Health Secretary Ted Herbosa expressed reservations about Senate Bill 1979 or the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill, saying the rising cases of childhood pregnancies in the Philippines can be addressed by fully implementing existing laws like the Reproductive Health Law.
In a radio interview over the weekend, Herbosa said that the problem lies not in the lack of legislation but in the poor implementation of current laws, such as the Reproductive Health (RH) Law.
“Mayroon naman tayong Reproductive Health Law, hindi naman tayo kailangang magpasa ng panibagong batas (We already have the Reproductive Health Law, there’s no need to pass a new law),” he said.
Herbosa acknowledged that childhood pregnancies remain a pressing issue in the country, describing it as a “national crisis.”
“Ang totoo, mataas ang ating childhood pregnancies. These are pregnancies that are unplanned before the age of 18 (The truth is, we have high childhood pregnancies. These are pregnancies that are unplanned before the age of 18),” he said.
He emphasized that addressing unplanned pregnancies and reducing maternal deaths among minors should be the focus of the government.
“Ang importante ay maturuan natin ang lahat ng ating mamamayan na ang problema ay iyong unplanned pregnancies, at ang pagtaas ng mga namamatay dahil sa panganganak. At nakita naming sa datos namin sa Department of Health, ito ay ang ating mga kabataan na nabubuntis na unplanned (What’s important is that we teach all our citizens that the problem is unplanned pregnancies and the increase in deaths due to childbirth. And we’ve seen from our data in the Department of Health that it is our youth who are experiencing unplanned pregnancies),” Herbosa explained.
The Department of Health (DOH) chief pointed out that unplanned pregnancies among the youth often lead to complications since they typically do not seek regular check-ups.
Implementation, not new laws
Herbosa pointed out that funding is not the main issue but rather the conflicting ideologies surrounding existing laws.
“Hindi naman iyong pondo ang problema. Ang problema, kung minsan, may naipasok doon sa batas na hindi agreeable sa ibang mga sector (The problem is not the funding. The problem, at times, is that there are provisions in the law that are not agreeable to other sectors),” he said.
Instead of crafting new legislation, Herbosa suggested enforcing current laws, including those addressing statutory rape and child protection.
“Mayroon tayong batas na any pregnancy below 16, nag-sexual contact at nabuntis, iyan po ay statutory rape. Very important maimplementa iyong mga existing batas tungkol dito (We have a law that any pregnancy below 16, if there was sexual contact and pregnancy occurred, that is considered statutory rape. It is very important to implement the existing laws regarding this),” he pointed out.
Herbosa added that the DOH would work with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to ensure the enforcement of these laws.
Holistic approach
Herbosa emphasized the need for a multi-faceted approach to tackle childhood pregnancies, saying it can involve abstinence as advocated by the Catholic Church, or the use of modern contraceptive methods.
“Maraming kaparaanan iyan, pwede nating sundin ang ideolohiya, whether po ito ay ng Catholic Church, na ang gusto nila ay abstinence, which is also correct. Pwede naman ang paggamit ng modern methods of contraceptives (There are many ways to approach this, we can follow the ideology, whether it’s that of the Catholic Church, which advocates for abstinence, and that is also correct. The use of modern methods of contraceptives is also an option),” he said.
The DOH chief also called attention to the role of social media in contributing to the problem, noting the prevalence of pornography online.
“At may problema rin tayo sa paglaganap ng pornography sa social media (We also have a problem with the spread of pornography on social media),” he said.
Herbosa noted that debates among various groups have caused delays in progress.
He reiterated that the full implementation of existing laws and collaboration among sectors is key to solving the problem of childhood pregnancies in the country.
Per the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the percentage of teenage pregnancies among Filipino women aged 15 to 19 has decreased from 8.6 percent in 2017 to 5.4 percent in 2022.
However, a worrisome 35 percent increase in live births was recorded for girls aged 15 and under, rising from 2,320 in 2021 to 3,135 in 2022.