Oh no, you don't!

IWAS jolted out of my traffic-induced stupor when, on my way to meet a relative from Davao City after work last Friday night, I heard on the taxi's radio that the Department of Health (DOH), the Cebu City Health Department and the Department of Education (DepEd) will be giving away free condoms to public high school students. Whaat? It felt just like yesterday that my then favorite personality at the Cebu City Hall, Dr. Lucelle Mercado, city administrator of former mayor Michael Rama and head of the City Anti-Indecency Board (Caib), declared war on all forms of immorality.

The group and its members had taken it upon themselves to be society's moral guardians and imposed their brand of puritanical mores on the hapless general populace, even going as far as to engage in the extrajudicial seizure of men's publications in one bookstore.

There was public uproar, of course, especially from the media. The Cebu Citizens-Press Council described it as an “unlawful confiscation of private property.”

It was during this dark period that FHM magazines and the likes disappeared from the stands, never to be perused again.

With that said, what's with the recent turnaround? And why target high school students?

Oh I get the usual raison d'etre. They want to start them young because, according to some sociologist or whoever, sexual practices become set at 15 years old.

And I understand there's a cause for alarm.

HIV cases among the young have risen, according to a DOH report. When before those in the 25 and above age group were mostly at risk, now more teens as young as 15 are contracting the disease.

Condom use has been recommended as it has the highest protection rate, with success outweighing the chances of failure.

Central Visayas recorded the highest number of HIV cases this year. Some 841 cases were reported in June alone.

But why stop at public high schools? The virus doesn't make any distinction. Everyone is fair game, be they a member of the hoi polloi or not.

Anyway, I still think distributing free condoms to the students is wrong. The health department should instead focus on educating them about sex with the help of DepEd.

Glossing over the subject won't get them anywhere. For one thing, it cannot be avoided. Once these students hit puberty, the hormones take over. And we all know what happens once that happens. So we might as well teach them what to expect if they decide to take things too far.

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against teens using condoms.

Hey, it's better to be safe than sorry, right? Aside from protecting them from HIV and other sexuallytransmitted diseases, that piece of plastic also reduces the probability of unwanted pregnancies.

Anyway, who am I to stop them from serving a biological need? I'm not a Caib member. But let's get one thing straight. You want a quick roll in the hay? Then you better buy your own condom.

The government should not use taxpayers' money for that, considering the myriad of other pressing matters that need its immediate attention.

Why doesn't it do something about the increasing number of homeless living on our streets instead? Or implement additional flood-mitigation projects for when the floods come? Or build water catchments for when the drought sets in? Better yet, why not provide a reliable mass transport system for the thousands of commuters who are slaves to the whims and caprices of the current setup?

Because if it pushes through with the program, the government will be acting like a nanny state. Then it's no better than Caib.