This Women’s Month and Girl Child Week: PLCPD urges passage of adolescent pregnancy prevention, gender equality bills

March 27, 2026

As the country marks National Women’s Month and the Week of the Girl Child, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) is calling on lawmakers to urgently pass long-overdue legislation addressing adolescent pregnancy and advancing gender equality.

The call comes as alarming realities were raised during the first hearing on 17 versions of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) bill in the House of Representatives, including the case of an eight-year-old girl who got pregnant and gave birth at nine – the youngest documented childbirth in the country.

“No girl deserves this. All of us adults in this room, especially the duty bearers, should not let this situation continue,” said Ms. Au Quilala, Executive Director of PLCPD.

Ms. Quilala said that adolescent pregnancy is also a public health and development concern. Children born to adolescent mothers face higher risks of low birth weight and malnutrition – conditions that can have lifelong, irreversible effects on their physical and cognitive development.

“Nasa sinapupunan pa lamang ay punong-puno na ng komplikasyon. Huwag nating hayaan na patuloy itong maranasan ng mga batang Pilipino,” Ms. Quilala added.

Data from the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) further show a troubling rise in pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14, with many cases involving significantly older male partners.

‘National social emergency‘

PLCPD stressed that the passage of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill is critical to closing gaps in the Reproductive Health Law and scaling up local responses to what the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development has called a “national social emergency.”

The proposed measure also complements landmark laws previously pushed by PLCPD and the Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines, including: the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act, and the Raising the Age to Determine Statutory Rape Act.

“The Constitution guarantees children the rights to education, health, and protection from abuse and exploitation. These rights must be made real through enabling policies that uphold their best interests. Early and unintended pregnancy is a condition that is prejudicial to girls’ development,” Ms. Quilala said.

Beyond the APP bill, PLCPD also called for the passage of key measures advancing women’s rights and gender equality, including:

  • Divorce
  • Magna Carta of Workers in the Informal Economy
  • Recognition of Unpaid Care Work of Women
  • Gender-responsive amendments to naturalization laws
  • Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality

For Women, Peace, and Security:

  • Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Act
  • Protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDP)
  • Human Rights Defenders Protection (HRD) Act
  • Anti-discrimination on the basis of age, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, and SOGIESC, among others
  • Institutionalization of women and children protection units (WCPU) in public hospitals

On misogyny

The group also raised concern over misogyny in public discourse and policymaking spaces.

“Recent misogynistic remarks in various spaces, including the halls of Congress, show that we still have much to do to achieve true gender equality. Women continue to be looked down upon, reduced to punchlines, harassed, sexualized, and held to double standards. These must be challenged in both our laws and institutions,” Ms. Quilala said.