DAVAO CITY — Partnership between the Population Commission (POPCOM) and other local government agencies are sought to control the rise of teen pregnancies.
In a Philippine Information Agency dispatch, Popcom Executive Director Dr. Jose Antonio Perez III said they are reaching out to local government units and the Department of Education to address the increase of teenage pregnancies in the country.
According to the Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey (YAFSS) 2013, there is an increase of females in the ages of 15 years old to 19 years old who have become mothers, to 13.6 percent in 2013 from only 5.8 percent in 2002.
Also, the percentage of females 15-19 years old who have began childbearing doubled from 7.9 percent in 2002 to 16.7 percent in 2013.
DepEd is currently in the process of developing standards for the comprehensive sexuality for youth curriculum which will be taught among Grade 5 students.
Perez said they are expecting the curriculum to be taught next year.
The curriculum is part of the provisions under Republic Act 1035 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law.
“We feel the LGUs and DepEd can really help in addressing the issue,” Perez said.
Davao Region has the third highest prevalence of premarital sex in the region with two out of five youth who have engaged on it. And 80.2 percent of the first premarital sex were unprotected against the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted illnesses.
Perez said one of the programs of Popcom in curbing teen pregnancies is U4U, a peer-education program which uses interactive media to reach out to youth. U4U with the peer counselors uses films and interactive games in a 2-3 hour activity which is widely received by youth for being interesting and informative. (davaotoday.com)
