The Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) aims to better utilize social media to encourage more parents to talk to their children and provide sexuality education at home.
Undersecretary for Population and Development (POPDEV) Juan Antonio Perez III told the BusinessMirror that only 10 percent of parents are willing to talk to their children about love, sex, and relationships as inscribed in the Constitution.
The 1987 Constitution prescribes that parents have the “natural right and duty” to rear “the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character.”
“The Constitution gives parents the primary role in this aspect for minor children who have high rates of pregnancy but only 10 percent of parents are willing to take on this role,” Perez told the BusinessMirror on Thursday.
In order to help parents fill this role of guiding minors, Popcom and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) developed the Konektado Tayo FB page.
“This platform will be a parenting aid in adolescent sexuality and reproductive health,” Perez said. The FB page to date has reached over 13 million people and has about 4,200 followers.
Together with the Department of Health (DOH), Popcom and USAID on Thursday launched the “Konektado Tayo” campaign to bridge the communications gap between Filipino parents and their adolescent children, particularly those concerning adolescent sexuality and development.
The campaign will use FB, through the page, as the primary platform to reach the above-mentioned target audiences and help improve their quality of conversations about love, sexuality, and relationships.
Through the campaign, DOH, Popcom, and USAID aim to achieve “three Es.” The first is to encourage Filipino parents of teenagers to communicate with their children about topics on love, sexuality, and relationships.
The second is to equip the adults with the knowledge and skills to feel confident about the information they will share with their children on relevant topics.
The last is to enable parents to build their teens’ values and life skills, which they will need as they transition to adulthood.
“With Konektado Tayo, parents will never be alone in this endeavor, as we commit to provide our shared efforts in creating strategies and avenues for meaningful dialogues with their children toward their overall development, their families and eventually, our nation,” Perez said in a news statement.
According to the DOH, parents play a critical role as main educators in making their children realize and achieve their full potential, so that they can complete their education and create opportunities for a better future.
The DOH underscored the importance of connections among young people, the people who matter the most to them, and those they can trust, such as their parents and mentors.
It believes having open, respectful, discreet, and compassionate conversations on sensitive issues, such as relationships, sexuality, and sex, by way of “Konektado Tayo,” can help prevent risky sexual behaviors, while promoting responsible decision-making among young Filipinos.
“Let us all commit to support our adolescents by providing avenues and platforms for them to freely share their thoughts about their sexuality, sexual and reproductive health needs, and concerns they may have as they go through this crucial period in their lives,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.
Earlier estimates made by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) showed that the lockdowns increased teen pregnancies by 21.04 percent.
Based on the UPPI estimates, the community quarantines will lead to 102,000 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years olds becoming pregnant. This is 18,000 more than the 84,000 expected teen pregnancies without the lockdowns.
One of the things that should also be monitored with this number, Perez said, is the observation that there is a high chance that a second or third pregnancy could follow.
With this, Perez said, there is a need to attain zero repeat pregnancies nationwide. In order to address this, Perez said that apart from national governments, the LGUs have an important role to play to prevent even more adolescents from getting pregnant.