, beliefs, values and moral convictions, psychology, foreign influences, and other related factors. Contents 1 Core ideas and main influences 2 Historical perspective 3 Sex education in the Philippines 3.1 1960s 3.2 1970s 3.3 1980s 3.4 1990s 4 Filipino youth and sexuality 4.1 1994 4.2 2002 4.3 2007 4.4 2009 5 Pornography 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Core ideas and main influences

Although influences of Westernization or globalization became a dominant character of the majority of Filipinos living in the metropolitan areas, these number of Filipinos remain to have a very conservative public and legal sexual values.12 Filipino sexuality is affected by education received by Filipinos from schools, the media, the rise of the internet, religious teachings from their churches or other similar spiritual institutions, legal policies and laws, and the influence of urbanization or urbanized regions in the Philippines. There are provisions and policies in the constitution of the Philippines which promulgates that the sexual act should happen only within the framework of married life between a man and woman, because this personal human expression is solidly connected to the family unit and to society as a whole.3 As a predominantly Christian country, the Philippines considers that the only sexual behavior morally and legally acceptable and appropriate is heterosexual intercourse within a monogamous marriage, with the exception of polygamous marriage as practiced by some Filipino minority groups and by Muslim communities in the Mindanao, southern, and southwestern regions of the Philippines, as long as the men of these population are financially capable of supporting their multiple wives.34 The following forms of sexual behavior are still considered illegal in the country: prostitution, pornography, nudity, premarital sex, extramarital sex, cohabitation, and similar variants. Although considered morally inappropriate, quiet homosexuality and heterosexual cohabitation have become socially accepted at a certain degree.1 Homosexuality is legal in the Philippines, and the idea of allowing same-sex marriage remains being debated by "both Church and State".3 Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church became the primary influence in legal, political, and religious views and issues on sexuality, birth control and contraception, abortion, education (including sex education, sexual roles of men and women, and homosexuality) and other aspects of civil life in Philippine society. Among the views of the Catholic Church include that premarital sex and masturbation are immoral behaviors, and that homosexuality  – similar to the form of Catholicism introduced by the Spanish missionaries  – is an abnormal human conduct.4

One of the general pronouncements for the majority of Filipinos is that men should choose to marry virgin women and that women should keep and maintain their virginity until marriage. However, there are some tribal Filipino communities who permit young men and women to engage in sexual activities beginning from the stage of puberty.4 Historical perspective Long before the arrival of the first group of Spaniards in the Philippine islands on the shores of Cebu, under the leadership of Ferdinand Magellan, in 1521, the ancient native Filipinos already had their own sexual and relationship practices. One of them is the carrying out of polygamy. Early Filipino tribal men had five or more wives, a marital ethnic norm of the archipelago at the time.45 Ancient unmarried Filipino women are encouraged by their cultural orientation at the time to participate freely in sexual activities. According to Antonio Pigafetta and Friar Juan de Plasencia, as explained by Stanley Karnow in his book, In Our Image - America's Empire in the Philippines and in The Body Book by Fe Maria C. Arriola, apart from penilepiercing through the use of rods made of tin or gold with dimension similar to a goose-quill which may or may not have pointed spurs, the men were also using other penile adornments such as the sagra and an item known in Tagalog as pilik-mata ng kambing or "goat's eyelashes".6 Pigafetta further described that there were adornments that are similar to the size of a cart nail, and that the middle section of the rod had a hole to facilitate urination. During sexual intercourse, the top of the spur  – while attached to the penis  – was smoothly introduced first into the woman's vagina, followed by the bottom portion. Once the penis becomes stiff, the rod or bolt stayed firmly, and cannot be withdrawn from the female's sex organ until the penis becomes flaccid.6 An early photograph of an Ifugao mother and her son. In addition to this, about more than one thousand years ago, the Filipino Ifugao people of northern central Philippines already had a well-established values on marriage and sexuality. An example of these is their custom of equating the size of a woman's breast and the wideness of her hips with the price of the dowry.4 In 10th-century Philippines, the Chinese Limahong already introduced the concept of monogamy to ancient Filipinos, as exemplified in the cultural practices of the Ifugaos, the Negritos, and the Igorots. These Filipino ethnic communities also permitted marriages between girls and boys who have reached the age of puberty.4

