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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gatchalian seeks probe on rising teenage pregnancies

Gatchalian seeks probe on rising teenage pregnancies

Published Sep 3, 2022 10:52 am

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry on the rising cases of teenage pregnancies and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections among the Filipino youth.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, cited a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report that teenage pregnancy is a consequence of having little to no access to school information, or sexual and reproductive health care.

The UNFPA also said that adolescents in the Philippines who have begun childbearing before reaching the age of 18 are less likely to complete secondary education.

In filing Senate Resolution (SR) No.13, Gatchalian took note of the importance of reviewing the current policy on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) to assess the comprehensiveness of its scope and the effectiveness of its implementation.

Aside from preventing teenage pregnancies and HIV infections, Gatchalian also stressed the importance of educating learners to become independent and productive members of society.

Gatchalian pointed out that since 2010, the average share of teenage pregnancy in total births in the country has substantially increased to about 28 percent from 2000 to 2009, this figure was at 21.5 percent.

The increasing number of HIV cases is also attributed to the lack of education about safe sex as many engage in sexual contact without contraceptives.

From 1984 to March 2019, 65,463 cumulative cases of HIV have been recorded, 31 percent of which are males aged 15 to 24 who are still in learning institutions.

While the Department of Education (DepEd) issued Department Order (D.O.) No. 31 s. 2018 to guide the implementation of CSE, the UNFPA declared that there is a long delay in its integration in the K to 12 Curriculum.

The UN agency stated that this is a significant missed opportunity to provide young people with needed life skills to make informed decisions related to risk behavior with consequences to their health.

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