Lady solon files bill to help curb teenage pregnancy in PHL

House Bill No. 4742, authored by Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones (Pictured) , proposes the creation of a National Program on the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy (NPPTP) in the country. (Photo: Sol Aragones/ Facebook)

MANILA –A bill that seeks to establish programs addressing the country’s “alarmingly high” teenage pregnancy rate has been filed at the House of Representatives.

House Bill No. 4742, authored by Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones, proposes the creation of a National Program on the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy (NPPTP) in the country.

“Ten percent of our country’s population is composed of girls aged 15-19; of these 10 million girls, one in 10 get pregnant –that’s one million teenagers who must deal with the difficult realities of raising a child,” Aragones said.

The lady solon cited that teenage pregnancies in the Philippines remain alarmingly high despite a worldwide decline in pregnancies of women between the ages of 15 and 19.

“It is very alarming to see the increasing number of teenagers, who instead of pursuing education, would suddenly drop out from school because of early pregnancy. We need to address this worsening problem because these children do not have enough capacity to start and support a new family,” she said.

According to the United Nations Population Fund’s State of World Population 2016 Report, teenage pregnancy limits far too many girls’ hopes, dreams and aspirations. It undermines girls’ health, rights and opportunities. It also costs the country around PHP33 billion each year in foregone revenues.

On the other hand, girls who reach adulthood with an education and their health and rights intact could triple their lifetime incomes, thereby fueling progress for generations and entire nations, the study further noted.

Under the measure, the NPPTP will be developed through an inter-agency collaboration with the National Youth Commission (NYC), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Commission on Population (POPCOM).

If the bill is passed into a law, age and-development-appropriate comprehensive sexual education (CSE) will be taught starting from Grade 5 onwards, including topics such as human sexuality, adolescent reproductive health, health and nutrition, gender-sensitivity, gender equality and equity.

The bill likewise provides training for the teachers, guidance counselors, and school supervisors on comprehensive sexual education (CSE) through the DepEd, Technological Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The training shall involve the DOH, POPCOM, and NYC for technical assistance. Funding for the training shall be allotted in the concerned government agencies’ annual allocation to be approved by Congress