Cagayan de Oro’s rate of teenage pregnancy cases worries officials

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The local government has sounded the alarm over the relatively high rate of teen pregnancy cases in the city.

Disturbed, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy called for city-wide efforts to reduce teenage pregnancy cases and urged parents to take an active role.

Uy also said city hall would step up the implementation of a city law imposing curfew hours on minors 14 years old and younger.

Richmond Charles Gajudo, assistant director of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) in Northern Mindanao, told a news conference that early exposure to social media and easy access to pornographic sites on the internet factored in the increase of teenage pregnancy cases.

Gajudo said the problem could be addressed by raising the awareness of teenagers and their parents about the dangers of the unregulated use of the internet.

“They don’t even have to go to porn sites. Sometimes, it is on Facebook…. So, there is a need to educate them in schools – and also the parents, so that they will learn how to take care of their adolescents. I think that is the best way,” he said.

The Cagayan de Oro City Health Office on Monday, February 20, expressed concern over the high number of teenage pregnancies, citing that pregnant teens are not ready for the responsibilities of motherhood.

Dr. Rachel Dilla, city health officer, said 31 of the 57 teenage mothers were from the city, while the other 26 came from other areas in Misamis Oriental.

On Thursday, February 23, Dilla said the data were culled from the records of the local civil registry.

“We looked at the addresses of the teenage moms who delivered their babies here, in our hospitals,” said Dilla.

She said many teenage mothers from neighboring towns of Misamis Oriental delivered their children in Cagayan de Oro which hosts most of the secondary and tertiary hospitals in this part of Northern Mindanao.

“Although we are second to Bukidnon, we still need to address the teenage pregnancy incidence in the city,” Dilla said.

In the rural Cagayan de Oro village of Bayanga alone, seven teen pregnancies were recorded last year.

Although the percentage has been decreasing three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the figures were still alarming because pregnant teens are not ready for the responsibilities of motherhood, Dilla said.

“The children should attend to their studies instead of getting pregnant,” she said.

The city government also started working closely with schools and local organizations to promote awareness about the problem and raise awareness among young people about the consequences of unwanted pregnancies.

The mayor said reducing the number of teenage pregnancies would be essential for Cagayan de Oro’s development and the well-being of its youth.

“Don’t let them out at night, especially when it’s already late. What would they do outside unless you send them out on errands? Most likely they would be (with friends or their sweethearts),” said Uy, addressing the parents.

Uy said he would hold dialogues with parents as part of city hall’s campaign to reduce cases of teenage pregnancy in the city, pointing out that the problem could exacerbate the cycle of poverty in the city.

“Since they’re not ready to assume motherhood, they will leave their children to the care of their parents who are already burned financially,” Uy said.

He said City Ordinance 4373-94, a local law that makes it unlawful for minors to be out in the streets at night and in the wee hours would be strictly enforced in Cagayan de Oro’s 80 barangays.

To help address the problem, the local government has partnered with the POPCOM for the Adolescent Health and Development Program.

The program, which is part of the local health office‘s Community Improvement Division, aims to monitor and protect teenage mothers and their children.

It also provides support and assistance to teenage mothers, including counseling, education, and access to health services. As of June last year, the program listed 50 beneficiaries. – Rappler.com

Cong Corrales is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.