Filipino historian Ambeth R. Ocampo described that during 19th-century Philippines the sexually attractive female body parts of the time were the "bare arms, a good neck or nape" and "tiny rosy feet". This is exemplified by Ocampo's chosen passages from Soledad Lacson-Locsin's unabridged English-language translation of the 25th Chapter of Jose Rizal's Spanish-language novel, the Noli Me Tangere:7 "At last, Maria Clara emerged from the bath accompanied by her friends, fresh as a rose opening its petals with the first dew, covered with sparks of fire from the early morning sun. Her first smile was for Crisostomo (Ibarra), and the first cloud on her brow for Padre Salvi..." (Padre Salvi, although a priest, is an admirer of Maria Clara.) "Their legs were up to the knees, the wide folds of their bathing skirts outlining the gracious curves of their thighs. Their hair hung loose and their arms were bare. They wore striped gay-colored blouses... Pale and motionless, the religious Actaeon (i.e. Padre Salvi, who was hiding in the bushes, acting as a voyeur) watched this chaste Diana (i.e. Maria Clara): his sunken eyes glistening at the sight of her beautifully molded white arms, the graceful neck ending in a suggestion of a bosom. The diminutive rosy feet playing in the water aroused strange sensations and feelings in his impoverished, starved being and made him dream of new visions in his fevered mind."7 As a part of the process of converting ancient native Filipinos into Catholicism, the Spaniard missionaries forbade the use of penile instruments, and promoted Christian ideas of the wife's fidelity to her husband, premarital virginity, the notion of a woman's role as a "nurturing mother", and the reverence of the Virgin Mary.5 After 1898, Protestants from the United States brought and shared their attitudes on sexuality with the people of the Philippines, which were based on the doctrines of Judaism and Christianity. The branching out of this American-introduced Protestantism led to the establishment of similar restrictions and rules regarding sexuality as imposed by the Filipino founders of the Philippine Independent Church and the Iglesia ni Cristo or "Church of Christ".4 Sex education in the Philippines

Prior to 1969, sex education in the Philippines was non-existent. Instructions were limited only to discussions on pregnancy and childcare within the confines of the family unit, specifically between female members of the home. Outside the family or the home setting, available informal information  – in the form of television and radio programs, illegal adult or sex publications, and the like  – was imprecise, flawed, or deficient.8 1960s After the World Health Organization and the Philippine government's introduction of programs on family planning and birth/conception control in 1969, suburban and rural Philippine communities received training in these programs, with instructions on basic biology, pregnancy, and contraception that focused on the use of birth control pills. This program was clandestinely sustained by the Roman Catholic Church to "reduce the family's burden of child rearing because of poverty".8 1970s In 1970, Philippine high schools and colleges began to include teachings related to public health, sexually transmitted diseases, and limited information on human reproduction and human sexuality in the curriculum for science courses, such as biology. The limitation was truncated by the Filipino tradition of not explicitly mentioning or showing images of the male and female sex organs even for educational purposes. In 1972, the government of Ferdinand Marcos formally offered sexual education programs at all levels of education, wherein human development and population were topics in science and biology subjects in elementary schools, while high school students received elementary and basic-level of biological information and family planning, with emphasis that separation and divorce are illegal in the Philippines, although legal separation or de facto separation were taught in Philippine public schools due to its high incidence of occurrence in lower class families.8 1980s During the 1980s, seminars and international conferences were held by schools of medicine as an addition to ongoing courses on human sexuality.8 1990s Research on population control, sexually transmitted diseases, premarital sex, sexual harassment, and AIDS began to be conducted during the 1990s.8 Filipino youth and sexuality

