LAOAG CITY — Youth leaders are making rounds in various schools in the province to raise awareness on issues about mental health affecting the youth today.
Patrick Ratuita of the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office of the Ilocos Norte provincial government said Wednesday the group has lined up lectures focusing on bullying and teenage pregnancy.
Latest records of the Provincial Health Office show a 13-year-old student, who got pregnant by a 15-year-old boy.
“There were also reports of bullying in schools, which is alarming,” Ratuita noted.
Some from the province’s youth development office underwent training with the World Health Organization (WHO) to coach students in return.
This week, Ratuita said they have scheduled information and education drive at the F. Camaquin School in Vintar town, Pandan Elementary School in Sarrat, Saint Anne Academy in Piddig, and Luzong School in Pagudpud town.
A study titled “Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality,” conducted by the University of the Philippines’ Population Institute and Demographic Research and Development Foundation, shows that at least one in every 10 girls, ages 15 to 19 years old, in the Ilocos region is already a mother.
The Provincial Health Office is also conducting its own research to validate the study and to identify several factors why this happens to young boys and girls in the province.
Based on initial reports, changes in moral values, peer influence, and the lack of parental guidance due to Ilocanos’ out-migration are among the factors linked to cases of teenage pregnancy. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
