There are many ways to celebrate milestones in our lives—physical gifts, a well-deserved vacation, the list goes on. However, for some people, the act of sex has become the most anticipated gesture from their partner in marking significant relationship milestones like a monthsary.
Worryingly, the issue at hand involves minors as young as 10 years old, which falls far below the Philippine age of sexual consent set at 16 years old.
Mylin Mirasol Quiray, acting division chief of the Knowledge Management and Communications Division at the Commission on Population and Development, referenced data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing that the number of young fathers increased from around 5,000 in 2018 to approximately 8,000 in 2019. There was a slight decrease in 2021, with about 7,000 reported young fathers.
"Doon sa mga qualitative data ng aming pag-aaral, nakita namin na ginagawa siyang monthsary gift ang sex," Mylin stated.
"Nagiging monthsary gift siya kasi 'ah wala akong gift sa aking boyfriend so sa monthsary namin, ito yung gift ko sa kanya," she added.
Mirasol highlighted that the ages of these young fathers range from 10 to 17 years old, which are crucial formative years. Although she noted that 10-year-olds are a rare occurrence in the data, she pointed out that exposure to pornographic materials and the absence of comprehensive sex education are significant factors contributing to the issue.
Next Move: Senate To Pass The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill
Access to sex education and reproductive health services, including contraceptives like birth control pills and condoms, is essential in tackling teenage pregnancy and its link to rising poverty levels in the country. Hence, Mylin advocated and urged the Senate to pass the long-overdue Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill.
The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill aims to establish a legal framework that will address these barriers, ensuring that all adolescents and their families have access to accurate information and necessary services. This will empower them to make informed decisions. The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill introduces several important measures, such as:
- Standardized Sexual Education: Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE), tailored to different ages and developmental stages, will be uniformly applied across all public and private educational institutions. It will also become a criterion for accreditation under DepEd’s Philippine Accreditation System for Basic Education.
- Community-Based Initiatives: Programs will be established to support parents and guardians in providing their children with proper sexual education.
- Health Information Access: Adolescents aged 16-18 will be granted access to sexual and reproductive health services and information. For those under 15, consent will be required from parents or legal guardians, or from designated professionals such as licensed social workers or accredited medical professionals.
- Reporting and Referral for Sexual Violence: There will be mandatory reporting of sexual violence involving adolescents aged 16 and below, with a structured referral system to ensure proper handling of these cases.
- Assistance for Adolescent Mothers: The DSWD and the National Authority on Childcare will provide support to adolescent mothers who opt to give their children up for foster care or adoption.
