MORE YOUNG MOMS: W.Visayas logs 103 pregnancies among 10–14-year-olds in 2023

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Teenage pregnancy is affecting younger age groups, with 103 cases recorded in 2023 among girls aged 10 to 14, a trend authorities said highlights gaps in local interventions and reproductive health access.

The Commission on Population and Development-Western Visayas (CPD-6) reported that the figure represents more than a 21 percent increase from the 85 adolescent live births documented in 2019.

All provinces and highly urbanized cities in the region, except Antique and Capiz, recorded increases in 2023.

The province of Iloilo posted the highest number with 49 cases, up from 35 in 2019.

“What’s alarming is that among the 10- to 14-year-olds, cases remain few but are rising rapidly,” CPD-6 director Harold Alfred Marshal said, noting that attention tends to focus on the 15- to 19-year-old group while younger girls are increasingly affected.

Marshal said pregnancies among 15- to 19-year-olds remain more common, but the rate of increase in this group has slowed.

According to CPD-6’s 2024 data, the youngest recorded mother in the region is 11 years old.

Marshal added that anecdotal reports include a 9-year-old who gave birth and later died.

“They are getting younger, and we need to do something about this,” he said, stressing that the number of pregnancies among 10- to 14-year-olds is rising quickly.

Marshal also acknowledged that while the issue of teenage pregnancy is evolving, interventions by local government units have not kept pace.

He said many interventions remain outdated, such as symposia or seminars, which do not address modern challenges like easy access to pornographic content.

“A lot needs to be done,” he said, adding that involving policymakers — especially the Sangguniang Kabataan — could help strengthen prevention programs.

“We have to admit that adolescent pregnancy is here to stay,” he added. “All we have to do is manage it.”

CPD-6 population program officer Roilo Vincent Laguna also highlighted structural gaps, especially in implementing the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, which requires minors to obtain parental consent to access modern family planning services.

He noted that local governments often struggle to meet the growing needs of adolescents.

“They [LGUs] may reach, but not enough to reach everyone,” he said. “There is a gap — young people may have information, but if they want to avail some service, there are policies and hindrances for them.”