Wetter and wilder - 2

Yesterday I recalled the warning during the debate on the Reproductive Health bill of the danger of across the board sale of contraceptives and condoms. The law does not only allow this system of sale but is spending hundreds of millions of pesos to purchase contraceptives for free distribution on demand.

One of the dangers we cited was that the program can lead to promiscuity but RH bill proponents belittled that. These wet and wild parties are good conduits for the free and encouraged use of contraceptives.  

Again, we say that would it not be a surprise if participants carry these contraceptives and condoms when they go to these wild parties. The anticipation of sexual encounter is usually in mind or planned. Would it be a shocker then if hosts in these parties have them readily on hand for sale?

 “Modern parents” in fact look the other way about these parties until their teenage girl gets pregnant. Then they hypocritically denounce their kids but not themselves.

Do they expect that in the environment of sexual permissiveness as in these wet and wild parties their daughters are safe?

It is nice to hear that the city government will “regulate” these parties. This is at best a palliative, an illusory solution. We have the curfew for minors years back and how well is this enforced? The new curfew ordinance in fact is not new – we had them long before while some of our councilors were still in diapers. So we pass a new one that nobody enforces. Regulating these parties will not stop them.

We are up against a new trend in social behavior with the teens demanding and the parents relenting to look modern.

Authorities speak of alternative activities for the youth. This is a right step that will require a concerted effort of the home, the churches, the schools and most of all the government that should take a serious look at what the schools teach.

If the mandated curriculum teaches young people how to explore and respond to their sexuality in a clinical manner, that is, devoid of moral dimensions, can we expect them to be passive? When the curriculum teaches them to use condoms and contraceptives for “safe sex”, what do we expect?

Compound this with sexual liberalism in television, movies and the internet and the competence of our law enforcers and tolerance of parents, then ask whether these parties can be effectively regulated.

We are surrounded daily by inducements and enticements for liberalism that oftentimes go against what is decent and moral. A television show for instance asked how long it takes to urinate or a lady contestant whether she would agree to pose on the nude. What kind of nonsense questions are these?

Notice the alcohol advertisements. Are they not encouraging drinking liquor as the sine qua non of a good celebration? Can drugs be discounted? Why do they call these parties wet and wild? Do they serve milk or juices? Without intoxication, these parties cannot be wet or wild.

Regulation is fine but who will enforce when the police cannot even run after criminals because of lack personnel? When the government cannot enforce ordinances that stare them in the face during daylight hours, how can it enforce till wee hours of the morning.

If we want to stop these parties, we must do just that, outlaw them. Ban them entirely so that when someone hears of them, a citizen can call the police knowing they are banned. Let the neighborhood be the vigilant watch for wild parties.

Regulating them will not make the citizens take action because they will have doubts. The party might have a permit but a total ban gives the citizen a certainty that the parties are not legal.

It might look we are against young people having a good time. Definitely we are not but let parties be truly proper for their social and personal development. Wet and wild parties do not contribute to their healthy upbringing. They only contribute to the financial gain of the organizers and pave the way to problems for the young.

Let schools, churches, civic clubs, parents groups, home owners associations, hotels and youth organizations develop programs as parties for the young.  We had them before, we can have them again.

 In fact this is one of the proposals. Give that a try. Surely parents and organizations are imaginative and inspired enough to help bring up kids in the right, civilized and moral way. 

It’s not being prudish but being decent.*

(This column was supposed to come out yesterday but was replaced by another due to some printing inadvertence.  Our apologies – The STAFF)

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