BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Health (DOH) Cordillera is set to launch projects aimed at lowering the incidence of adolescent pregnancies in the region.
Vincent Ingen, regional coordinator of DOH-Cordillera’s Adolescent Health and Development Program, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday that his office will conduct leadership programs and other activities for adolescents in the region, initially in Benguet province.
Ingen said DOH-Cordillera will also strengthen the technical working groups in the different line agencies engaged in the welfare and conduct of activities for the youth.
The agencies will also monitor and launch an information drive for the age group.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adolescent mothers as those aged 10 to 19 years.
Cordillera has recorded 1,807 cases of adolescent pregnancy from January to July this year, less than half of the 4,008 cases recorded in the whole year of 2017.
Of the 1,807 adolescent pregnancies in the region, 455 cases were recorded in Baguio City, 352 in Benguet, 287 in Ifugao, 257 in Apayao, 196 in Mountain Province, 192 in Kalinga, and 68 in Abra.
Ingen said while the cases of adolescent pregnancies seem to have decreased in the region, programs addressing the problem must continue.
“This means that our effort in lowering teenage pregnancies in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has resulted positively. Now, we need to continue to address the situation to sustain or to lower the percentage of teen pregnancy in our region,” Ingen said.
“Take, for example, the ‘commodities,’ especially in far-flung areas. Our technical working group will be the one to educate and provide services needed by the adolescents,” he said.
By commodities, Ingen referred to items like contraceptives.
Ingen said a lot of factors lead to adolescent pregnancies.
“Marami kasing factors talaga yan, katulad ng peer pressure, pagkakaroon ng broken family, walang guidance from their parents, and of course yung curiosity nila. At that age, gusto nilang mag-explore. Without guidance, talagang magkakaanak sila ng maaga. (There are a lot of factors, such as peer pressure, broken family, lack of parental guidance, and of course, their curiosity. At that age, they want to explore.
Without guidance, they really are prone to give birth at an early age),” he explained.
To jump-start the program, the DOH-CAR conducted workshops under the banner “Am-among (gathering) for Health: Adolescent edition” on Nov. 13 and 14 in this city.
The event aimed to give adolescents mothers some information on health, life-skills building, health services available to them, and how to avoid getting pregnant too early in life.
“It is a crucial period of psycho-social and biological changes that affect the behavior of adolescents. Parents, teachers, and health service providers should understand and guide them to prevent the development of risky behaviors,” Intengan said.
He added that based on the 2017 National Demographic Health Survey for Cordillera, 3.5 percent of women aged 15 to 19 years old or those at the beginning of the childbearing stage, became pregnant and had already undergone abortion.
Meanwhile, DOH-CAR regional director Amelita Pangilinan said women who get pregnant during their adolescence may experience health problems, such as high blood pressure or increased blood sugar, which can cause organ damage.
There is also a high probability for the babies to be born premature or even die, Pangilinan added. If they survive, children born to young mothers may also be prone to infection and diseases, she said. **Pamela Mariz Geminiano/ PNA
