Images of romance and young love fill social media feeds, restaurants, and shopping malls across the Philippines.
Some local groups also use the season to distribute condoms and awareness flyers.
However, behind the festivities lies a more complicated reality as national data show a worrying pattern behind the romantic veneer.
Teen pregnancies among girls aged 15 to 19 in the Philippines have declined in recent years, while pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 have increased.
For many teens, these numbers reflect lived realities.
Eman*, an 18-year-old from Santa Maria, a municipality in the Philippines’ southeastern Laguna province, is the father to an 8-month-old daughter. He divides his days between childcare and working in a noodle house.
He said that he once dreamed of earning a diploma, but felt that he disappointed his father after becoming a father himself while still studying.
“I felt so much pressure in life, about my career, about my dreams,” he told DW.
“I didn’t even know what to do because I’m still so young,” he added, describing the fear and uncertainty he felt at the time.
Eman urges young people to be cautious, prioritize their goals, and pursue their dreams to improve their futureImage: Eman
He eventually completed senior high school but decided not to pursue a third-level education.
“I won’t be going to college anymore … as time goes by, my child is growing up, and I need to be there,” he said, explaining that he chose to work instead so he could provide effectively.
“This isn’t the right path. It was truly an accident and nothing about this was planned,” Eman added.
Seventeen-year-old Jenny* from Tanay, a municipality in Rizal province located just east of Manila, gave birth two months ago. She is now finishing senior high school through modular, offline learning.
Her partner works as an agricultural laborer, taking on any available job.
“Sometimes my studies get neglected. My grades go down,” she said, recalling how early dating affected her studies.
When she discovered she was pregnant, she said she felt “nervous and scared because I had to tell my parents. I was afraid.”
Despite this, she remains determined and driven to follow her dream of becoming a teacher.
“What I really want is to finish school… and I want to keep going,” she told DW.
According to data cited by the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the percentage of Filipino girls aged 15 to 19 who had begun childbearing declined from 8.6% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2022.
However, live births among girls aged 10 to 14 rose from 2,411 in 2019 to 3,343 in 2023, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) civil registration data referenced by the CPD.
Despite her family responsibilities, Jenny is pursuing her senior high school educationImage: Jenny
Lisa Grace Bersales, a Filipino statistician and CPD undersecretary, said there is no contradiction between the declining rate among older adolescents and the rising numbers among the youngest.
“The decrease is for ages 15 to 19, both in percentage and in actual numbers,” Bersales told DW. “The increase we are seeing is for below 15. That is where we should be alarmed.”
She described the growth among the youngest age group as exponential and emphasized that pregnancies in the Philippines among 10 to 14-year-olds required urgent attention.
Teenage pregnancies account for about 2% of all registered births in the country, Bersales noted, stressing that even a small percentage can signal deep vulnerabilities.
“We never thought we would have to talk to our girls and boys below 15 about sexual behavior leading to pregnancy,” she said.
Bersales pointed to digital exposure as a contributing factor to the uneven figures across age groups.
“I believe one of the main reasons is that our children now are more digital. They are exposed to social media,” she said.
However, she cautioned against oversimplifying the issue.
“This requires a whole-of-society approach, the family, schools, local government units, civil society, faith-based groups. We must be systematic in talking to our children about protecting themselves.”
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One government response has been the establishment of teen centers by local government units (LGUs) — spaces where adolescents can ask questions about possible health interventions.
As of May 2025, Bersales said, 84% of LGUs had reported establishing such centers, which signals progress.
However, the rise in pregnancies among girls under 15 raises questions about whether these centers are functioning as intended.
“We are continuing to refine the indicator,” Bersales acknowledged. “Establishment is one thing. Functionality is another.”
The Philippines’ region of Northern Mindanao has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the country
The 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey reported that approximately 10.9% of girls aged 15–19 in the region have begun childbearing. It’s the highest rate among all regions in the country.
In rural and geographically isolated areas, access to information and services is limited, and a culture of silence about sexuality discourages open conversations within families.
Bersales also highlighted the vulnerability of daughters of Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) parents.
“Studying the situation of daughters left behind by OFW mothers is very important work that we need to do,” she said, citing risks including sexual exploitation.
In addition, legal constraints further complicate pregnancy prevention efforts in the Philippines.
Under the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, minors generally require written consent from a parent or guardian to access modern family planning services — except in specific limited circumstances, such as when the minor is already a parent or has had a miscarriage.
Both Eman and Jenny said discussions at school about reproductive health were limited.
“When it was finally taught, it was already too late for us,” Eman said, emphasizing that he learned much from it during senior high school.
“The gap lies in not providing a deeper understanding of sex, teenage pregnancy, and early motherhood,” Jenny added.
She emphasized she had discussions about it during senior high school but none during junior high school, where curiosity sometimes starts.
While the Philippines’ Department of Education has initiatives on comprehensive sexuality education, Bersales acknowledged that some teachers feel uncomfortable delivering the material due to personal beliefs.
“We need to make our teachers confident,” she said, highlighting that proper training, removing stereotypes, taboos and stigmas are important ways to be able to properly deliver the message and the advocacy.
*Eman and Jenny’s names have been changed to protect their identities
Edited by: Keith Walker
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Vezi articolul la: DW
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