According to the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom), young mothers need to be focused on and helped.
If left unchecked, it is possible that more than 133,000 minors will get pregnant by the end of 2021, according to Popcom executive director Juan Antonio Perez.
“Nakikita kasi namin sa pamilyang Pilipino ang pinakamahuhuli riyan ay ang mga pamilya ng mga menor de edad.”
“Ngayong taon sisimulan na namin ang social protection sa mga batang ina na may anak.”
According to Perez, Popcom and various agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Health already have their own program but it needs to be merged.
“Ang kulang na lang yung ayuda talaga…Siguro sa mga susunod na buwan paguusapan namin ng DSWD kung saan makakakuha ng pondo,” he added.
The issue of teenage pregnancy, says the Popcom, is a crisis that needs to be resolved quickly, and 47 out of every 1,000 babies today are minors.
According to experts and groups focused on the issue of population, most of those who are now pregnant or married is due to lack of education allegedly obtained at school, as well as in their community.
Assistance for teen mothers needs focus: Popcom
According to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM), the number of children giving birth to children aged 15 and under increased by 7 percent in 2019.
This number translates to almost seven births daily, a 300% increase from 2000 when only 755 from this age group gave birth, the Commission added.
It stressed out that the Philippines, for the ninth year, recorded a continuous increase in teenage pregnancies since 2011.
Calabarzon recorded the highest number of births among children with 8,008, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) with 7,546, and Central Luzon with 7,523.
Meanwhile, teenage pregnancies were also high in Northern Mindanao (4,747), Davao (4,551), and Central Visayas (4,541). In total, the number of children who gave birth in 2019 increased to 62,510 compared to 62,341 in 2018.
Last week, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urges young people to focus on their education first and avoid casual sex.
In an interview with TeleRadyo, Secillano said that nothing has changed in the church’s teaching that sex is done when a woman and a man are married.