THE Commission on Population (Popcom)-Northern Mindanao pushed for an intensive education among the youth to highlight their contribution on the issue of growing population in the country.
For this year, Popcom is focused on investing on the rights of adolescent girls to education, health, and protection from violence and abuse.
In a press conference on Monday, Popcom-Northern Mindanao regional director Jeremias Gupit said the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in the region is already alarming as 61,000 teenage girls, ranging from 10 to 19 years old, are becoming teenage moms.
“For this year, we focus our attention on the empowering of our girls. They should be empowered through providing the necessary information, education and skills needed for them to cope with the stresses they face," Gupit said.
In a house-to-house survey conducted by Popcom 10 last January 2016, five out of 410 teenage girls gave birth at the age of while nine are already mothers at 15, 18 girls gave birth at 16 and 53 borne out babies at 17 and 46 females gave birth at 19.
Of the 866,299 adolescents in northern Mindanao, 276,349 had engaged in premarital sex, 47,646 had casual sex (one night stand), 25,989 engaged in FUBU or sex Buddies, 19,925 had engaged in paid sex as payee and or 14, 727 as client of paid sex, 90,961 had engaged in phone sex, and 37, 251 had sex with someone they met only through the internet or text.
Aside from the presentations of cases on teenage pregnancy and premarital sex, Popcom also raised the risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), human immuno deficiency virus HIV) and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) in which cases in the city has been rising.
Gupit said the provincial and city population officers should implement and establish various adolescent health and youth development activities for the girls.
"The activities should mitigate, if not totally eradicate the incidence of teenage pregnancy, diseases, and most especially youth-related problems," he added. (NSalic/MSU-Marawi Intern)