Manila: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian sought the active involvement of parents and local government units (LGUs) to curb the cases of teenage pregnancies and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. ‘We have to also focus on getting the parents more involved, not just by meeting them regularly but by really mobilizing them,’ Gatchalian said, as quoted in a news release on Sunday. ‘I really believe that mobilizing the parents is another way of curbing teenage pregnancies. When we mobilize the parents, we make them aware of these issues and empower them by educating them on how to talk to their kids,’ Gatchalian added.
According to Philippines News Agency, he also called for the full and effective implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11908) or the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) Program Act, which he authored and co-sponsored. In a recent hearing on the Department of Education’s (DepEd) implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), Gatchalian emphasized that parents should take the lead in instilling responsible behavior among adolescents to protect them from the consequences of risky behaviors.
While pregnancies among adolescents aged 15 to 19 have been declining, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show an increase in pregnancies among very young adolescents aged 10-14. From 1,629 in 2013, pregnancies among very young adolescents more than doubled to 3,342 in 2023. Gatchalian also cited alarming data from the Department of Health (DOH), showing the average number of newly reported HIV cases per month rising to 1,470 in the first half of 2023. Among the total reported cases of HIV, 34,415 (29 percent) were among the youth aged 15-24.
To operationalize the PES Program Act effectively, Gatchalian emphasized the importance of collaboration between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in engaging parent-teacher associations (PTAs). He suggested that the DSWD coordinate with the PTAs to help distribute the modules developed under the PES program. The DSWD is the lead agency in the implementation of the PES program.
Under RA 11908, the PES Program is mandated to help all parents and parent-substitutes strengthen their knowledge and skills in fulfilling their parental duties and responsibilities. It also aims to protect and promote children’s rights, foster positive early childhood development, and advance their educational progress. The PES program shall be implemented in every city and municipality, the law states.