4, 713 pre-teen and teen pregnancy cases recorded in CAR from 2022-2023; youngest is a 10-yr.-old

Baguio City, Philippines - Adolescent pregnancy has been a growing concern in the Cordillera region in recent years and continues to be an issue today, according to the regional Commission on Population and Development (CPD).

Based on the data from the agency, there are 2,392 teenagers and pre-teens who got pregnant in 2023, while in 2022, there were 2,321. The youngest mother they documented is a 10 year old girl.

Of the cases in 2023, Apayao had the highest number with 477, followed by Baguio City with 445, Kalinga with 346, Mt. Province with 315, Abra with 279, Benguet with 269, and Ifugao with 259.

Information from the regional Department of Education, on the other hand, revealed there are already 145 grade 7 to grade 12 students who became young mothers this school year 2024-2025. Some of them are still studying, while the others dropped out.

 “... this is very alarming kasi we all know na one pregnancy is already too much. Actually, we already called it adolescent pregnancy kasi hindi lang teenager ang  nabubuntis because we also have cases ng 10-14. So pabata ng pabata yong mga nabubuntis ngayon, which is very alarming,” said CPD Regional Director Cecile Basawil when she was interviewed by the media recently.

The primary factors for the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy in CAR, according to Basawil, include lack of sex education among the youth and peer influence, among others. 

To help address the problem, she urged parents to take a more active role in talking about sexual health and relationships with their kids, saying, “Information is power…Empower our adolescence or ating mga anak…Give them the necessary information”.

For their part, the CPD CAR, along with other relevant agencies, educational institutions, and the local government units, is currently implementing thorough sex education campaigns and youth counseling to help aid the concerning trend.