BY JOSEF DAVIDON & BENJAMIN CASPILLO III/UM Interns
- Minors account for over 11% of total births in Q1: POGS
SEVERAL districts in Davao City saw a rise in teenage pregnancy, as shown in the 750 adolescent deliveries recorded during the first quarter of 2025, accounting for nearly 11.4% of the total.
During the iSpeak forum on May 15, Dr. Mary Lee Lim, a representative from the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS)-Southern Mindanao, revealed that Buhangin, Marilog, Tugbok, and Bunawan are among the districts in Davao City with a high teenage pregnancy rate.
“The one that I handled was 12 years old. The case was a sexual abuse (case), actually,” she said when asked about the youngest case she handled during the ISpeak forum on May 15.Dr. Lim also warns that the risks associated with underage pregnancy are twice as high as compared of typical pregnancies, noting that young girls often undergo cesarean delivery, which increases the likelihood of uterine damage.
The Save the Children Foundation has been calling for more urgency in addressing teen pregnancy in the Philippines, which has one of the highest adolescent birth rates in Asia. Citing government data, the group noted a 35% increase in deliveries for girls aged 15 and younger in 2021-2022.
Dr. Sharlene Tan, district health physician, noted the most common causes of pregnancy were family problems, cohabiting relationships, tribal culture, and peer pressure among the teenage girls she has encountered.
The foundation, FPOGS-SMC, conducts Adolescent Health Issues and Perspectives (AHIP) to help spread awareness about teenage pregnancy among young girls.
“It’s for adolescents, we go to schools, we conduct lectures, and it’s an interactive lecture. We teach them about the different risks if they indulge in premarital sex. We tell them the risks and the tendency of getting pregnant earlier, and they become high risk,” said Dr. Lim.
For adolescent mothers, Dr. Lim mentioned that the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) has programs specifically catered to addressing their medical needs after pregnancy.
“Meron po tayong orientation on the family planning that they can receive anytime, and then SPMC has a Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine, this is the first center outside Manila, we cater to all high-risk patients, included po dun ang mga teenage mothers.”
