PH Loses Over ₱30B Annually to Teenage Pregnancies

Based on specialists from the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), teenage pregnancy in the Philippines poses a major threat to the economic growth of its labor force.

According to UN Population Fund Country Representative, Leila Joudane, one out of 10 births in Southeast Asia are from women below the age of 19.

The Philippines is roughly estimated to lose over ₱30 billion annually due to teenage pregnancies. The total foregone income of teenage girls who fall pregnant is around ₱83,000 per year.

“When she gets pregnant early, she would earn much less than people who continue to study,” mentioned Joudane. “The issue of adolescent pregnancy  affects her potential future.”

The UN, WHO, Korea International CooperationAgency, and the Philippine Health department have kickstarted a campaign against teenage pregnancy in Souther Leyte and Samar, two poor provinces located in Eastern Visayas with one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines.

The program is set to train over 150 health service providers, 150 public school teachers, and 360 local government units in over 20 towns located in these provinces.

The Philippines is challenged with a learning crisis that experts are saying threatens the already struggling labor force of the country.

“Adolescent pregnancy is not only a health and education problem but also an economic development issue,” mentioned Gustavo Gonzales, UN Philippine Resident Coordinator.

Gonzales says that “From a health perspective, adolescent pregnancy brings up complications. It is costing the health system,”  He adds that “There are economic losses because [they are] an important part of the human capital of the Philippines that cannot be fully integrated into the labor market.”

Source: Business World