Comprehensive Action Plan to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancies in the Philippines

Executive Order No. 141, s. 2021

Executive Order No. 141, s. 2021

Executive Order No. 141

• Adopts as a national priority the implementation of measures to address adolescent pregnancies and to promote reproductive health
• Calls for whole-of-government approach - including the local government units
• All agencies to exert efforts to reach adolescents in GIDAs such as island municipalities, upland communities, hard-to-reach areas

Executive Order No. 141

• SKs are encouraged to develop interventions to arrest and prevent all known causes of adolescent pregnancies, and support adolescent mothers, which shall be reflected in the LYDP and AIP of their respective localities
• SKs shall endeavor to identify and implement viable programs, activities and projects and allocate a portion of their budget, as necessary, towards the following objectives:

Executive Order No. 141

• SKs are encouraged to develop interventions to arrest and prevent all known causes of adolescent pregnancies, and support adolescent mothers, which shall be reflected in the LYDP and AIP of their respective localities
• SKs shall endeavor to identify and implement viable programs, activities and projects and allocate a portion of their budget, as necessary, towards the following objectives:

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• Educating the youth on sexual and reproductive health, even in a non-formal education setting, and normalize respectful dialogue on sexual and reproductive health matters
• Providing youth-friendly and rights-based measures to support pregnant girls and young mothers to continue and complete their education
• Formulating retention strategies and life skills programs for pregnant girls and young mothers, which may include vocational training opportunities

Executive Order No. 141

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Youth and Community Mobilization

• All members of the HDPR Cabinet Cluster (i.e, DSWD, DILG, DepEd, DOH, TESDA, NEDA) as well as NYC, PCW, POPCOM and other government agencies shall extend all assistance necessary to enable SKs to implement program, activities and project within their localities

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Role of the NYC

• The NYC shall establish a forum for continuing dialogue between the government and youth sector on the proper planning and evaluation of policies, program and activities affecting the youth, convening for the purpose representatives of all youth organizations and institutions, including SKs from barangay, municipal, city, provincial and national levels

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Role of the POPCOM

• The POPCOM shall continue to educate leaders, parents and other community members about evidence-based strategies to reduce adolescent pregnancy, and to improve adolescent reproductive health
• The POPCOM shall consolidate into a Comprehensive Action Plan towards the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancies the different initiatives of all government agencies and institutions.
• The POPCOM shall submit such plan to the HDPR Cabinet Cluster

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Interventions for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancies as Budget Priority

• The DBM shall ensure that the annual National Expenditure Program shall include initiatives for the prevention of adolescent pregnancies in the annual Budget Priority Framework and its corresponding budget guidelines
• The DBM shall likewise support Program Convergence Budgeting for these initiatives to ensure harmonized interventions and investment programming

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Monitoring

• To ensure whole-of-government approach in attaining demographic dividend, the HDPR Cabinet Cluster shall provide overall coordination among all government agencies and instrumentalities, monitor the implementation of interventions at all levels, and ensure that the implementation is informed and supported by international good practices and evidence-based population data and analyses
• Within 60 days, the HDPR Cabinet Cluster shall report to the Office of the President the mechanisms effected to implement this Order, with appropriate recommendations
• Thereafter, annual report shall be submitted

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Funding

• Subject to the provisions of the annual GAA and RA 10354, the amount necessary for the implementation of this Order shall be charged against the allocation for the Gender and Development in the respective budgets of the concerned government agencies, and as may be warranted, against sources to be identified by DBM as may be necessary

Comprehensive Action Plan to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancies in the Philippines

Formulation of the Plan

• Inventory and consolidation of existing PAPs from various relevant national government agencies, civil society organizations and private sector
• Consultation meetings with various national government agencies to initially identify possible collaborative arrangements
• Review of literature for the identification of the root causes of adolescent pregnancies
• Drafting of the comprehensive plan
• Submission of the draft plan to HDPRC Secretariat
• Plan to be initially discussed by TWG

Outline of the Plan

• Introduction
• Section I. Understanding the Situation and Root Causes of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Philippines
• Section II. Overall Expected Results and Strategic Framework
• Section III. Comprehensive Sexuality Education
• Section IV. Strengthening Access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services
• Section V. Strengthening Protective Mechanisms from Sexual Abuse and Violence Among Children and Adolescents
• Section VI. Improving the Socioeconomic Wellbeing of Adolescents
• Section VII. Promoting Youth Development and Participation
• Section VIII. Collaborative and Implementing Mechanism
• Section IX. Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism

For each Key Strategic Action

• Basis for Action (situationer and emerging issues in relation to specific key action area)
• Objectives
• Strategic Actions
• Activities for Scaling-Up Existing Programs and Activities

Why do we Care?

