EARLY START. A young mother with her year-old daughter in this undated photo. In a forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency on Friday (Feb. 16, 2024), the Commission on Population and Development-Ilocos Region highlighted the importance of parental guidance through proper communication and values formation to prevent pregnancy among the youth. (PNA file photo by Joan Bondoc)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – A Commission on Population and Development (CPD) program officer in the Ilocos Region highlighted the importance of parental guidance through proper communication and values formation to prevent teenage pregnancy.
CPD-Ilocos program officer Kristine Padilla, in a virtual forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency-Ilocos on Friday, said they are conducting talks in coordination with local government units to bridge the communication gap between parents and the youth.
“Before, when we discuss issues about the youth, our audience are just the youth but now, we are also involving the parents, either the mother or the father, to tackle issues of their children,” she said, noting that teens usually seek advice from their peers.
The parents, on the other hand, find it difficult to answer the questions of their teen children, she said.
Padilla said they also discuss with the parents the use of technology or the internet since this is among the reasons for the increasing trend of pregnancy in the under-15 age bracket in the region.
“Factors not only due to sexual relationship but there are also cases of domestic violence, victims of rape, and abuse so, basically, we will also account social media influence. The access of the youth to unfiltered information has a huge effect in their decision-making,” she said.
Citing Philippine Statistics Authority data, Padilla said live births in the under-15 age group in the region reached 38 in 2020, 80 in 2021, and 112 in 2022, with a 12-year-old as the youngest mother.
In the 15-19 age group, there were 6,820 in 2020; 5,728 in 2021; and 5,702 in 2022.
Padilla said the decreasing trend proved that the programs of government agencies to address teenage pregnancies are effective.
She underscored the need to improve values formation among the youth.
“The external influences can affect a child if the core values are not established, thus they are prone to decision-making that are contrary to their beliefs or are not in the right path that can affect them greatly,” she said.
The CPD, Department of Education and Department of Health are conducting community-based dialogues, counseling, and reproductive health services to address teenage pregnancy.
Padilla said they have also established teen centers in schools and in local government units all over the region to cater to the counseling needs and to be able to refer them to agencies that could help them.
Mobile reproductive health services also reach even those in geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAS), she said.
“If the youth is not provided with information and services especially those in GIDAS, they will not be empowered to say no,” she added. (PNA)
