The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Interagency Council will be established by House Bill 8910 to develop strategies to combat teenage pregnancies.
House Bill 8910, the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act, seeks to set up the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Interagency Council (APPIAC) to craft programs to address teenage pregnancies.
The APPIAC would be a policy-making body responsible for formulating and implementing policies and programs to prevent adolescent pregnancy and provide social assistance to young mothers and their infants. It would be composed of representatives from the following government agencies:
- Population Commission (POPCOM)
- Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)
- Department of Education (DepEd)
- Department of Health (DOH)
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
- Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
- National Youth Commission (NYC)
- League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP)
- League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP)
- League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)
- Two representatives from women's rights groups
- One adolescent representative
- One youth representative
The APPIAC would be tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive national program to prevent adolescent pregnancy. This program would include the following components:
- Comprehensive adolescent sexuality education (CASE)
- Access to reproductive health services
- Support for teenage parents and their children
The APPIAC would also be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the national program and making necessary adjustments.
The establishment of the APPIAC is a significant step towards addressing the problem of adolescent pregnancy in the Philippines. By bringing together representatives from different government agencies and stakeholders, the APPIAC can develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach to preventing adolescent pregnancy and supporting parents and their children.
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