ILOILO – In Western Visayas, teenage pregnancy cases are seeing a downtrend since the start of this year, according to the Commission on Population (POPCOM).
Data from the region’s six provinces and two highly-urbanized cities showed 3,316 births from January until June were by teenaged mothers 19 years old and below.
This figure is 26.72 percent lower than last year’s 4,202 cases in the same period, according to Director Harold Alfred Marshal of POPCOM-6.
“Daku gid ang gin-decrease sang 2020 sa duha ka mga quarters,” Marshal told Panay News.
He said POPCOM’s data were gathered from all Rural Health Units across Region 6 after prenatal visits of teenagers.
He attributed the decrease to the ongoing community quarantine enforced to suppress the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Somehow ang lockdown may epekto man kay indi kagwa sa panimalay ang 20 years and below,” Marshal said.
He, however, acknowledged the limited access to prenatal services because of travel restrictions and this may have contributed to the declining statistics, too.
According to Marshal, POPCOM targets to consolidate all the data by the end of 2020.
The agency earlier projected a possible increase in teen pregnancies perceived to be related to women’s increased time at home due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
But what was more alarming, according to Marshal, was the growing number of young women getting pregnant young as 10 years old.
“Kon sang una ang aton data nagapakita 15 to 19 years old adolescent pregnancy, subong they are getting younger. Temprano nagabusong na sila. Three years or four years ago indi man na amo,” Marshal said.
The youngest teenage mother the POPCOM recorded was 13 years old, said Marshal.
Lack of parental supervision and social media may have contributed to the teenage pregnancy problem, said Marshal.
Senators have been deliberating Senate Bill No. 1334, or the proposed “Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act.” Its provision on CSE, however, was opposed by Catholic schools and universities.
The POPCOM also supported proposals to raise the age of consent in determining statutory rape, from the current 12 years old, to 16./PN
