PopCom to LGUs: Boost reproductive health drive after PSA records moms as young as 10 yrs old

Logo of the Commission on Population and Development.

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) has sounded the alarm for local government units to boost its efforts in reproductive health education as mothers as young as 10 years old were reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

This was despite a recorded decline in births to mothers aged 10 to 19 years old in Metro Manila, PopCom-NCR Regional Director Lydio M. Espanol, Jr. said.

“Although a declining trend was observed in both age brackets, the case of a 10-year-old getting pregnant has sounded the alarm for all local government units to harmonize their efforts for stronger and better initiatives on adolescent reproductive health,” Espanol said in a statement.

The PopCom, citing Civil Registry Statistics of the PSA, said that there were two 10-year-old mothers recorded in Metro Manila and Region 4-A. However no further details were given about the young mothers.

But PSA figures also show that there was a decline in babies being born to mothers aged 10 to 19 in NCR alone. From 369 cases in 2018, the PSA recorded 345 births of babies to moms aged 10 to 14 in 2019, resulting to a 6.5 percent decline.

Meanwhile, there was also a significant decrease of babies being born to mothers aged 15 to 19, from 20,613 in 2018 down to 19,614 in 2019.

Among local government units, Quezon City was recorded to have the most number of births to mothers aged 10 to 19 in 2019 with 4,246, followed by Manila (3,782), Caloocan City (2,429), San Juan City (100) and Pateros (95).

Espanol, meanwhile, added that the case of the 10-year-old mothers “carries extra risk” not only for the girl but also her unborn child.

“As reported by the World Health Organization, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are still the leading causes of death for 15-19 years old globally,” the PopCom said.

“The case of the Philippines as a developing country poses higher threat to the lives of these young girls,” PopCom added.

“The current pandemic has not only worsened the difficulty of availing prenatal and other maternal services but also family planning services that is very crucial in mitigating cases of early pregnancies.”

JPV