The Commission on Population and Development has expressed alarm over the renewed increase in the number of children aged 10 to 14 years old who are getting pregnant and giving birth, urging lawmakers to immediately pass the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention bill.
“As the country observes National Women’s Month, the Philippines is facing a disturbing reality: Children are having children,” the agency said in a statement, pointing out that two of the youngest mothers recorded in the CPD dataset were both only 10 years old.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the CPD said there were a total of 3,612 girls aged 10 to 14 years old who gave birth in 2024, an 8.9 percent increase from the 3,343 recorded in 2023.
Most of the young mothers come from regions with large populations, where access to age-appropriate information and services are limited.
“When a child becomes a mother, something has gone terribly wrong,” CPD Executive Director Lisa Grace Bersales said in the statement. “These are girls who should be in school, discovering their dreams – not raising children before they even understand adulthood.”
To address the rise in adolescent pregnancies, the CPD urged lawmakers to immediately pass the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention bill, which calls for a comprehensive sexuality education program in all public and private education institutions.
The proposed measure also seeks to expand adolescent-friendly health services, establish integrated service delivery networks, and implement social protection programs.
Bersales stressed that the prevention of adolescent pregnancies requires action not just from the government, but also from families, schools, and communities.
We all know that children should not be having children, but that is something that a society can just wish or pray for. It is something that everyone has to work at intentionally, which means engaging in difficult conversations at home and in schools, being present, and providing access to services and protection programs if necessary. Legislation like the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention bill can help, but without the deliberate cooperation of the adults, this is an issue that will not just go away.*
