Bill aims to curb adolescent pregnancies

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker is urging his colleagues to fast-track the passing of a measure that seeks to prevent adolescent pregnancies in the Philippines. 

Quezon City 1st district Rep. Arjo Atayde is hoping for the immediate passage of House Bill 7276 or the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act.

“We are hoping that this bill on adolescent pregnancy is passed so we can create immediate policies on how we put solution to this grave problem,” said Atayde, a member of the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development. 

The young lawmaker, who is also the author of House Bill 7276, made the appeal upon returning to work from Cannes, France last May where he successfully marketed his film Topakk (Trigger) various foreign film producers.

According to Atayde, the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development has recently approved a substitute bill that forms a national policy to address adolescent pregnancies as well as social protection for adolescent parents in the country. 

Atayde’s call for the bill's passage comes as the Philippines still has one of the highest adolescent birth rates among ASEAN countries. 

Although cases of adolescent pregnancy among 15- to 19-year olds have gone down to 7.2% in 2021 from 14.4% in 2013, the number of births by mothers aged 10-14 years have also shown a slight increase (1,903 in 2016 and 2,113 in 2020 per the Philippine Statistics Authority), according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 

Atayde said the bill provides for the establishment of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Inter-Agency Council, which would formulate and implement policies for family-oriented, adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health programs. 

The council would also be mandated to develop an evidence-based National Medium-Term Plan for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy. 

The plan would serve as the national framework for inter-agency and inter-sectoral collaboration and resource allocation at all levels, to address the various health, cultural socio-economic and institutional determinants of adolescent pregnancy.

The bill is being pushed by The Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc., of which Atayde serves as treasurer. The group is composed of congressmen and other advocates that aim to formulate public policies requiring legislation on population management and socio-economic development. 

Meanwhile, Atayde said experts will continue to underscore the negative effect of teen pregnancy, particularly its social and economic outcomes for both adolescent mother and child.

According to a UNFPA study, adolescent mothers are more likely not to finish high school or college and are likely to be unemployed. 

The UNFPA also said that the Philippines is estimated to lose P33 billion a year due to adolescent pregnancy, and that foregone income of teenage girls who get pregnant is P83,000 a year.

Rep. Arjo Atayde said experts will continue to underscore the negative effect of teen pregnancy, particularly its social and economic outcomes for both adolescent mother and child.

 

Despite the decrease from 8.6% in year 2017 to 5.4% last year (2022) based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Atayde said that teenage pregnancies remain a serious issue that “sinks the vulnerable deeper into poverty.”

Atayde also stressed that the problem of teenage pregnancy could last for generations. 

“We need to open our minds and have immediate action on how we resolve this problem,” he said.