POPCOM official alarmed over increase teen pregnancy in PH

On Friday, the head of the Commission on Population (POPCOM) clarified that more minors are getting pregnant in the Philippines. He said that there are at least 40 to 50 children aged 10 to 14 give birth every week, and not every year.

Photo credit: politics.com.ph

POPCOM executive director Juan Antonio Perez III rectified the statement he gave earlier to point out the increasing numbers of Filipino teenagers who have gotten pregnant.

Actually, ang bilang, medyo i-correct ko lang ang balita, mga 40 to 50 every week ang nanganganak na 10 to 14 years old, 

Perez said in an interview.

[About the figures, I would just like to correct that about 40 to 50 10-year-olds to 14-year-olds give birth every week and not every year.]

He told senators during the Senate finance committee’s hearing that roughly 40 to 50 10-year-old children are giving birth every year.

Based from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, Perez said that 2,250 children aged 10-14 years old gave birth in 2018, doubling from the 1,000 recorded in 2007. Meanwhile, he said an average of 64,000 minor children give birth every year.

Overall, ang teen pregnancy sa Pilipinas, 500 ang nanganganak kada araw.

[Overall, the teenage pregnancy in the Philippines is around 500 teenagers who give birth every day.]

Nag-aalala kami na ito’y nangyayari sa panahon ng iniimplement pa naman natin ‘yong RPRH Law, 

Perez said.

[We are concerned that this is happening while we are currently implementing the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law (RPRH).]

When asked about what possibly went wrong in implementation of the law, Perez cited the Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling which restricted minors who have been pregnant or had a miscarriage from accessing family planning and reproductive health services without their parents’ consent. This was one of the provisions abolished by the high court while declaring the RH Law constitutional.

May palagay kami na dahil tumaas ‘yong bilang nitong last six years na nagbabantay kami ay epekto rin ito ng pagkaalis ng access, ng karapatang gumamit ng family planning ng kabataang may anak na o buntis na,

he said.

[We think that the numbers increased over the last six years as an effect of the removal of access of the right to family planning of youths who already have children or have gotten pregnant.]

Perez also brought up during the senate hearing that the delay of DepEd's implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools, years after the enactment of the RH Law.

DepEd, however, was only able to come up with the guidelines for CSE in 2018. And it’s only going to be, probably next month, October, when DepEd will start implementing CSE in schools, 

he told the senators. 

He added that they have also been working with the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in crafting a guide to address the problem of adolescent pregnancies.

He then appealed for the passage of the bill that would expand the implementation of CSE outside schools.

Meanwhile, the POPCOM also supported proposals to raise the age of consent in determining statutory rape, from the current 12 years old, to 16.