TACLOBAN CITY, Feb. 23 -- The National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA) has tagged teenage pregnancy as one of the causes
of poverty in Eastern Visayas region.
While there is no official statistics linking
poverty and early pregnancy, NEDA Eastern Visayas Regional Bonifacio Uy said
teenagers who drop out of school and raise children have more chances of
suffering economic difficulties.
“If a teenager will become pregnant, she might not
be emotionally and financially ready to support her child. She will need assistance
from the government, hence, more resources will be devoted to her,” Uy
explained.
Early marriages and child bearing affects school
survival rate, according to NEDA. If they quit school, chances of getting good
jobs are low.
Such is the case of food vendor Mayla Tabones, 39,
a resident of T. Claudio village here. She was just 18 when she gave birth to
her first child.
“I am a single mother with three children. I have
to double my income to feed and send them to school,” said Tabones, who earns
an average of PHP250 daily from selling.
The mother sees herself as an accomplished educator
had she finished college.
In Eastern Visayas, 9.7 percent of females aged 15
to 19 are already mothers, according to the 2014 Young Adult and Fertility
Survey.
Teenage pregnancy is closely linked to poverty and
single parenthood, according to the study.
The growth in single parent families remains the
most significant reason for increased poverty. In the region, 78.9 percent of
teenage mothers are single parents.
The region posted a 38.7 percent poverty incidence
in 2015. That means 38 out of every 100 persons in the region are impoverished
or their income are below the basic monthly requirement.
Based on estimates, there are 1.75 million people
in the region tagged as poor in 2015. This is lower than 1.88 million poor
people in 2012. (PNA)
FPV/SQM/Felgin C. Silagan (OJT)
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