Patrol on teenage pregnancies

Manila, Philippines -  The number of teenage pregnancies in the country has reached alarming proportions according to a United Nations (UN) study, which revealed the Philippines now ranks first among Southeast Asian nations in terms of high adolescent pregnancy rates.

Tonight on ABS-CBN’s Patrol ng Pilipino, Jing Castañeda (right)will dig deeper into the alarming statistics by interviewing a group of teenage pregnant girls to find out what factors influenced, or even encouraged them to engage in premarital sex.

The UN Population Fund Agency also found out that teenage pregnancy cases in the country surged by 70 percent in only a decade with a pregnancy rate of 53 in every 1,000 women aged 15 to 19.

Meanwhile, Dominic Almelor (left) will look into the alleged discrepancies in the screening process of beneficiaries in the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program which provides cash grants and incentives for the poorest families in the country.

The Commission on Audit has found out that many of the program’s beneficiaries are not extremely poor, casting uncertainties on the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s procedures in selecting families. How will DSWD address this issue?

Know the stories behind the news in Patrol ng Pilipino after Bandila or watch it earlier on DZMM Teleradyo (SkyCable Ch. 26), 9:15 p.m.