On teenage pregnancy

One of the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is teenage pregnancy. Although, it is one of the perennial social problems in the country it has worsened during the nationwide lockdown.

Unfortunately, the temporary security measure has given young people the opportunity to discover the function of their sexual reproduction system at an early age. This is because the passion of the youth is folly without parents’ guidance and direction.

According to the recent report of the Commission on Population, about 40 to 50 Filipino children aged 10 to 14 years old give birth every week. On average, around 64,000 minors or those 18 years old and below give birth every year. A baby boom will be expected soon due to the lockdown.

It is sad and ironic that this is happening at a time the government is implementing the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. Moreover, the lack of support of the conservative Catholic Church on the RH Law has affected the implementation of these programs at the grassroots.

The Commission on Population called the current situation of teenage pregnancy in the country a ‘national social emergency’. This prompted the agency and the Department of Health to intensify its programs with the active involvement of the other government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, Commission of Higher Education, and Department of Interior and Local Government, among others.

The school and the community play an important role to prevent the increase of teenage pregnancy through sex education. At school, it should start at the elementary and secondary levels. At the community level, local government units must also conduct regular symposiums and lectures about responsible parenthood.

In addition, the church can also assist by regularly reminding the youth during Masses of the importance of marriage before sex. And that there is a time for everything. The parents must continue to monitor their children and give advice about the importance of schooling before starting a family.

The government must continue its active effort to implement all programs under the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law by reaching out to the youth in the urban and remote rural areas. Such law guarantees universal and free access to nearly all modern contraceptives for all citizens, including impoverished communities, at government health centers.

Renester P. Suralta

Pardo

Cebu City

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March Reminder: Don't play with fire

Just recently, a fire occurred in Sitio Laguna, Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, killing a 28-year-old woman with a mental disability. Last time, also in Bulacao, many houses were in blaze including a 43-year-old house. Other reported cases were that in Balamban, Cebu, which killed a 71-year-old widow. In Carmen town, a blaze destroyed a P50,000 worth of belongings. In Tisa, a fire incident injured four workers and in Minglanilla, a blaze devastated a junk shop. In San Fernando, another woman was killed while in Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, a house and a commercial building turned into ashes. There was also a fire that started at a parking lot of a mall, while in Inayawan a conflagration engulfed 25 houses. There were also reported occurrences of inferno in Duljo-Fatima, Pasil, Carbon area, Mandaue, and lately in Basak-San Nicolas that razed three houses and caused P4.5 million in damages. All these and many more can be traced in BFP archives.

After some findings and investigations, the common causes are unplugged cellphone/chargers, faulty wirings, and unattended lightings and cooking. In more cases, other reasons are candles, cooking equipment, curious children, heating, smoking in bedrooms, electrical equipment, barbeque preparation and presence of light materials and flammable liquids. Others are human lapses like playing, carelessness, forgetfulness, no periodic checkup or maintenance, and overconfidence. Arson, political motive, land eviction, terrorism, business competition, and survival remain hard to prove in initiating the fire.

With the foregoing scenarios, we are from time to time reminded about the importance of fire prevention. We are informed that it is a form of educating the people on taking precautionary measures to prevent potential fires, hazards and means of surviving them. It is a preventive strategy of averting fire based on emergencies, thus reducing the damage. Safety human reminders and evacuation plans are laid out among homes and buildings in appropriate manner that stop fire from starting, avoiding loss of lives and halting fire from its origin.

According to research, fires happen in the kitchen, bedroom, chimney, living room, laundry room and outside of the house. And the best defenses are fire extinguishers, sand or soil, water, periodic checkup and less use of light materials.

Fire can either be good or bad. It is good to hear that its original invention from flint stone, lightning, and carbon rock had put man as more intelligent than animals in providing him with ample protection, warmth, light, promotion of growth and vegetation through kaingin and improving man's quest for good health and diet. On the other hand, it is bad because it deteriorates soil components and is a source of pollution and wildfires and the destructive loss of lives and properties.

That's why fire should not be taken for granted. We should be wary of its triangle that composes fuel, heat, and oxygen. And the fourth one which is the chemical reaction. The absence of one of these can extinguish it.

In life, we should not be the fuel for troubles, heat in anger and the oxygen that intensifies spat in connivance with overacting reaction. As in most relationships, we should avoid love triangles for we are harboring reactions that can make or break our lives. In short, "Huwag tayong maglaro ng apoy".

Lito Gador Tampus

Moalboal

Cebu