Contemporary studies and surveys show the effects of ongoing sex education in the Philippines: 1994 A 1994 survey was carried out by Dr. Z.C. Zablan, a demography professor from the Population Institute of the University of the Philippines, in relation to the views on sexuality by 11,000 Filipino youth whose ages ranged from 15 to 24 years old. The result of this study that he entitled Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey showed that 80% of Philippine youth do not endorse premarital sexual encounters, 18% of young Filipinos accepted the occurrence of premarital sexual activity, while 2% gave a neutral position about the subject matter. Zablan also found out that 35% of women who graduated from colleges implement female liberalism and flexible attitudes toward sex, compared to 40% who preferred the use of contraceptives, and that 65% of less-educated and dependent females residing in rural areas have more conservative sexual values and behavior, but are more prone to not using contraceptives. In connection with this, Zabala’s study also revealed that there is a trend for refined and professional males to become relaxed and comfortable with copulation, with seduction and sexual stimulation, and with alternating active and passive social roles.1 2002 Another similar study was performed by the Values and Ethics Committee of the University of the Philippines in 2002 regarding the values placed by Filipino youth on human sexuality, related topics, and their relationship to the rising incidences of sexually transmitted diseases. This surveys participants included 292 randomly chosen individuals from nine colleges of a university. The result shows that although there were changing views about virginity and sexuality in the Philippines among Filipino youth, a large number of respondents value postponing sexual intercourse until they are married, status of their virginity, close ties with family members, non-participating in viewing or reading pornographic materials, non-engagement in activities that involve sex, dangerous drugs and other “dysfunctional behavior” resulting from familial problems. Similar to the Irala et al. survey above, this group of youth attributed receiving well-established values from parental guidance and upbringing received Filipino spirituality, and having trustworthy friends. However, that from this group, there were young people who believe that they are not vulnerable to HIV or AIDS, thus a few number does not adhere to safe sexual habits. Thus the recommendations of this study is to provide class conversations while at school on topics regarding the importance of values in relation to human sexuality and the introduction of open and direct peer counseling.9 2007

There was another study conducted by Dr. Corazon M. Raymundo and published in 2007 regarding the occurrences of premarital sex among Filipino highschool adolescents. Raymundo found out that there was a rising number of Filipino youth engaging in sexual intercourse before marriage. Twenty percent of this number involves students at the secondary school level. And that these sexual activities are usually unplanned, unwanted and unsafe. Raymundo also discovered that a considerable number of Filipino youth encountered reproductive health problems and had been infected by sexually transmitted diseases. Raymundo also noted that smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use are correlated to sexual engagements and other risky behaviors. She also mentioned that some Filipino teenagers either believe that they cannot acquire AIDS or that this illness is curable. Raymundo also pointed out the increase in the number of occurrences of teenage pregnancies. She recommended governmental provision and promotion of free yet better pro-life services related to reproductive health, maternal care, and education concerning fertility and contraception.10 2009 In 2009, a survey was done by Irala et al among 3,726 Filipino student teenagers regarding their opinions on relationships, love, sexuality, and related items. This study that targeted third year high school to third year college participants aged 13 to 18 years old revealed that they primarily received information and opinion on love and sexuality from friends and parents. Most female teenagers also oppose sexism.11 Pornography Based on the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines and Republic Act No. 7610, pornography is defined as doctrines, publications, and shows that are immoral, obscene, and indecent. Philippine legislations penalize involvement in these activities, including the abuse, exploitation, prostitution, and discrimination of children.3 See also LGBT rights in the Philippines Obando Fertility Rites Two-child policy v · d · eSex Physiological events Erection · Insemination · Orgasm (Female and Male ejaculation) · Pregnancy · Sexual arousal Health and education Birth control · Condom · Postorgasmic illness syndrome · Reproductive medicine (Andrology · Gynaecology · Urology) · Safe sex · Sex education · Sex therapy (Sex surrogate) · Sexual dysfunction (Erectile dysfunction · Hypersexuality · Hyposexuality) · Sexually transmitted disease · Sexual medicine Identity Gender identity · Sexual identity · Sexual orientation Law Age of consent · Criminal transmission of HIV · Incest · Obscenity · Public indecency · Rape · Sexual abuse · Sexual assault · Sexual harassment · Sexual misconduct · Sexual violence History Feminist Sex Wars · History of erotic depictions · Sexual revolution Relationships and society Anarchism and love/sex · Family planning · Marriage · Paraphilia · Polyamory · Promiscuity · Religion and sexuality · Romance · Sexual abstinence · Sexual attraction · Sexual capital · Sexual ethics · Sexual objectification By country China · Ancient Rome · the Philippines · Japan · South Korea · United States (teen) Sexual activities Anilingus · Anal sex · Ass to mouth · Bareback · BDSM · Circle jerk · Cock-and-ball torture · Creampie · Cum shot · Cybersex · Dirty talk · Facial · Felching · Fingering · Fisting · Gang bang · Group sex · Masturbation · Mechanics of sex · Non-penetrative sex (Mammary intercourse · Heavy petting · Handjob · Sumata) · Oral sex · Stimulation of nipples · Orgasm control · Pompoir · Quickie · Sex positions · Sexual intercourse (Foreplay) · Sex magic · Sexual penetration · Sexual sublimation · Snowballing · Tea bag · Venus Butterfly Sex industry Adult video game · Child, Female and Male sex tourism · Erotica · Pornography · Prostitution · Sex museum · Sex shop · Sex toy (doll) · Strip club Religion and sexuality

