The City Health Office (CHO) and City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) are intensifying their information education campaigns to help address the high number of teen pregnancy cases in Davao City amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jerrielyn B Lewis, pre-marriage counseling coordinator and acting chief of CHO’s City Population Division, said, “Sa magkasunod nga tuig, subo man paminawon, ang Davao City top 5 sa kaso sa teen pregnancy. Mao ning ginapaningkamutan sa city government ug CHO na makahatag ta og saktong serbisyo para ma address ning problema. Kay gamay lang sya tan-awon sa atong populasyon pero dako kaayo ning epekto sa atong mga kabatan-onan (For two consecutive years, it may be sad to note, Davao City was among the top five with the high number of teen pregnancy cases in the country. This is why the City Government of Davao and the CHO are striving to provide the right service to address this problem. The number may be a small part of our population but this has a great effect on our youth).”
She said that in 2021, the city logged 2,925 teen pregnancies among the 15 to 19-year-olds, which dropped from 3,464 in 2020. But there were also a few cases of pregnant teens aged 13 years old.
The teen pregnancy cases decreased during the pandemic as the minors’ mobility was limited during lockdowns and higher COVID-19 alert classification status as face-to-face classes were prohibited. It was only recently that the classes onsite started, particularly in public schools.
Highly-populated areas in the city registered a higher number of teen pregnancy cases.
“Latest nato usually kaning mga areas nga taas-taas nga population, ang Talomo area, ang Bucana ug District 2. Consistent na sila nga naay cases sa teenage pregnancy. Naa man pud sa far-flung areas pero cultural ang reason, mao nang sa atoang kaigsoonang IPS kay naa man sila’y teenage marriages so naa gyud teenage pregnancies (In our recent
monitoring, high teen pregnancy cases are usually noted in populated areas such as Talomo, Bucana, and District 2. They are consistent with having teen pregnancies. There are also cases in far-flung areas but the reason is cultural since the IPs allow teenage marriage, so teen pregnancies are to be expected),” Lewis said during the Serbisyo Dabawenyo program of 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Monday, May 30, 2022.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte, according to her, signed Executive Order (EO) 141 to address teenage pregnancy as it mandates local government units to create a plan to address the prevailing concern.
She also said that they intensified education campaigns through forums in schools during the pre-pandemic and community classes covering values formation, human sexuality, and family planning. The latter is for senior teens. They also provide mental health counseling and refer them to the agencies when needed.
Lewis cited the usual reasons for teenage pregnancy, such as lack of information on sexual health, dysfunctional family that could not guide a growing teen, peer pressure from friends, and social media influence.
The youth, she said, wants to know about sexual and productive health. And since they have already engaged in physical intimacy that should only be for married couples, they remind and encourage teen girls not to get pregnant if they continue their sexual activities.
Meanwhile, CSWDO PSCCD children welfare focal person Mark Timbang underscored the importance of values formation among children and not just during the teenage years.
“Maguol ta ingon ani gidangatan sa atong mga bata. Naa’y problema sa information pati sa values. Dako pud nang factor pagtudlo sa values sa atong mga kabataan labaw na sa mga parents. Ang DepEd atong katuwang kay taas nga oras ang mga bata sa ila (It is a great concern that our children are facing this challenge. There’s a problem with the information and the values. Parents teaching values to their children is a big factor. The Department of Education is also our partner in this since the kids spend more time with them in class,” Timbang said.
The CSWDO’s advocacy, he said, is that information dissemination does not only target the youth but their parents as well. “Dako kaayong dugang sa pag edukar sa katawhan, sa general public, labaw na mga ginikanan. Unsa’y ipasa pud nila kung kulang sad og education sa mga parents (Educating the public and the parents would be most helpful in our campaign. What would parents pass on to their children if they also lacked the education on the matter),” he added.
They focus on strengthening the values of the youth and helping them realize that they should instead think of their future and give importance to finishing their studies and fulfilling their dreams.
Timbang said that teen girls should also be educated about the consequences of early pregnancy, such as dropping out of school, health risks during pregnancy, and an uncertain future.
Lewis also said that teen pregnancy poses health risks to both mother and baby. Since the pregnant teen’s body is not yet fully mature to carry a child and give birth, possible risk factors include bleeding, malnutrition, maternal death, and infant death.
The CHO also intensified its lectures in communities and had set up a Facebook page to help address youth concerns during the pandemic. CIO
