Palace: Efforts to oust Duterte just 'wishful thinking'

MANILA, Philippines — The poor attendance at an anti-Duterte rally in Quezon City proved that efforts to oust the President are just “wishful thinking,” Malacañang said yesterday.

Various groups gathered at the People Power Monument last Saturday to demand the resignation of President Duterte, whom they accused of being subservient to China.

Rally organizers composed of members of the Kilusan Kontra Tsina, Oust Duterte Movement, Bunyog and Confederation Against Federalism had aimed to attract 1,000 people to join the protest. Organizers said 400 persons joined the rally but the police said only about a hundred people were at the monument as of 3 p.m.

“The rally was a flop, wasn’t it? They said the number of people who participated did not even reach a hundred. That’s what I have been saying. It’s just a pipe dream. It’s wishful thinking,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a radio interview.

“It’s nothing. They can always try. They won’t go beyond that,” Panelo added.

The rally was held days before the 34th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, which led to the ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Panelo had said Duterte, a political ally of the Marcoses, may skip the event anew.

Asked why Duterte has not attended the EDSA revolution anniversaries since becoming President in 2016, Panelo replied: "If he does not want to attend, why would we force him?”

Source: GMA

More girls aged 10-14 get pregnant in the Philippines

The incidence of teenage pregnancy is on the rise among girls aged 10 to 14 in the Philippines, according to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) on Friday.

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A 63% increase in the number of births delivered by the said age group was observed, comparing data from 2011 and 2018. Some 2,250 babies were born to mothers with such a young age in 2018, the POPCOM stressed.

Meanwhile, the incidence of teenage pregnancies among women 15 to 19 years old in the country decreased from 182,906 in 2017 to 181,717 in 2018.

POPCOM explained that individual and institutional factors are behind the differing trends among the two age groups of adolescents.

Among the individual factors were early onset of menstruation, lack of education, and exposure to risky behaviors on the internet and in their circle of friends.

Institutional factors include information dissemination and provision of access to family planning services for the younger population.

"Dahil sa institutional work, bumababa 'yung pregnancy sa 15 to 19 (years old) pero yung 10 to 14 (years old) mas strategic yata ang action na kailangan natin. Dapat it's more cultural, we need to get more institutions and adults involved," POPCOM chief Juan Antonio Perez III said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) divides the adolescent bracket into three groups: (1) not sexually active, (2) sexually active, (3) pregnant or already a parent. They have different approaches for each category.

"Doon sa first group is to delay the sexual activity... for those who are sexually active—protect them from unplanned pregnancy coupled with prevention of sexually transmitted infections, HIV... and lastly for those who are pregnant or with children is to prevent rapid repeat pregnancy," DOH program manager Dulce Elfa said.

Read more at: msn.com