POPCOM on teenage pregnancies: ‘Call our body parts as they are’

INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Parents are urged to educate their children on the proper terms for sensitive body parts, avoiding terms like “birds” or “flowers,” said a Commission on Population and Development (CPD) official on Wednesday.

Acting Division Chief of the CPD’s Knowledge Management and Communication Division Mylin Mirasol Quiray said it is important to educate adolescent children on sexuality to help curb the rise in teenage pregnancies.

READ: Popcom ‘deeply concerned’ about rise in teen pregnancies

“Starting young na (that) you teach them how to distinguish between a good touch and a bad touch. It could start as simple as that. And calling our body parts as they are – not ‘birds,’ not ‘flowers,’ ‘no (right)? Ganoon katindi (It’s that extreme.),” said Quiray on the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing.

READ: Numbers fall but PH teen pregnancies persist, mirror economic, learning gaps

The Philippines reported an increase in teenage pregnancies post-pandemic, with around 150,000 live births among adolescents.

Quiray said the country has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the region.

“We are also calling on our all players and stakeholders in government and non-government na (that) let us work together for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy, because it’s an urgent national priority,” said Quiray.