The number of minors who become young parents continues to skyrocket, especially during the pandemic, the Commission on Population (Popcom) said.
The issue of teenage pregnancy, says the Commission on Population (Popcom), is a crisis that needs to be resolved quickly, and 47 out of every 1,000 babies today are minors.
“Lumalabas sa pag-aaral na ito, itong mga kabataan na nagsisimula ng pamilya habang menor de edad, sila ang malamang na maiiwan sa pag-unlad ng bayan… Ang mga pamilyang Pilipino na pinangungunahan ng mga batang ina na menor edad ang pinakadukhang pamilyang Pilipino sa ating lipunan,” said Popcom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III.
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.
If left unchecked, it is possible that more than 133,000 minors will become pregnant by the end of 2021.
PopCom is in a hurry to provide social protection to young mothers.
“Ngayong taon pa lang, ni-recognize na ng Congress na ang teenage mother at ‘yung kanyang anak ay kailangan nang maisama sa social protection,” said Perez.
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Number of minors getting pregnant continues to increase – PopCom
This benefit is being pushed into law to be included in the annual budget.
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.