SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday cited the need to keep effective measures in place to sustain the decrease in the number of teenage pregnancies.

Although cases of teen pregnancy had declined, Gatchalian said the government should strengthen the implementation of mitigation measures to prevent a resurgence.

“Upang patuloy nating mapababa ang bilang ng mga batang ina sa mga susunod na taon, dapat nating tiyakin na may sapat tayong mga programa na magbibigay proteksiyon sa ating mga kabataan. Dapat nating bigyan ito ng prayoridad dahil madalas napagkakaitan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga batang ina,” he said.

The lawmaker stressed the need to address gaps in sexuality education in schools as
pointed out by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

A March 2021 discussion paper by the state think tank revealed challenges in the implementation of the comprehensive sexuality education such as the lack of qualified manpower and sufficient facilities, trainings, and instructional materials, coordination, and monitoring system.

The study also pointed to the inadequacy and inaccessibility of trainings on sexuality education curriculum integration.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Commission on Population and Development Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III said that there were 56,428 live births among 10- to 17-year-old mothers in 2020, which is 6,082 or 10 percent lower than the 62,510 recorded in 2019.

According to POPCOM, Covid19 lockdown restrictions and the lack of face-to-face classes contributed to the drop in adolescent pregnancies. It warned however that numbers might rise anew once pandemic concerns recede.