Adolescents and young people are the foundation of our future and the significant contributor to current development

They are facing risks and vulnerabilities including adolescent pregnancies

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Livebirths born to adolescent mothers who are minors

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Livebirths born to adolescent girls aged 10-14

When Girls become Mothers…

They are prone to maternal and infant death

Stop schooling/ no skills

Unemployed/ exploited

Poor economic conditions

More children

Low self-esteem and negotiating power

Poor health and nutritional status

Prone to sexual abuse

Socially excluded

Source: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Philippine Statistics Authority

Births among minor mothers are generally sired by older fathers (20 and above)

Number of Live Births by Age of Adolescent Mothers and Corresponding Age Groups/Age of Fathers: Philippines, 2018

About 3.6% of adolescent women 15-19 reported of experiencing violence during pregnancy,

the largest proportion among women 15-49

Source: 2017 NDHS, PSA & ICF

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“Good news it’s declining but one pregnant teenager is still one pregnant teenager, too many. We are not even counting the unfortunate girls younger than 15 who have become pregnant. They are not many but each one has a tragic story behind them. They really need our help.”

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--- Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral

Former Secretary of Health

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Unprotected sexual activities

Intentional sexual activities

• Biological factors (puberty and hormonal changes, sexual development, other physical attributes)
• Knowledge on sexuality
• Exposure to media and various information and contents on sexuality
• Values, attitude and perceptions about sex
• Injunctive norms on engaging in sex
• Self-efficacy or agency and life skills (including help-seeking behavior)
• Psychological and personality factors
• Engagement in risky activities

Sexual abuse/ coercion

• Partner’s abusive. manipulative and coercive attitude and behavior
• Self-efficacy or agency and life skills (e.g., refusal and negotiating skills)
• Psychological and personality factors

• Parental skills and guidance (knowledge, attitude and skills about sexuality-related concerns)
• Parental and familial interpersonal relationships
• Family values, attitude, norms and behaviors related to sexuality
• Sexual attitude and behaviors of family members

• Individual demographic factors (age, sex, civil status)
• Socioeconomic characteristics

INDIVIDUAL FACTORS

FAMILY FACTORS

• Peer values, interests, and activities
• Exposure to sexually explicit contents and information
• Group dynamics and normative behaviors or culture (e.g., rules of engagement)
• Peer support system
• Engagement in risky activities

PEER FACTORS

• Types and accessibility of sexually-related contents and information available and accessible from media (traditional and online/digital platforms)

MEDIA FACTORS

• Exposure to existing policies, programs and other relevant interventions
• ASRH and health
• Education (e.g., CSE)
• Employment/economic
• Youth participation
• Social protection
• Etc.
• Level of availability, accessibility and quality of ASRH, protective and other relevant services
• Environmental factors
• Educational and school factors
• Demographic factors within the locality
• Socioeconomic factors within the locality
• Socio-cultural factors
• Existing gender roles, stereotypes, biases, discrimination, subordination
• Traditions and cultural norms

OTHER UNDERLYING/ INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS

Adolescent Pregnancy Causal Framework

ADOLESCENT PREGNANCIES

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Shared Vision for Filipino Adolescents

Filipino adolescents are well-informed, empowered, healthy and responsible in fully realizing their rights, aspirations and potentials as they transition into adulthood

Protected sexual activities

Increased ASRH service utilization

Reduced non-sexual risk behaviors

Reduced incidence of sexual abuse

Delayed sexual activities

Reduced incidence of pregnancies among adolescents

Improved health and nutrition

Comprehensive Sexuality (RH) Education

Improved education, employment and economic conditions

Increased youth participation in development

Access to RH services (FP, MNCAHN)

Protective measures against sexual abuse/violence

Social and economic development interventions

Youth participation & development

Preventive and Protective Strategies

Data, Information & Knowledge Management/ Monitoring and Evaluation

Service Delivery

Capacity building

Policy Development

Communication & Promotion (SBCC/IEC)

