“How have you all been?”, Abicer Doroja, the Local Youth Development Officer, asks a group of students as he enters a community gymnasium in Calbayog, Samar. Abicer is set to meet members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), a youth council responsible for representing young people in local governance, and initiating community projects to support the needs of the youth. The office is tucked behind the court and the joyous sound of students rehearsing a dance can be heard from across.
The rise of adolescent pregnancy remains a pressing concern in Samar. The province reported 961 births among adolescent girls based on the 2020 Civil Registry and Vital Statistics. In 2021, the Field Health Service Information System reported a low contraceptive usage among adolescents.
To curb the rising trend, the Joint Programme on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy (JPARAP) — an initiative by UNFPA, UNICEF, and WHO— through the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was launched in the provinces of Samar and Southern Leyte in 2023.
JPARAP is a whole-of-community effort in improving access to adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) services and education, enabling young people to make informed decisions about their health, and building the capacity of local leaders like Abicer and the SK leaders. Calbayog City is among the cohort municipalities chosen in Samar province.
Under the JPARAP, Abicer and several youth leaders participated in the Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Programme (EYLGP). The EYLGP is a leadership skills training programme that supports local leaders in developing projects meant for young people’s well-being, and advocating for policies that support overall adolescent health and rights in their respective communities.
“The main root cause of teenage pregnancy is their environment, from family and peer pressure. Sometimes their mother is also a teenage mother, and they are used to seeing their neighbors, or friends having children at an early age. It has almost become socially accepted, which should not be the case.” Abicer explains.
His role entails coordinating with youth leaders and SK officials to initiate projects that promote overall health, education and development for young people in their barangays. He regularly works with the SK officials and monitors and guides them in their plans so they can spearhead programmes that address teenage pregnancies in Calbayog.
“The JPARAP programme enhanced my skills. I learned how to talk to the community, and secure the projects implemented are age-appropriate and have good youth participation,” Abicer says. A collaborative approach was used by his office, as they often worked with the City Population Office, City Health Office, and the Mayor's office to address teenage pregnancies.
After almost two years of the JPARAP, cohort municipalities, including Calbayog, have seen a five per cent decrease in teen births, alongside a 70 per cent increase in modern contraceptive use.
“Youth leaders should keep moving forward, they are very powerful as a collective, they just don’t see it yet. We will continue to visit different barangays and listen to the problems our youth face. The barangays have to take accountability, and cooperate with our office to help roll out programmes that are in place for young people,” Abicer adds.
Through Abicer’s groundwork, he has seen that more advocacy needs to be done, especially in areas far from downtown. Among the 157 barangays in Calbayog, only 2500 young people, in 60 baranggays, have been reached. He feels that the youth leaders should take a stand for their advocacies to achieve success.
"We want to reach the point when a young person who has struggled a lot in life, can look back and say, through the support of our government and intervention of UNFPA, and programmes like JPARAP, they were able to cope and change their lives.”
Through tireless lobbying and advocacy, the province of Samar saw an increased budget allocation in adolescent sexual and reproductive health, from P6 million in 2021 to P41 million in 2024—a major success made possible by passionate leaders like Abicer and the SKs. This investment in adolescent sexual and reproductive health is a commitment made towards securing a brighter future for Samar’s youth.
“Our main responsibility as leaders is to ensure that ang kabataan ay ang pagasa ng bayan, our youth are the hope of our nation… I have my children who inspire me to serve the youth,” Abicer smiles.
By Shirin Bhandari
