Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

Raising their Voices

Society eats happy endings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And despite the decaying morsels of truth served in a platter, people remain insensate, choosing to die in indigestion than call attention to the sickness.
Teenage pregnancy is one of those issues that call for a dose of that antacid. People would rather suffer the pains of a stomachache in silence than admit that such a problem exists within its structures. In a society that thrives in the life of a party, such truths are not talked about. It simply isn’t done.
But when should a taboo be taboo? When should living in lies cease to be the rule rather than the exception?

Nipping the issue in the bud
Issuing a challenge to Filipino teens, Meg Magazine and Advocates for Youth Foundation organized an Anti-Teen Pregnancy Essay Writing competition aimed to bring into the forefront the issue of teen pregnancy through the voices of the generation directly affected by its infestation.
“We want to hear what they think, the issue through their point of view. The problem is there. If we stop talking about it, it will not disappear. It will only get bigger. Do we deal with this problem only when we need to or do we start being pro-active and launch an awareness campaign primarily to empower teens to make good choices? Now is the time to act,” says Advocates for Youth head Cyndy Tan-Jarabata.
Teen pregnancy, according to Meg Magazine editor in chief Pierra Calasanz, is increasing at an alarming rate. In fact, a study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), placed the percentage of Filipino women aged 15-24 engaging in premarital sex to 18% of the population. Of these women, 74% do not use any method to prevent pregnancy. Being one of the teen magazines in the market, she believes it is their responsibility to help in its prevention.
“It is our personal mission to help teens realize the seriousness of this issue. You always think that it can happen to someone else, that it could not happen to you but it does,” she relates.
As mentioned by Cyndy, it is important for the youth especially those going through the problem to see that they are not alone, that there are other people who are going through the same trials as they are. “Sometimes, when you feel that your situation is unique, you feel shut out and ashamed.”

Making a stand
Over a hundred entries came in from all over the Philippines, proof that ignorance and indifference have not claimed everyone. While most entries have featured the stories of friends or of relatives, a few dared to tell their own stories. There was actually one entry, which was written by a young mother, detailing the hardships and discrimination that she had gone through.
“We were pretty impressed with the way the entries were written. Some of the writers were really young and yet their levels of insights were far beyond their age. Reading the essays makes you realize that it is not only the teenage mom who gets affected, even her family, her siblings, her friends,” Pierra confides.
Winner Michelle Ancheta tackled this very same consequence as she recounted the experience of her older sister and their family as they endured society’s disdain. In her essay she mentioned, “My sister was a vibrant, smart and pretty girl. She was schooled in an exclusive university for girls, was well-liked by her professors and was considered very much part of the ‘in’ crowd. As soon as the news of her pregnancy broke out, my family soon turned out to be the talk of the town, subjected to the mocking stares of some of our relatives, private talks between our neighbors and sudden isolation from our so-called ‘friends.’”
The essay featured an in-depth account of how a family as well as the steps that government, society and individuals could take to prevent this problem from happening.
“I guess, what really made my essay stood out is the fact that I showed both the good and the bad side of the issue. A lot of people do not really realize the consequences of their actions. Talking about it. Writing about is brought it closer to home, to people,” explains Michelle, who is currently taking up English Literature in Ateneo De Manila University.
Her story, according to Cyndy, will make readers realize the depth and range of this problem.
‘This is something that people do not really see, the implications of not only being a teen mother but in having one in the family, in a clique, in the society. A lot of people will get affected, it’s not just the one who gets pregnant. There are a lot of awakenings, realizations. And it’s about time we hear it from the youth themselves.”
Michelle received P10,000 worth of prizes while first runner up Patricia Marie Ranada and second runner up Dulcinea Maria Allena received P7,500 and P5000 worth of prizes respectively. Consolation prizes were also awarded to Kristianne Briones, Lorrie Mae Mercado, Francesca Marie Monfero, Glenda Rumohr and Stephanie Mae Sol, who is incidentally the reigning Miss Teen Philippines.

Beyond women
While the issue of teenage pregnancy directly affects women, men are still not off the hook. They, in fact, play a greater role as they often bear the brunt of the responsibility being the breadwinner of the family.
“This is not just about how a teenage mom would go and cope with the realities of having a baby, it also involves how men should deal with this sudden responsibility. This is not the problem of girls but also boys. Or we’ll make it their problem,” Cyndy says.
Men, however, are perceived to be indifferent to this particular issue. In fact, of the hundred entries, not one man sent in an essay.
“I think that because they are not directly affected by the issue, they feel that they should not worry about it. It’s a girl problem, a girl thing. Again the lack of information and education contributes to this thinking,” points out Patricia Ranada, a first year student in Miriam College.
In defense of his gender, Edmund Gray, a volunteer for Advocates for Youth, believes that it is not indifference but laziness and male “machismo” that would account for the lack of entries from men. “Boys are generally lazy plus they would not really write as they feel that it is embarrassing for them to write their experiences. There are a lot of men who really cares about this issue. They are interested and they are willing to learn,” he espouses.
Whether men actually turn a blind eye, there is still a consensus that women care more and is aware more of the issue than their counterparts. Society, in a way, contributes to this behavior, ostracizing the actions of women while grudgingly accepting the choices that men make.
Truth hurts. It can cause indigestion. This writer only hopes that all would suffer from it, not just the teenage moms, not just their spineless boyfriends, not their clueless parents but society in general who caused indigestion in the first place.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 11:23 PM