Teenage mothers and their children in Ormoc City, Leyte, will now receive assistance from the government, according to the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom).
The assistance will be provided through the rollout of the social protection program for adolescent mothers and their children (SPPAMC).
Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio A. Perez III said part of the proposed amounts to be distributed under the program is to extend a monthly assistance of P500 per teenage mother. This amounts to a total of P6,000 a year.
“We are proposing P500 per month per adolescent mother. We have a request of P78 million pending in Congress to cover an initial 10,000 beneficiaries,” Perez told the BusinessMirror on Tuesday.
Popcom developed the SPPAMC based on the approved Social Protection Operational Framework and Strategy, which will include a pilot implementation of proposed interventions in select partner-LGUs, with Ormoc City being the first of them.
Perez expects other LGUs will follow Ormoc City’s lead, as Popcom has received numerous letters of intent for pilot implementation of the program in their areas of responsibility.
They are Dagupan City (Pangasinan) in Region 1; Lallo and Solana (Cagayan), Maddela and Diffun (Quirino) and Roxas (Isabela) in Region 2; as well as Mabalacat City (Pampanga) and Meycauayan (Bulacan) in Region 3.
“As a whole, the SPPAMC’s message is that all is not lost for the said marginalized members of our society, and that their government is working to provide hope and a possible rebound toward an ideal quality of life,” Perez said.
Popcom said Ormoc City Mayor Richard I. Gomez signed the Ormoc City Executive Order (EO) 216 early this month. The EO aims to provide opportunities for education, access to health services and other assistance for residents.
Gomez said one of the threats to the development of adolescents and the youth is teenage pregnancies and this can prevent them from realizing their potential.
Popcom Regional Director Elnora R. Pulma lauded the city government for being the first local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines to collaborate with the agency for the SPPAMC.
“With commendations to the city for recognizing the value of the program, I believe that Ormoc—with the able leadership of Mayor Gomez—will encourage other LGUs in operationalizing the same in their area. They can be assured of our agency’s full and unwavering support for its successful implementation,” Pulma said.
Pulma added data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics of 2019 showed that Eastern Visayas region logged 7,000 pregnancies among teens in 2019.
There are at least eight young mothers who had already given birth when they were 13 years old. She said the SPPAMC being enabled in Ormoc City would encourage these youth to rise above their conditions, and still be productive citizens.
Perez said Ormoc City’s piloting of the SPPAMC demonstrates the government’s inclusive and holistic approach in addressing issues on teen pregnancy.
“The SPPAMC is the national government’s tangible manifestation in ensuring no one is left behind in terms of progress and development—including almost 200,000 young Filipino mothers and their kids,” Perez explained.
“We know their situation can adversely affect their future and potential. Without proper interventions such as the SPPAMC, they could be trapped into a vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty,” he said.