Records show cases of mothers as young as 10 years old

The Negros Occidental Population and Development Division recently expressed concern over the number of reported teenage pregnancies in the province. In an interview with Bombo Radyo-Bacolod yesterday morning, Population and Development Division head, Dr. Edmund Calaor, said the number of mothers aged 14 years old and below is still worrying despite there being an overall drop in the number of teen pregnancies.
The provincial official said, as of 2018, there have been a total of 102 mothers reported between the ages of 10 and 14. He added, most of the cases originate from the province’s sixth congressional district with 22 out of the total 33 cases pertain to a young mother from Kabankalan City.
Bago City, meanwhile, reported 11 teen pregnancies.
Records also show some teen mothers have already reported multiple pregnancies.
Calaor said most of the cases were a result of sexual abuse, incestual rape, and lack of information regarding sexual interaction. He appealed for parents to teach their children about sex education,
Last November, non-governmental organization Philippine Business for Social Progress, which provides a service called Safe Motherhood Caravans, made a stop in Bago City. The program seeks to provide information on childcare and, at this particular event, a teenage mother recounted her experience raising a child at a young age.
According to a press release at the time, around 13,000 women have been helped by the program, which also paid visits to Bacolod City, Himamaylan City, and Kabankalan City./DGB, WDJ