Ormoc, PopCom formulate protection program for young mothers

MANILA – Ormoc City became the first local government unit (LGU) to partner with the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) to pilot the social protection program for adolescent mothers and their children (SPPAMC).

The SPPAMC will ensure that no one is left behind in progress and development, including almost 200,000 young Filipino mothers and their children, PopCom chief Dr. Juan Antonio Perez said in a statement on Tuesday.

A special provision in Republic Act 11518, or the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2021, states that PopCom “shall develop a recommendation for a special protection program for teenage mothers and their children”.

PopCom Region VIII Director Elnora Pulma lauded Ormoc for its SPPAMC efforts.

“With commendations to the city for recognizing the value of the program, I believe that Ormoc, with the able leadership of Mayor Richard Gomez, will encourage other LGUs in operationalizing the same in their area. They can be assured of our agency’s full and unwavering support for its successful implementation,” she said in a previous statement.

Executive Order (EO) 216 signed by Gomez in early November stipulates the continued provision of “opportunities for education, access to health services and other assistance, safeguarding a better quality of life, while reducing poverty incidence and other vulnerabilities to serve the best interests of the City and its constituents”.

In the EO, Gomez and city officials recognized that “one of the emerging threats to the development of adolescents and youth is the increasing incidence of pregnancies, particularly among the youth”.

A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data published in 2019 showed that Eastern Visayas logged 7,000 pregnancies among teens, with at least eight giving birth when they were only 13 years old.

Pulma said the situation can adversely affect their future and potential and without proper interventions such as the SPPAMC, they could be trapped into a vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty.

The SPPAMC is based on the approved Social Protection Operational Framework and Strategy, which will include a pilot implementation of proposed interventions in select partner-LGUs.

Perez anticipates other LGUs will follow Ormoc City’s lead as they have received letters of intent from Dagupan City (Pangasinan) in Region I; Lallo and Solana (Cagayan), Maddela and Diffun (Quirino) and Roxas (Isabela) in Region II; and Mabalacat City (Pampanga) and Meycauayan (Bulacan) in Region III.

“The activation of the SPPAMC with Ormoc City serves as a prelude to the observance of Population and Development Week from November 23 to 29, which focuses on building the foundation of Filipino families for the nation’s growth. The SPPAMC is being conducted nationwide with the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” he said.

He cited that Ormoc’s move is a complementary response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s enactment in June 2021 of EO 141, which directs “government agencies and other instrumentalities to adopt as a national priority all measures that can address the root causes of the rising numbers of adolescent pregnancies in the country”.