Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles reiterated his call for Congress to pass a measure that will create a national policy on teenage pregnancy prevention amid reports that about 40 to 50 Filipino children aged 10 to 14 years old give birth every week.
The Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) also said that an estimated 2,250 children belonging to the 10 to 14 age group gave birth in 2018, which is more than double the estimated 1,000 in 2007.
“The numbers are staggering, and Congress must do its part to help address this urgent issue.”
The PopCom also cited a study by the University of the Philippines’ Population Institute projecting more than 2 million births in the country next year. According to the said study, around 200,000 of these births, or 11 percent, would be from the age group of 20 years old and below.
“The numbers are staggering, and Congress must do its part to help address this urgent issue,” said the solon.
“Nananawagan ako sa mga kasamahan nating kongresista—talakayin na natin sa lalong madaling panahon ang mga panukalang batas na nagtatangkang magbigay-lunas sa mga isyung ito,” pleaded Nograles.
The neophyte lawmaker last year filed House Bill No. 5516, or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2019.
The proposed legislation aims to give teenagers full and comprehensive information that could help them prevent early and unintended pregnancies.
If passed, the government will be mandated to develop an evidence-based, medium-term National Program of Action for the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancies. The program of action shall serve as the national framework for inter-agency and inter-sectoral collaboration at all levels to address the various health, cultural, socio-economic, and institutional determinants of teenage pregnancy.
“We must protect the youth from being robbed of their future because of ill-informed choices.”
The measure would also provide support and incentives to adolescent parents to continue their education.
Nograles expressed fears that if left unchecked, more people would spiral down into poverty.
“Amid a pandemic, and in our recovery efforts in the succeeding years, it would be an added burden if our population is allowed to boom unchecked, especially when future parents belong to a vulnerable age and sector and would be hard-pressed to fend for themselves,” the Harvard-trained lawyer said.
“We must protect the youth from being robbed of their future because of ill-informed choices. As it is, they are already facing an uphill battle because of the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ipasa na po natin ang panukalang-batas, at madaliin ang paglikha ng polisiyang ito, para sa proteksyon ng interes ng ating mga kabataan.”