Teenage pregnancy still up in E. Visayas

PALO, Leyte, July 17 -- The Commission on Population (PopCom) regional office here reported on Monday that a significant number of teenagers in Eastern Visayas still engaging in early sexual activities, though the percentage is on a decline compared to previous years.

PopCom Regional Director Elnora Pulma said gathered data showed a reduction of incidence from 5.62 percent in 2014, to 4.30 percent in 2015. The agency released the report on Monday.

Pulma said their interventions in addressing the teenage pregnancy problem appeared to be working. The interventions include intensified information and education campaign among schools on the risks of early sexual behaviors implemented by local population officers. 

The population office is likewise continuing with its classes and workshops to raise awareness on irresponsible decisions and risky behaviors among teenagers that lead to teenage pregnancy.

The total number of incidence for the region is posted at 9,549, of which Leyte province recorded the highest number at 4,677.

Samar recorded 1,660 cases; Northern Samar has 1,151; Eastern Samar has 968; Southern Leyte has 722; and, Biliran has 401 incidence in 2015.

In the region, 9.7 percent of females from 15 to 19 years old are already mothers, according to the 2014 Young Adult and Fertility Survey.

Early pregnancy can also cause maternal deaths. Deaths among mothers under 15 years old are 2.5 times higher than mothers aged 20 to 24, the survey revealed.

Meanwhile, Pulma has expressed support for the passage of House Bill No. 4742, authored by Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones, which proposes the creation of a National Program on the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy (NPPTP) in the country. 

“The bill if passed into law can spell out all the strategies and initiatives to prevent high incidence of teenage pregnancies in the country,” Pulma said.

Under the measure, the NPPTP will be developed through an inter-agency collaboration with the National Youth Commission (NYC), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and PopCom.

If the bill is passed into a law, age and-development-appropriate comprehensive sexual education (CSE) will be taught starting from Grade 5 onwards, including topics such as human sexuality, adolescent reproductive health, health and nutrition, gender-sensitivity, gender equality and equity.

The bill likewise provides training for the teachers, guidance counselors, and school supervisors on CSE through the DepEd, Technological Education and Skills Development Authority, and Commission on Higher Education. (Ahlette C. Reyes/PNA)