Islam  · Christian demonology  · Mormonism  · Daoism Animal sexual behaviour · Human sexuality · Sexology · Sexual slang Sexuality portal References ^ a b c Florante, Jose J. Demographics and a Historical Perspective, The Philippines, www.2hu-berlin.de ^ A Filipino’s view on Beautiful Nude Women, The Voice of a Filipino, tingog.com, November 7, 2006. ^ a b c d Hunt, Dee Dicen and Cora Sta. Ana-Gatbonton. Filipino Women and Sexual Violence: Speaking Out and Providing Services, cpcabrisbane.org ^ a b c d e f g Florante, Jose J. Religious and Ethnic Factors Affecting Sexuality, www2.hu-berlin.de ^ a b Andaya, Barbara Watson. A review of Carolyn Brewer's Holy Confrontation: Religion, Gender and Sexuality in the Philippines, 1521-1685, Manila: Institute of Women's Studies, St. Scholastica's College, 2001, ISBN 9718605290, from Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context, Issue 8, October 2002 ^ a b Unusual Sex Practices of Early Filipinos, tribo.org ^ a b Ocampo, Ambeth R. Fan Language, Looking Back, news.google.com ^ a b c d e Florante, Jose J. Sexual Knowledge and Education, (see also: Interpersonal Heterosexual Behaviors (Adolescents section)), www2.hu-berlin.de ^ Tayag, J.G. Values on Sexuality Among Filipino Youth: Harnessing These for HIV/AIDS Prevention, International Conference on AIDS, Jul 7-12, 2002, gateway.nlm.nih.gov, 2007. ^ Sex and Filipino Youth, Mongster’s Nest, mongplatino.motime.com, November 21, 2007 ^ Irala, Jokin de, Alfonso Osorio, Cristina López del Burgo, Vina A. Belen, Filipinas O. de Guzman, María del Carmen Calatrava, and Antonio N Torralba. Relationships, Love and Sexuality: What the Filipino Teens Think and Feel, biomedcentral.com External links Leyson, Jose Florante J. The Philippines, www2.hu-berlin.de Palatino, Mong. Manila flip-flops on sex education, globalvoicesonline.org, July 4, 2006 Cole, Joe. Revisiting Reproductive Health, Yellow Pad, bworldonline.com Lawas, Hector. 2 Pinoys a Day to Catch HIV, journal.com HIV threatens to infect two Pinoys daily –PNAC, balita.ph, February 14, 2010 Philippines defends Valentine condoms, news.ninemsn.com, February 15, 2010 Baytan, Ronald. Sexuality, Ethinicity, and Language:Exploring Chinese Filipino Male Homosexual Identity, jstor.org Constable, Nicole. Sexuality and Discipline Among Filipina Domestic Workers in Hong Kong, University of Pittsburgh, sjsu.edu Reyes, Raquel A.G. Love, Passion and Patriotism: Sexuality and the Philippine Propaganda Movement, 1882-1892 (Critical Dialogues in Southeast Asian Studies), amazon.com Sex in Philippine Cinema (2004), imdb.com