Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Juan Edgardo Angara would file separate solutions to probe the rising number of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines after the Commission On Population (PopCom) declared child and teenage pregnancy as a national emergency.
Senator Angara would file a bill to reinforce Republic Act No. 10534 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.
“Child and teenage pregnancies in the country are growing at an alarming rate, and it is imperative for the government to do something about this at the soonest possible time,” Angara said.
Under the strengthened RA 10354, the Department of Education should create a curriculum for each grade level in consultation with the school officials, parents-teachers-community associations, and other interested parties. The curriculum would be implemented by public schools and may be used by private institutions.
Status of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines
Senator Gatchalian said that despite the RH Law, pregnancies in the 10-14 age group increased by 50 percent between 2011 and 2017 based on PopCom’s report. 30 to 50 of this age group were 10-year-old children.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey, nine percent of 4.9 million teenage women aged 15-19 years old have begun giving birth.
“What is even more alarming is that 30 to 50 percent of these pregnancies involved 10-year-old girls. Children this age should be in school and playing with other kids. They cannot possibly be ready to get pregnant and raise their own children,” Angara said.
“When young girls get pregnant, they are forced to quit school. Their lives take an unexpected detour, ambitions are set aside, and they effectively lose their childhood. No child should have to go through this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian wanted Senate inquiry to invigorate the comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and control the increasing number of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines.
“Despite the existence of the CSE and the RH Law, teenage pregnancy rates in the country are still alarming,” he said.
“We need urgency in institutionalizing measures and ensuring their proper implementation to address this situation. Protecting girls from teenage pregnancy empowers them to be independent and economically productive members of the society,” Gatchalian added.