Camille Naredo

"Jessy," 16, cares for her infant baby inside their home in a permanent housing tenement in Bgy. Smokey Mountain, Tondo Manila, May 9, 2018. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

"Jessy" 16, cares for her infant baby inside their home in a permanent housing tenement in Bgy. Smokey Mountain, Tondo Manila, May 9, 2018. For many families teen pregnancies  seem to be an inescapable part of growing up in the slums. While the government is doing all it can to make sure that their infants are cared for in local health centers, its still up to the communities to help teen-agers focus on education.  Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

TEEN PREGNANCY

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173755442485320180509-mothers-day-11-JC.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="&quot;Jessy,&quot; 16, cares for her infant baby inside their home in a permanent housing tenement in Bgy. Smokey Mountain, Tondo Manila, May 9, 2018. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">&quot;Jessy,&quot; 16, cares for her infant baby inside their home in a permanent housing tenement in Bgy. Smokey Mountain, Tondo Manila, May 9, 2018. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Senate President Francis Escudero sees a complicated road up ahead for Senate Bill 1979, or the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy law after seven senators withdrew their support for the bill.</p><p>Its, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, gas bared plans to file a substitute bill that will address concerns on the age and cultural propriety of the sexuality education the bill intends to mandate.</p><p>Escudero notes that the Committee on Rules will have to study if the seven senators are enough to recommit the bill to the committee level and if Hontiveros&#x27; substitute bill maybe tackled in the plenary session even with the withdrawal of Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, Loren Legarda, Nancy Binay, Bong Go, JV Ejercito and Cynthia Villar.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/22/revilla-is-6th-senator-to-withdraw-support-of-prevention-of-adolescent-pregnancy-bill-1621">READ: Senators withdraw support of Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy bill over criticism</a></div><p>Senate Bill 1979 is currently pending second reading before the full Senate.</p><p>&quot;Dalawa ang nangyari ngayon kaugnay sa panukalang batas na yan. Nag-manifest si Senator Risa na siya ay maghahain ng substitute bill. Sabi niya, pinakinggan niya at nakinig siya sa mga pagtutol at marunong daw siyang makinig. So maghahain siya ng substitute bill. Sa parehong araw na ito, may ilang mga senador na nag-withdraw,&quot; said Escudero.</p><p>&quot;Hindi ko pa nakikita yung sulat dahil nasa plenaryo ako nag-prepreside. Titignan namin yung epekto niyan. Bakit? Parang double prejudicial question ang lumalabas. Ibig sabihin, ang wini-withdrawhan ng mga senador ay yung original na bill na binawi na ni Sen. Risa o sinabi niyang babawiin niya at papalitan ng mas bago, mas malinis, mas maayos siguro. Pero pwede pa bang gawin yun kung nag-withdraw na yung anim? Umabot ba yan sa mayoriya na makakaapekto dun sa pananatili ng bill sa plenaryo?&quot; he added.</p><p>&quot;Yun ang titignan pa namin, dahil hindi ko pa nakita kung ilan yung nag-withdraw. At kung yung nag-withdraw ba ay kabilang doon sa mother o main committee na naghahandle noon. Sang ayon kasi sa precedents ng Senado nangyari yun ilang beses lang o ilang konting beses lang na nag-withdraw at ang nangyari ay nabalik yun sa komite para mag-file ng substitute bill.&quot;</p><p>But the complications do not end there, because the bill was submitted by more than one committee. This will matter in determining whether there are enough senators to send the bill back to the committee.</p><p>&quot;Depende kung ilan. ...Depende kung ilan at kung majority na base sa committee. At kailangan din suriin dahil minsan may mga joint committee. Sangayon sa aming rules, kung pupunta tayo dyan, ang binibilang ay yung miyembro ng lead committee. Hindi pwedeng double count. Kasi di ba, refer to the committee on, kunyari, health, finance, and kung ano man. Hindi itototal yun, kasi minsan may mga miyembro na miyembro ng dalawa o tatlong committee. Ang titignan ay yung bilang at dami ng lead committee,” Escudero said.</p><p>&quot;Sa kasong ito, ang lead committee ay committee on women,” he added.</p><p>Escudero explained there actually is nothing new with filing a substitute bill, but he believes this makes the situation all the more complicated.</p><p>&quot;Double prejudicial ang posibleng lumabas. Double prejudicial question. Ang wini-withdrawha-n ay yung luma na pinapalitan naman na. Pero pwede pa bang palitan kung wini-withdraw na? So, isa yun sa mga bagay na tatalakayin ng committee on rules kung sakasakali. Kasi, di ba, parang halos nagsabay eh. Halos nagsabay eh. o reaction yung isa sa isa. Hindi ko lang malaman kung anong nauna, kung chicken o the egg,” Escudero said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/20/marcos-says-parts-of-teen-pregnancy-prevention-bill-ridiculous-abhorrent-1152">READ: Marcos slams &#x27;woke absurdities&#x27; in teen pregnancy prevention bill</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/1/21/teen-pregnancy-bill-triggers-senate-panel-probe-into-sex-ed-implementation-1316">READ: Teen pregnancy bill triggers Senate panel probe into &#x27;sex-ed&#x27; implementation</a></div><p>Escudero did say that the committee chair is authorized to file a substitute bill, and welcomed Hontiveros&#x27; move.</p><p>&quot;Well, sinabi ni Senator Risa na siya ay nakikinig. Siya ay marunong makinig. Siya ay hindi naman nakaukit o nakasulat sa bato yung kanyang mga ni-report out. At ang tingin ko roon, isang mapagpakumbabang attitude, ika nga sa trabaho niya bilang chairman ng Committee on Women, na hindi niya inaangkin lahat ng talino sa lahat ng bagay, particular sa panukalang batas na yan,” Escudero said.</p><p>Escudero previously expressed opposition to the bill in its current form, and said he has already proposed amendments to the bill. </p><p>&quot;Natanong nyo ko nung una kaugnay nito, kung pabor ako o kontra. Ang sabi ko ay, sa kasalukuyang bersyon, kontra ako. Pero sabi ko din, kung naipaliwanag at naidistribute yung aming sagot, ito&#x27;y sumasailalim pa sa kasalukuyan sa proseso ng lehislasyon. It&#x27;s still subject to the procedure of legislation, the rigors of legislation, which among others include debate, interpellation, and amendment.  So, wala pa namang botohan sa penal na versyon. Sa araw na ito, nag-hain ng intention si Sen. Risa na palitan yung nauna niya nang inihain na hindi ako sang-ayon. At aminin ko, sabi ko nga din sa aking press statement doon nakaraan, nagsumite ako ng mga panukalang amendments sa kanya na karamihan naman yata ay ipapasok niya sa substitute bill bagaman hindi ko pa nakikita. Aantabayan na namin yun,” Escudero said.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DUmjLE7FDig?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sb8d4m2I7dg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senate President Francis Escudero sees a complicated road up ahead for Senate Bill 1979 or the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy law after seven senators withdrew their support for the bill.</p>

Senate President Francis Escudero sees a complicated road up ahead for Senate Bill 1979 or the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy law after seven senators withdrew their support for the bill.

'Double prejudicial questions' hound Senate's anti-teen pregnancy bill: Escudero

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'Double prejudicial questions' hound Senate's anti-teen pregnancy bill: Escudero

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 22, 2025 10:59 PM PHT

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Senate

Senate Bill 1979

Francis Escudero

Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill

teen pregnancy

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