Teen pregnancies up in Zamboanga City amid lockdown, curfew for minors
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The regional office of the Population Commission has recoroded a rise in teen pregnancies in Zamboanga City amid a lockdown and a curfew for minors meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Cecil Abuy, spokesperson for PopCom office, said data from the City Health Office showed at least 628 teenage pregnancies in Zamboanga City from April to June 2020.
Abuy said the recorded cases appeared to be higher by 135 cases compared to the same period last year.
The PopCom official said that in the past six months, it has recorded 1,121 adolsecent pregnancies in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
"We are really baffled as to what are the causes on the rise of teen pregnancy cases despite of the lockdown and curfew due to the implementation of quarantine, and that’s what we are trying to find out," Abuy said.
The PopCom will be sitting in an emergency meeting with city officials to discuss its findings.
Abuy said that, based on the data, most of the pregnancies are in densely populated barangay, where teenage activities are easily monitored.
The Popcom official said teen pregnancy is believed to be attributable to both social and behavioral factors. And based on studies, some specific factors that contribute to rising teen pregnancy incidence include peer pressure, exposure to social media, curiosity, rebellion, and lack of information on adolescent sexuality.
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