A couple pass by a shop selling heart-shaped cakes ahead of Valentine’s Day in Manila yesterday. Valentine’s Day is being observed tomorrow.
DPA/Manila
Young Filipinos were urged yesterday not to be carried away by “the air of romance and raging hormones” and to practice safe sex during Valentine’s Day.
The National Youth Commission warned that February 14 celebrations might encourage risky sexual behaviours that could lead to unplanned pregnancies. “We urge young people to be sexually responsible especially on Valentine’s when the air of romance and raging hormones tend to overpower reason,” said Youth Commissioner Perci Cendana.
“Being responsible means making the right decisions,” he said.
“The right decision could be to abstain from sex. But in other cases, the best decision could also be to practice safer sex with proper condom use.”
One in three Filipino youths engage in pre-marital sex, 78% of which is unprotected, according to preliminary data from the 2013 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study.
The study also showed that in the past decade, teenage pregnancy among girls aged 15-19 increased from 6% in 2002 to 14% in 2013.Cendana noted that teenage pregnancies are usually the result of rash decisions.
“Youths should not make that mistake on Valentine’s Day,” he said.
“There are more meaningful and equally romantic ways that are safer to celebrate Valentine’s.”