Leadership and Governance

Stakeholders and Community Support and Participation

Well-informed, empowered, healthy and responsible adolescents

Planning & financing

Increased participation in community development

Reduced incidence of repeat pregnancies among adolescent mothers

Strategic Framework for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy

Reduced incidence of maternal deaths and HIV/AIDS infections among adolescents

Promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

FP/MNCHAN

Access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Services

Protective Services Against Sexual Violence and Abuse

Social and Economic Development for Adolescents

Youth Development and Participation

EO 141 Key Strategic Actions

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Promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

Objectives

• To equip adolescents with adequate, culture and gender-responsive, age and developmentally-appropriate information and skills on sexuality and reproductive health
• Build critical thinking among adolescents to prevent risky reproductive health outcomes, develop respectful interpersonal and sexual relationships, and ensure the protection of their rights;
• Educate young men to respect women’s determination and to share responsibility with women;
• Equip parents, teachers, guardians, and other adults on CSE
• Enable girls and boys to improve their reproductive health-seeking behaviors; and
• Create an enabling policy and program environment for CSE

Promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

What is being done?

• Implementation and institutionalization of CSE in K-12 curriculum (RPRH Law, DepEd Order No. 031-2018)
• CSE-Adolescent Reproductive Health Convergence (ARH)
• Various social and behavior change communication strategies through AHD programs at all levels through different platforms (e.g., printed materials, social media)
• “I CHOOSE” campaign platform
• CSE initiatives for parents/guardians and service providers

Promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

What more can be done?

• Implementation and institutionalization of CSE in K-12 curriculum
• Full roll-out of the training of teachers
• Development of learning and teaching materials
• Full implementation of CSE-ARH initiatives and activities
• Full promotion of harmonized “I CHOOSE” platform and other SBCC strategies
• Scaling-up CSE initiatives for parents/guardians and service providers (intergenerational dialogue)

Promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

What more can be done?

• Harmonizing AHD programs and initiatives by different agencies
• Scaling-up CSE initiatives among adolescents belonging to marginalized and basic sectors (e.g., 4Ps-YDS, U4U, program for young workers)
• Generating additional resources for AHD/ASRH
• Program Convergence Budgeting (PCB)for 2023
• Integration in the national and local DTPs
• Convergence framework for development partners supporting AHD/ASRH

Promotion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

What more can be done?

• Establishing harmonized and linked database and information system for CSE/ASRH
• Support to Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey (YAFSS)
• Development and establishment of administrative information system
• Strengthening community support for CSE (whole-of-nation approach)

Improving Access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

Objectives

• Improve health-seeking behavior among adolescents especially for ASRH services
• Increased use of family planning methods
• Increased access to maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health nutrition (MNCAHN) services
• Improve availability of quality ASRH services in health facilities
• Increase access of all adolescents to quality and satisfying ASRH services including family planning and maternal health care services

Improving Access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

What is being done?

• Establishment and accreditation of adolescent and youth-friendly public health facilities including Teen Centers
• Provision of family planning and MNCAHN services
• Advocacy for the enactment of a national policy for the prevention of adolescent pregnancies
• Outdated YAFSS and information on ASRH

Improving Access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

What more can be done?

• Intensifying the establishment and provision of adolescent-friendly health services in all health facilities and other service delivery points
• Capacitating LGUs as part of their devolution strategies/activities
• Establishment of referral or delivery network systems for ASRH
• Improving availability of ASRH services including strengthening of centers for AHD
• Strengthening demand generation for ASRH among adolescent mothers

Improving Access to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

What more can be done?

• Integrating access to ASRH especially among adolescent mothers as part of the Social Protection Program for Adolescent Mothers and their Children (SPPAMC)
• Continuing advocacy for the national policy on the prevention of adolescent pregnancies
• Intensifying advocacy for pending congressional bills
• Establishment of local policies for ASRH
• Strengthening information system for ASRH

Strengthening Protective Mechanisms Against Sexual Violence and Abuse

Objectives

• Enable young girls and boys to identify, refuse and protect self from sexually abusive relationships and behaviors within their homes and communities;
• Improve reporting, responsive and protective or case management mechanisms within the community to provide timely and appropriate interventions; and 
• Improve existing mechanisms and networks in providing protective and rehabilitative services to adolescents who are victims of sexual violence.

Strengthening Protective Mechanisms Against Sexual Violence and Abuse

What is being done?

• Implementation of existing national policies against sexual violence and abuses (e.g., RA 9710, RA 9262, RA 8353, etc.)
• VAWC Desks in all barangays and provision of integrated services
• Helplines (among CSOs, POPCOM)
• Policy proposals to increase age of sexual consent (i.e., 15-16 years of age)

Strengthening Protective Mechanisms Against Sexual Violence and Abuse

What more can be done?

