
The region had a slight decrease in teenagers giving birth, from 9.28 percent in 2019 to 9.09 percent in 2020, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
But Popcom-6 head Harold Alfred Marshall considered the prevalence rate in Western Visayas as “alarming” as it is more than double the national acceptable rate of four percent.
Negros Occidental had the highest prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Western Visayas at 34.63 percent in 2020 – 2,912 out of the 8,409 live births were of teenage mothers from 10- to 19-years-old.
Negros Occidental also had youngest teenage mother, an 11-year-old in Silay City.
Iloilo is second with a prevalence rate of 27.55 percent or 2,317 births from teenage mothers.
Guimaras had the lowest prevalence rate with 2.82 percent or 237 teenage mothers giving birth.
With the high prevalence rate, Popcom-6 reiterated the need for a multi-sectoral approach in curbing teenage pregnancy in the region.
“We are calling for support from all stakeholders to continue to invest and ensure that Filipino adolescents are protected and their potential developed to decrease the cases of adolescent or unintended pregnancies. Also for the young mothers to pursue and continue to develop themselves as they build their own families,” Marshall said.