Serving One’s Community Has No Age Limit: Improving Adolescent Health and Rights in Leyte 

Perseverance—the unwavering will to keep moving forward despite challenges—is what defines the life and service of a 71-year-old Barangay Kagawad from Barangay Mambajao, Maasin City, Southern Leyte. 

Felizardo Ramos is a retired community organizer of the Commission on Population and Development. He dedicated 17 years to grassroots work. Today, even in his retirement, he continues to serve—this time with a deep focus on preventing teenage pregnancy in his barangay.

As the head of the Barangay Health Committee, he sees every learning opportunity as a way to improve himself and his leadership. He completed training under Modules 1 and 2 of Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Barangay Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program (BEYLGP)—a training series that equips local leaders with innovative strategies to address adolescent health and rights. 

These sessions are part of the Joint Program on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy (JPARAP) in Southern Leyte and Samar. The program is supported by the Provincial Government of  Southern Leyte, the City Government of Maasin, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). 

In Barangay Mambajao, reported teenage pregnancies among 15- to 19-year-olds rose from zero in 2021 to 3 in 2022. The number slightly declined to 1 in 2023 but increased again to 4 in 2024 and 6 in 2025. These numbers reflect the urgent need for sustained action to protect and empower young people.

To Ramos, making a difference is not about numbers—it is about heart. “Even if we are only two or three, as long as we have the commitment and passion to help others—especially adolescents—we can make a difference,” he shared. Over time, they realized that holding just one symposium was not enough to create real change. This is why Ramos is now planning to allocate funds for the Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) program in the barangay.

With a renewed sense of purpose, he is determined to carry out the plans created during the program and follow through even beyond the end of the project. His promise is clear: to continue the fight against teenage pregnancy so that every adolescent has a chance at a better future.