CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Commission on Population (Popcom)-Central Luzon announced the winners of this year’s Regional Adolescent Health and Development (AHD) Film Festival with schools from Central Luzon bagging the top prizes.
The Best Film went to “Sa Kabila” of St. Mary’s College of Baliuag- Baliuag, Bulacan, while the best short film and best director went also to the same film. Other winners also include schools from Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.
Themed “Mass Media and Information Communication Technology (ICT) Use, Non-Sexual Risk Behavior, and Early Sexual Initiation of the Youth in Central Luzon”, the said film festival is Popcom-3’s approach to promote the effect of traditional and social media on the sexual behavior of youth, according to Popcom-3 Director Eleanor Cura.
Cura said the regional film fest is an effective strategy for the youth to be aware and internalize reproductive health issues affecting themselves, and to contribute to the solution to these issues as well.
“With these films, we aim to address rising cases of teenage pregnancy, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as other youth-related concerns in the region,” Cura added.
Based on data collated by Popcom from partner agencies covering the years 2013 and 2014, Region III has reported teenage pregnancy cases among girls as young as 10 years old. Most cases involve girls in the 15-19 age group, it was learned.
The figures also illustrate an increase in teen pregnancy cases in all provinces in the region except for Aurora and Tarlac. The same report states that the region has seen a 6.61 percent increase.
Central Luzon ranks second in the whole country in terms of premarital sex and early sexual encounter among the youth.
