Angara to file bill to help curb teenage pregnancy

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara on Sunday added his voice in setting off alarm bells on the steady rise in teenage pregnancies in the country, which the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) earlier said should be regarded as a “national emergency.”

Citing a report from the Department of Education, he noted that unwanted pregnancy was a major reason why many elementary and high school female students had stopped going to school.

To address the issue, Angara said he would file a resolution seeking to strengthen Republic Act No. 10534, more known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.

“Child and teenage pregnancies in the country are growing at an alarming rate and it is imperative for the government to do something about this at the soonest possible time,” Angara said.

He said Popcom statistics showed that since 2011, pregnancies among 10 to 14-year-old girls rose by 50 percent and that about 530 teenage girls get pregnant every day. —Marlon Ramos