COTABATO CITY — Legislators in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have expressed objection to the Department of Education’s (DepEd’s) plan to pilot-test sex education in the ARMM, saying the proposal is just exemplifying “imperial Manila’s” unilateral imposition on the people of the region.

Officials and key members of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) said they are rallying the opposition of the religious sector, notably the Church to the introduction of sex education in Grades 5 and 6 classes as planned by the DepEd in pursuit of the United Nations’ campaign against population explosion.

“The RLA is very much in opposition to the planned program because its modules are still unknown and so with the benefits it could give the ARMM people,” Assemblyman Ziaur-rahman Alonto-Adiong of Lanao del Sur pointed out.

Adiong said the program proponents “should be rational to consider the religious belief and cultural traditions” in the ARMM that are sensitive to sex discussions especially among the minors.

Education Secretary Mona Valisno earlier said in a news conference that some Church leaders like Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez of Caloocan and retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz were “open” to the pilot project of the DepEd.

“They’re open. Iñiguez said that he’s open per se but they also want to see the modules. We’re open to that,” Valisno said. “We are in the consultation stage and we are looking into the reaction from different sectors. So far, the feedback has been good,” she added.