LOCAL government units (LGUs) and population agencies are exploring the expansion of teen centers in high schools and barangays across the Davao Region to give youth access to guidance and health services.
During the Healthy Davao Media Forum on Monday, August 24, at SM City Davao Annex Building on Quimpo Boulevard, Davao City, Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Davao Regional Director Jeff Y. Fuentes said community- and school-based teen centers serve as safe spaces for counseling, reproductive health education, and youth development.
"Atong gina-push ang mga LGUs and schools to establish and functionalize these teen centers kay dire nato mahatagan og direct assistance, counseling, and proper information ang ating mga kabataan," Fuentes said.
(We are pushing the LGUs and schools to establish and functionalize these teen centers because this is where we can give direct assistance, counseling, and proper information to our youth.)
He added that localized facilities help prevent early pregnancies by addressing adolescent needs directly in their communities.
The regional expansion builds on local initiatives in Davao City, where the City Health Office (CHO) Population Division operates the Davao City Teen Center on Pelayo Street alongside 33 certified adolescent-friendly health facilities.
City government data show these centers serve youth aged 10 to 24. Services include adolescent reproductive health counseling, family planning, HIV/Aids awareness, and mental health support, with direct referral pathways to facilities like the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
Fuentes said functionalizing these centers ensures at-risk youth receive psychosocial support, medical referrals, and guidance to stay in school.
The push to strengthen these community-level interventions follows data reported during the forum showing that over 280 girls aged 10 to 14 became pregnant in the Davao Region in 2024, underscoring the critical need to reach children who are entering family life at extremely young ages. GRS
