The number of very young adolescents (VYA), or those between 10 and 14 years old who are pregnant is continuously rising in the country, the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said.
Popcom said that based on the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) it cited an increase from 1,958 births in 2017 to 2,250 the year after.
Data from the PSA’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics revealed that the said teenage group saw a decrease in the number of births from 182,906 in 2017, to 181,717 in 2018.
Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III of the Popcom and Executive Director 5 of the Popcom, noted during the recent Senate hearing on various Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Bills, that there are about 130,000 babies from women younger than 20 years old who were fathered by men 20 years or older.
He also noted that of the births given by VYAs during the years covered, only 64 were fathered by boys 15 years of age or younger. He, likewise, did not discount the possibility or incidences of abuse suffered by these VYAs.
However, the number of births by VYAs has been growing since 2011 (1,381) to 2018 (2,250), which is a 63-percent increase.
Total births from adolescents actually declined to 183,967 births despite the increase in births from VYAs, or 504 deliveries per day.
Meanwhile, from a macroeconomic standpoint, Perez added that “adolescent mothers who will join the work force are at a gross disadvantage in terms of potential earnings in their lifetime, making them more economically vulnerable in life—compared with their peers who have finished high school and have yet to bear children.”
As he presented data on the lifetime earnings foregone of teenage moms, Perez described it as “at least six times less than what they are supposed to receive compared to their peers who finished basic education, and had no children as adolescents.”
In terms of earning potential, the Popcom chief cited a 2016 research by Dr. Alejandro Herrin: Education, Earnings and Health Effects of Teenage Pregnancy in the Philippines, which mentioned that childbearing, aside from associated health risks, “has implications in opportunities lost for their total development and well-being.”
To address the foregoing conditions, the Popcom chief is actively pushing for the passage of the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Bill. This developed as Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and Popcom chairman Ernesto M. Pernia has declared teen pregnancy situation in the Philippines as a “national social emergency.”
“For one, we would like to give teenage mothers a fighting chance in life and be productive citizens after giving birth. We are mobilizing local government units to advocate that those who are about to give birth to be given access to family planning methods,” he said.
If passed, the law would enable support for teenage mothers to be reintegrated to the community as a means of social protection. It will allow for adolescent moms to continue their education, and help them earn a decent living in the future.
“We are taking a holistic and inclusive approach on this matter, so that teenage mothers could have a greater chance to be productive members of the community and positively contribute to the economy, and to Philippine society as a whole,” Perez concluded.
Image credits: Imageegami | Dreamstime.com