The Department of Health (DOH) has raised concerns over the rising number of pregnancies among girls under 15, which Health Secretary Ted Herbosa described as a “big problem.” He emphasized that teenage pregnancy significantly contributes to maternal mortality due to the lack of prenatal check-ups.
During the 2024 National Conference on Family Planning in Pasig City, the DOH revealed that over 10 million Filipino women still lack access to family planning services, increasing their risk of unintended pregnancies.
Dr. Ron Allan Quimado from the DOH’s Child, Adolescent, and Maternal Health Division stated that the country is 17 percent behind its FP2030 goal to meet 75 percent demand for modern family planning methods by 2030. Currently, only 58 percent of women’s needs are being met.
“For the target to be achieved, we need to serve around 10.177 million women by 2030,” Quimado explained. In 2023, 44 percent of women in need of family planning services were recorded, with 67 percent of those aged 15 to 19 already using modern methods such as oral pills, injectables, and implants.
Family planning has prevented around three million unintended pregnancies, 800,000 unsafe abortions, and 970 maternal deaths in 2023, according to Quimado.
The Commission on Population and Development also reported a continuous decline in the fertility rate, with the National Capital Region and Calabarzon driving the largest reductions. Executive Director Liza Bersales emphasized the need to extend family planning services to poorer and less educated women, as studies indicate that all socioeconomic groups are now opting for smaller families.
Herbosa stressed that addressing teenage pregnancy would significantly reduce maternal mortality and called for stronger measures to improve access to family planning across all sectors.
