CPNO head Teresita del Castillo stresses a point when she addressed the students during the U4U program. (photo from the Naga City website)
An informative program on population was conducted by the Naga city government through its City Population and Nutrition Office (CPNO) to address the serious concern on teenage pregnancy.
Two hundred fifty students from the Leon Q. Mercado High School attended the You-For-You (U4U) Teen Trail, which is under the Adolescent Health and Youth Development Program of the national government.
The program intends to provide education to teens to make informed decisions related to family, relationship, sexuality matters and even sexually-transmitted diseases.
The Teen Trail features interactive activities designed to appeal to teens like the Teen Exhibit, Teen Code, Teen Chat, Teen Wait and Teen Tunes.
As the participants visit each room, they get to view exhibits, watch video clips, and learn about teenage pregnancy and its risks, importance of family, unhealthy relationships, responsible adult life, healthy attitudes toward sex and gender relations, and even the importance of education and schooling on the young.
The end goal is to achieve fewer incidents of unwanted pregnancies, early parenthood, and sexually-transmitted diseases as the youth become more aware and responsible of the consequences of sexual behavior and the disadvantages of early marriage and unplanned pregnancies.
161 cases of teenage pregnancy were recorded by City Civil Registry Office during the first half of the year, January to June 2019.
Teenage pregnancy is attributed to poverty, broken family, sexual abuse, influences of pornographic materials, and even peer pressure, according to a survey conducted by the CPNO.
Moreover, the city government complemented U4U with its “Hearts & Minds” advocacy seminars which were conducted in the different barangays in coordination with the respective barangay councils and Sangguniang Kabataan, bared CPNO head Teresita del Castillo. (Jojo Mangahis)