THE COMMISSION on Population and Development (CPD) raised alarm over the increasing number of teenage pregnancies in the Philippines, calling for urgent action to empower Filipino youth through accessible and inclusive reproductive health education.

“We want our young people to know their rights and exercise their reproductive agency. They deserve to make choices about their bodies and future without fear,” said CPD Knowledge Management and Communications Division Chief Mylin Mirasol Quiray.

The United Nations has declared this year’s World Population Day theme as: “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world,” highlighting the largest generation of youth in history.

In line with this theme, Quiray stressed the need to equip Filipino adolescents with accurate information and safe platforms to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

According to 2023 data from the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Office, nearly 4,000 live births were recorded among girls aged 10 to 14—a figure CPD officials described as deeply alarming. Quiray also revealed that the youngest girl recorded to give birth in the country was only nine years old, meaning she was just eight when she became pregnant.

“So it’s really heartbreaking,” she said.

To address the issue, the CPD is strengthening its “I Choose” campaign through digital platforms such as the Malaya Akong Maging Facebook page and the website malayaako.ph, which serve as safe spaces for young people to ask questions and learn about reproductive health—topics often considered taboo at home or in school.

“These are platforms where they can ask the questions they’re afraid to ask elsewhere,” Quiray explained.