More parental, local gov’t actions vs teen pregnancies urged
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian urged parents and local governments to be actively involved in curbing the rising cases of teenage pregnancies and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections nationwide.
He stressed that parents should take the lead in instilling responsible behavior among adolescents to protect them from the consequences of risky behavior.
“We have to also focus on getting the parents more involved, not just by meeting them regularly but by really mobilizing them. I really believe that mobilizing the parents is another way of curbing teenage pregnancies…we make them aware of these issues, and empower them by educating them on how to talk to their kids,” the senator said in a statement.
While pregnancies among adolescents age 15 to 19 have been declining, Gatchalian noted that data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows an increase in pregnancies among very young adolescents age 10 to 14.
From 1,629 in 2013, pregnancies among very young adolescents more than doubled to 3,342 in 2023, he said.
What is even more alarming, he added, is the Department of Health (DOH) data showing the average number of newly reported HIV cases per month rising to 1,470 in the first half of 2023.
“Among the total reported cases of HIV, 34,415 (29 percent) were among the youth aged 15-24,” Gatchalian said.
His appeal for the parents’ and local governments’ active involvement entails the full and effective implementation of the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) Program Act (Republic Act No. 11908), which he authored and cosponsored.
To operationalize the PES Program Act effectively, Gatchalian emphasized the importance of collaboration between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Eucation (DepEd) in engaging Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).
The lawmaker suggested that the DSWD coordinate with the PTAs to help distribute the modules developed under the PES program. The DSWD is the lead agency in the implementation of the PES Program.
The law establishes the PES Program to assist all parents and parent-substitutes strengthen their knowledge and skills in fulfilling their parental duties and responsibilities.
It also aims to protect and promote children’s rights, foster positive early childhood development, and advance their educational progress.
Under the law, the PES program will be implemented in every city and municipality.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian has raised concern over the constitutionality of DepEd’s controversial Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), saying that it lacks clear legal basis.
“In a sense, it’s unconstitutional because it was not in the law, it has no legal basis. What was in the law is the reproductive health education under the reproductive health law of 2012,” he said in a radio interview on Sunday.
