DAVAO CITY – Teenage pregnancy cases dropped in this city last year but it remains a significant concern on national and social levels.
DR. Camella delos Reyes (left), in charge of the Socials Committee and Reception of the POGS Southern Mindanao Chapter, and Dr. Gladies Rioferio, an obstetrician-gynecologist, head of the Committee on Maternal-Perinatal Welfare and member of the POGS Foundation, discuss adolescent pregnancy during the Armed Forces-Philippine National Police press conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City on Wednesday, March 6. (Ivy Tejano)
Dr. Gladies Rioferio, a licensed obstetrician-gynecologist, head of the Committee on Maternal-Perinatal Welfare, and member of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) Foundation Inc., said that teenage pregnancy cases are concerning because they often involve sexual abuse from sexual perpetrators.
“Half of the cases involve a family member or a neighbor as the sexual perpetrator. What is more alarming is that when we ask some teenagers, the youngest one is 10-years-old, they already have boyfriends,” Rioferio said.
Rioferio said that these girls' boyfriends were in their 20s working as tricycle drivers who usually fetch them.
What is sadder about this, she said, is that some of them are not aware of their rights when their boyfriends physically or emotionally abuse them.
“Most of them do not report the abuse due to fear. During the prenatal check-ups, they do not mention anything about their relationship to someone because their parents are there, especially if they are below 18-years-old. No complaint, the abuser gets away,” she said.
According to the Republic Act No. 11648, statutory rape refers to the criminal act of engaging in sexual activity with a minor who lacks the legal capacity to consent, regardless of any mutual agreement between the involved parties.
Rioferio said that as far as they are concerned, the age at which an individual can legally consent differs depending on a country, typically between 16- and 18-years-old, and below this threshold, the individual is generally classified as a minor or a child.
She said that during their lectures with teenagers across the region, they were surprised by how much they knew and how sexually active they were at a very young age. She added that teenage pregnancy cases may spike again if the parents remain unaware of their activities.
Rioferio said the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) here recorded 1,448 teenage pregnancy cases last year. She added that of the total cases, 4.35 percent are 12- to 14-years-old, 26.73 percent aged 15 to 16, and 68.92 percent are 17 to 18.
Meanwhile, the Davao City Population Office under the City Health Office (CHO) reported at least 2,737 teenage pregnancy cases in 2023, 18.78 percent lower than 3,135 in 2022.
The government has logged a concerning trend in adolescent pregnancies under the age of 15 since 2017.
Population Office head Jerrielyn Lewis said earlier that the city government intends to enhance its initiatives in educating the youth on the consequences of adolescent pregnancy by conducting seminars and forums, including for their staff who deliver the services to their clients.
Lewis said they will also assemble and train young peer counselors to support needy teenagers. She added that they noticed that teenagers are more candid and open when discussing their problems with peers their age than adults.
Dr. Camella delos Reyes, in charge of the Socials Committee and Reception of the POGS Southern Mindanao Chapter, said that the public and private sectors are putting up programs that help and empower teens to have the autonomy to consult physicians for free.
“There are hospitals in Davao City that allow free consultations so teens will be empowered and educated on the importance of family planning. We’re also educating them about VAWC (violence against women and children), so they know when it is not okay and what their rights are,” Delos Reyes said.
Delos Reyes said POGS has been focusing on the VAWC and reaching out to students to educate them on how to be responsible in making decisions, the significance of family planning, and other significant topics about life once they get into a situation.
The government has been actively advocating against teenage pregnancy by promoting policies in the legislative arena and through campaigns, such as partnering with organizations supportive of contraception to ensure Filipinos exercise their reproductive rights.