Despite the declining teenage pregnancy cases during the pandemic, the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) has called for continuous vigilance especially as full in-person classes in public schools resumed nationwide.
In a statement released Tuesday, Nov. 8, POPCOM officer in charge-Executive Director (OIC-ED) Lolito Tacardon called out concerned stakeholders to conduct “sustained and intensified monitoring” on youths.
“As they gradually return to their normal activities, we should not let our guards down. It should give us more resolve to strengthen and sustain our efforts in providing age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education and information, as well as access to reproductive health services among adolescents, which we deem will sustain, or further accelerate, the decline in adolescent pregnancy percentages,” he said.
The latest data from the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) showed that the number of young Filipino females who started childbearing at age 15 to 24 years declined to 386,000, equivalent to 6.8 percent in 2021.
This figure is lower compared to the 13 percent recorded in 2013.
According to Tacardon, the notable decline could be attributed to the continuing and collective advocacies and initiatives of the national and local stakeholders.
However, despite the large decline in childbearing in 2021, UPPI found that more than half of the regions posted higher rates than the 2021 national rate.
Apart from this, Tacardon also called for heightened vigilance on the increasing number of live births among very young adolescents (VYAs).
Citing data from the Civil Registry and Vital Statistics (CRVS) in 2022, he said a high number of live births among minors ages 10 to 14 years old were recorded.
“Their condition still requires collective attention from concerned authorities, especially national agencies and local government units, which can influence and reverse the alarming statistics,” Tacardon added.
