Region I reminds young people to be vigilant against adolescent pregnancies as it closely monitors the movement of its numbers between 2020 to 2022.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 2022 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) showed a dramatic increase of Region I livebirths among women under the age of 15 by 194.74 percent – from 38 in 2020 to 112 in 2022. Of the four provinces in the region, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and
Pangasinan have seen an increase of under 15 livebirths from 2020 to 2022, the highest coming from Pangasinan – from 10 in 2020 to 73 in 2022.
The same scenario is also seen in the country as it recorded a 35.13% increase in live births among girls under 15 years old — from 2,320 in 2021 to 3,135 in 2022.
In a recent statement, CPD Undersecretary Lisa Grace S. Bersales expressed her concern about the increase in adolescent pregnancy, especially “among our very young girls.” She reiterated the agency’s call for the passage of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill which aims to prevent teenage pregnancies and institutionalize social protection for adolescent parents and their children.
“We cannot overemphasize the significance of having the bill enacted. It is my strong belief, and that of the agency’s, that its enactment will be essential in addressing the lingering concern of early child-bearing and motherhood among a great number of our juvenile Filipino girls,” she said.
In addition, Usec. Bersales stated that the bill will be vital in implementing the recently approved Philippine Population and Development Plan of Action (PPD-POA) 2023-2028 by Memorandum Circular 40 on November 14, 2023. One of the plan’s eight key strategies is advancing adolescent health and development, in which the prevention of early pregnancies is included.
“PPD-POA covers bolstering of the implementation and promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools and communities, improved availability and access of adolescents to sexual and reproductive health and other social services, plus promoting and sustaining youth development and participation initiatives at the community level, with specific tactics to tackle adolescent pregnancies head-on at every level of society,” Bersales said.
CPD-Region I Acting Regional Director Aileen T. Serrano also expressed her concern over the latest data from the PSA and urged everyone to implement measures to prevent young people from engaging in sexual and non-sexual risky behaviors.
(Mae Grace M. Ariola)
(Source: CPD-Region I)