Teen pregnancy

BUTUAN CITY – The regional office of the Commission on Population (POPCOM) said the concerted efforts of both government and private sectors have significantly reduced the rate of teenage pregnancy in Caraga region. Citing the preliminary results of the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) recently released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), POPCOM Caraga Region 13 said pregnancy among women aged 15-19 significantly decreased from 38 percent in 2013 to 8.2 percent in 2017, placing Caraga region at number 8 from its previous spot at number 1. However, POPCOM 13 Regional Director Alexander A. Makinano told The Manila Bulletin on Monday that the survey also revealed that the Philippines still has the highest number of teenage pregnancy among other Asian countries. (Mike U. Crismundo)