• Integration of age-appropriate life skills and personal safety lessons in CSE for various segments of adolescents, parents and other stakeholders and conduct of capacity building programs
• Expanding government capacities and mechanisms to identify and report incidence of sexual abuse among children and adolescents
• Strengthening referral and monitoring and tracking mechanism (Barangay VAWC Desks, WCPUs)

Strengthening Protective Mechanisms Against Sexual Violence and Abuse

What more can be done?

• Promoting access of adolescents to existing mechanisms to report and manage incidence of sexual abuse through social behavior change interventions at the national and community levels
• Enhancing policy environment to eliminate sexual abuse among adolescents
• Establishing and utilizing efficient information and knowledge base for sexual abuse and violence

Improving the Social and Economic Wellbeing of Adolescents

Objectives

• Increase the number of adolescents who have completed at least their basic education or vocational and technical skills training;
• Reduced proportion of adolescents who are economically poor; and
• Increased number of adolescent mothers who have benefitted from existing social protection interventions in the community.

Improving the Social and Economic Wellbeing of Adolescents

What is being done?

• Generic but limited socioeconomic interventions for adolescents (e.g., education, health, employment, livelihood, etc.)
• Primary and secondary education (through formal and information modalities)
• Inclusion of adolescents in the 4Ps and limited social protection programs
• SK community-based programs

Improving the Social and Economic Wellbeing of Adolescents

What more can be done?

• Formulation and implementation of a collaborative framework for integrated socioeconomic interventions for adolescents (at the national and local levels)
• Development and implementation of social protection programs for adolescent mothers and their children
• Enhancing policy environment to improve socioeconomic wellbeing of adolescents

Promoting Youth Development and Participation

Objectives

• To contribute to the attainment of the PYDP’s main goal of enabling, promoting, and ensuring youth’s active, meaningful, and holistic participation in society in furtherance of their rights and welfare, particularly within the context of preventing and reducing adolescent pregnancies
• To consolidate strategies and programs that enhance the actual and meaningful participation of adolescents in the various development initiatives in their localities
• To foster a meaningful, engaging and empowering youth-adult partnership and collaboration.

Promoting Youth Development and Participation

What is being done?

• Implementation of existing policies and plans:
• RA 8044 otherwise known as the “Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995
• RA 10742 or the SK Reform Act of 2015
• Strengthening of SKs
• Local youth development councils
• Philippine Youth Development Plan (PYDP) 2016-2022
• Local youth development plans and programs

Promoting Youth Development and Participation

What more can be done?

• Capacitating SKs and LYDCs in developing and leading responsive interventions on preventing adolescent pregnancies
• Continuing implementation of forum and other platforms for dialogue between youth sector, government and other youth sector on issues related to the prevention of adolescent pregnancies
• Strengthening community-based youth organizations
• Fostering youth participation and leadership in school
• Development of One-Government Youth Development Portal

Whole-of-Nation Approach

Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster (HDPRCC)

National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC)

Implementing and Collaborative Mechanism

Whole-of-Nation Approach

Designed by pch.vector / Freepik

government

civil society organizations

private sector

entire communities

Who will be part of the core group?

Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism

Who will monitor and report the implementation of the action plan?

All agencies should provide periodic reports to aid HPDR

Human Development and Poverty Reduction (HPDR) Cabinet Cluster

Designed by pch.vector / Freepik

Next steps

Consultative Meeting of the HDPRC TWG on EO 141 on February 2, 2022, Wednesday, at 2:00 PM

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Main Agenda:

• Ensure similar understanding and commitment on the agencies’ roles and responsibilities provided in the Comprehensive Action Plan to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancies in the Philippines 2021-2024

Next steps

TWG Members are HDPRC member-agencies with enrolled strategies in the HDPRC priority initiative on reduced adolescent birth rate and other relevant agencies:

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1. HDPRC Cluster Secretariat (National Anti-Poverty Commission)
2. National Youth Commission (NYC)
3. Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM)4.
4. Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)
5. Department of Health (DOH)
6. Department of Education (DepEd)
7. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
8. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
9. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
10. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
11. Philippine Women Commission (PCW)12.
12. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
13. Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS)

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Empowering Filipino Families and Communities

Tel. No.: (02) 531-6805

Fax: (02) 533-5122

Facebook: Commission on Population and Development

Email: mainmail@popcom.gov.ph

Website: www.popcom.gov.ph

COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

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