By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The number of teenage pregnancy in Western Visayas has spiked in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on new findings from the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) Region 6.

Harold Alfred Marshall, Director of POPCOM-6, said based on data from the PhilHealth Service Information System of the Department of Health in Western Visayas, in 2020 they have recorded 10,309 total births among teenagers aged 10 to 19 years old.

Marshall pointed out it is an increase of 543 compared to 2019 wherein they only logged 9,766 and 9,970 in 2018.

Records also show that Negros Occidental had the highest number of teenage pregnancies with 4,989; followed by Iloilo province with 1,138; Antique with 855; Aklan with 705; Capiz with 678; and Guimaras with 174.

Among highly urbanized cities, Iloilo City logged 613 teenage pregnancies, while Bacolod City recorded 457./DGB, WDJ