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10-year-old mothers recorded in Luzon, as gov’t sounds alarm on girl pregnancies

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<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1618288" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA—A government agency that tackles population management on Tuesday said more has to be done to deal with preteen and adolescent pregnancies, following a Philippine Statistics Authority report about two 10-year-old mothers.</p><p>According to the PSA, the girls were from Metro Manila and Southern Luzon, but no further details were given.</p><p>The Commission on Population and Development said such cases were concerning, even though the number of mothers between 10 to 19 years old went down in 2019.</p><p>Popcom National Capital Region director Lydio Espanol Jr. said pregnancies involving minors were worrying, because cases posed &quot;extra health risks&quot; for the mother and the infant, &quot;including pre-term delivery and severe neonatal conditions.&quot;</p><div><strong>RELATED STORIES: </strong></div><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/08/21/pregnancies-among-10-14-minors-rising-social-support-needed-popcom">Pregnancies among 10-14 minors rising, social support needed: POPCOM</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/30/20/ph-population-to-reach-1108-million-by-2021-popcom">PH population to reach 110.8 million by 2021: POPCOM</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/06/25/20/covid-19-crisis-may-increase-births-in-ph-to-almost-2-million-popcom">COVID-19 crisis may increase births in PH to almost 2 million: POPCOM</a></li></ul><p>&quot;As reported by the World Health Organization, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are still the leading causes of death for 15-19 years old globally,&quot; the statement read. </p><p>Espanol added that local government units should &quot;harmonize efforts&quot; in boosting reproductive health education. </p><p>Citing PSA data, Popcom said cases of infants being born to mothers aged between 10 and 14 dropped slightly by 6.5 percent in 2019, after recording 345 cases compared to 369 in 2018. </p><p>Births by women aged 15 to 19 dipped by 4.8 percent in 2019 after logging 19,614 births from 20,613 in 2018, the same data showed. </p><p>Among LGUs, Quezon City logged the highest number of births (4,246) by mothers aged 10 to 19 in 2019, followed by Manila (3,782), Caloocan City (2,429), San Juan (100), and Pateros (95). </p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic and the Philippines&#x27; status as a developing country, Popcom added, were considered a threat to girl pregnancies, due to difficulties on prenatal and maternal services access. </p><p>On top of these, the pandemic also &quot;worsened&quot; the difficulty to avail of family planning services &quot;that is very crucial in mitigating cases of early pregnancies,&quot; the commission pointed out. </p><p>It will also be difficult for these young girls to finish secondary education, it said</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8MbAz_fA9uE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div><strong>REDUCING TEENAGE PREGNANCIES</strong></div><p>Popcom-NCR has collaborated with Zuellig Family Foundation in a bid to reduce teenage pregnancy through The Challenge Initiative (TCI) program. </p><p>Quezon City, Manila, and Makati were among the cities in the capital region selected for the project&#x27;s launch. </p><p>Popcom added that it is also looking into launching the Social Protection Program for Teenage Mothers and their Children, a project that the agency and Department of Social Welfare and Development will jointly oversee. </p><p>&quot;In order for these programs to yield better results, partnership among all stakeholders including those from the private sector, academe and barangays are deemed necessary,&quot; Popcom emphasized, citing Espanol. </p>

<p>According to the PSA, the girls were from Metro Manila and Southern Luzon, but no further details were given.<br /> </p>

According to the PSA, the girls were from Metro Manila and Southern Luzon, but no further details were given.