PopCom Alarmed Over Increasing Teenage Pregnancy in CenVis

The Commission on Population (PopCom) 7 has noted an “alarming” increase in teenage pregnancy in the Central Visayas.

“It is very alarming,” said PopCom 7 regional director Bruce Ragas.

Ragas said with this rate, they are helping the Department of Education in implementing sex education in schools.

He said the young people have to be “appropriately” informed on matters like sex to prevent pre-marital sex or marriage at an early age.

Ragas said Bogo City has a 12-year-old who got impregnated, which could be caused by mere curiosity. The city has 223 reports of teenage pregnancy for last year alone, he added.

In Negros, there was also a 13-year-old girl who became a mother, he said.

Ragas said they are still gathering information from different local government units, and he is expecting that these too have very young mothers.

“We have not seen the records of other LGUs (local government units). If it happened in Bogo, there’s no reason di ni mahitabo sa other LGUs,” he said.

Hence, apart from sex education, PopCom is also going to the barangay level to teach responsible parenthood, he said.

Image Credit: developmentdiaries.com