Despite declining total fertility rates in the Philippines, unintended pregnancies remain a pressing issue in the country, particularly among young women. In fact, according to the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the Philippines ranked 56th out of 160 countries in terms of having the most number of unintended pregnancies.
To address this issue, coinciding with World Contraception Day, the Commission on Population Development (CPD) emphasized the negative consequences of unintended pregnancies, including limited educational and economic opportunities, as well as potential health risks for both mothers and children.
“The alarming rise in adolescent pregnancies, especially among minors and young girls, underscores a pressing issue. Significant increases in live births among these groups, along with repeat pregnancies and rising adolescent fathers, point to serious concerns, including sexual abuse,” said Lisa Grace S. Bersales, Ph.D., Executive Director V – Undersecretary of CPD.
“By raising awareness and bolstering family planning and contraceptive services, we can empower young people to make responsible choices and take control of their futures,” she added.
Aiming to spread more awareness, CPD partnered with Bayer Philippines and the Forum for Family Planning and Development to help in normalizing conversations around Family Planning (FP) and Reproductive Health (RH).
“As we commemorate World Contraception Day, our vision remains the same: a world where every pregnancy is wanted, where choices on reproductive health and family planning are made from an informed standpoint,” stated Angel-Michael Evangelista, Managing Director and Country Division Head – Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Philippines Inc.
“Together with our partners at the Commission on Population Development, and The Forum, our goal is to enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health, by ‘Empowering Choices, One Decision at a Time’,” she continued.
Recognizing the power of digital platforms in raising awareness and improving access to information, Bayer Philippines and the CPD conducted a study on the impact of FP content on Facebook. The study found that social media can be a valuable tool in motivating individuals to seek out and utilize family planning services.
“Survey after survey, the top sources of young people’s information on sex and sexuality remained to be their peers or friends and other sources like the internet. We believe that if correct information becomes more accessible to the youth, it can enable them to make empowered choices to protect themselves. At the same time, they can be the peers to their other friends who can share correct information about sexual health,” said The Forum President Dr. Corazon Raymundo.
“Social media can be a powerful tool to inform and empower individuals, providing them with the resources they need to claim their full set of rights,” said Bersales.
Despite the growing use of digital platforms, many Filipinos still face significant barriers to obtaining modern contraception and FP services. These barriers include lack of awareness, affordability constraints, and societal limitations.
To overcome these challenges, CPD and its partners, Bayer Philippined and The Forum, continue to strengthen efforts to disseminate accurate information both online and offline, which includes providing comprehensive sexuality education, promoting men’s involvement in reproductive health, and addressing socio-economic factors that hinder access to FP services.
