Adult males are responsible for the majority of pregnancies among adolescent girls in the Philippines, the Council for the Welfare of Children said Monday, framing the issue not just as a poverty problem but as a child protection concern.
CWC executive director Angelo Tapales said the pattern points to a legal issue that goes beyond socioeconomic factors.
“Kasi majority ng nakakabuntis sa ating mga adolescent mothers ay mga matatandang lalaki, mas matatanda sa kanila, ito ay mga adults na,” Tapales said.
Under Republic Act 11648, signed in 2022, any sexual act with a person below 16 constitutes rape. The law raised the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16. A narrow exemption exists: no criminal liability attaches when the age gap between parties does not exceed three years and the act is proven consensual, non-abusive, and non-exploitative.
Tapales was direct about what the numbers mean in legal terms.
“Under sa amendment doon sa rape law natin, kapag nakipagtalik ka sa below 16, since ayan ang age of consent, that’s practically rape po or qualified rape ng bata,” he said on “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.”
The warning comes after the Commission on Population and Development raised concern over rising pregnancies among very young adolescents. Philippine Statistics Authority figures show 138,697 live births in 2024 were recorded to mothers between 10 and 19 years old. Among these, 3,612 involved girls younger than 15 — up from 3,343 the previous year.
Tapales acknowledged poverty as a significant factor driving early pregnancy.
“Of course, poverty is the main driver. Maraming nasasadlak sa kahirapan at napupwersang makisama o mag-asawa, magco-habit o fellow minors kaya nabubuntis agad. Pero hindi lang po ito kwestiyon ng kahirapan, poverty, or economic component, mayroon din nakikita ang CWC na child protection complexion,” he said.
The government’s response, he said, runs on two tracks: addressing poverty while simultaneously building awareness around child protection.
“Ang ginagawa ng pamahalaan diyan, of course, we are addressing the poverty aspect, but of course, we are also creating awareness to prevent and to protect children kasi may child protection complexion din po siya,” Tapales said.Most teen pregnancies in PH caused by adult men, government agency says
