Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 11) — Makabayan bloc lawmakers filed a bill seeking to launch a probe on the sharp increase in teenage pregnancies in the Philippines.
House Resolution No. 1571 — filed by Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas; Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro; and Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago — wants the committee on population and family relations to conduct an investigation and to address high rates of teen pregnancies among girls aged 15 and below.
In the resolution, the Makabayan bloc lamented the fact that despite the implementation of Republic Act 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 for almost a decade now, the country has been recording a “rapid increase of unwanted pregnancy among teenagers.”
It said the situation should be seen as a “national and social emergency.”
The Makabayan bloc cited the latest data from the Commission on Population and Development, which revealed that Filipino minors who gave birth in 2019 increased to 62,510 from 62,341 in 2018.
“Pregnancy among minors is a major health issue, especially for the marginalized sectors who have little to no access to family planning methods, health services and other relevant information on reproductive health,” the lawmakers said in the resolution.
They said minors who are pregnant or caring for their newborn babies suffer “worse circumstances” amid the pandemic when the government still implements quarantine controls, including existing age restrictions.
The implementation of Republic Act 10354 should be under review “in order to address the difficulties in implementing an age and development-appropriate sexuality education and other important government programs under the said law,” the resolution read.
