“We have children raising children”: Cebu Provincial Team To Address Teenage Pregnancy
“How do we make them dream again?”
Cebu Provincial Governor Pamela Baricuatro and the Provincial Health Office (PHO) team completed an intensive field immersion known as a Deep Dive on October 2, 2026. The team visited two households in Consolacion, Cebu, and learned of the situation of adolescent mothers firsthand. Teenage pregnancy has become a rising concern for the province of Cebu, with 4,085 recorded deliveries from adolescent mothers aged 15 to 19 years old in 2025.
This immersion follows the Provincial Leadership Health Development Program (PLHDP) Module 1 training held in Mandaue City, Cebu, co-organized by the Zuellig Family Foundation and the Department of Health–Central Visayas (DOH-7). A core component of ZFF’s Bridging Leadership, the Deep Dive pushes local chief executives and health officers to step out of executive offices and witness systemic health challenges through the eyes of local stakeholders.
Photo above: Governor Pamela Baricuatro talks to a teenage mother to learn of the on-ground situation for adolescent parents in Cebu.
Reflecting on the Deep Dive experience, Governor Baricuatro sadly admitted: “The government system is not felt on the ground. We haven’t reached everyone, like the teenagers. Youth programs don’t address real issues.” She continued, “The youth feel like they are on their own. We have children raising children.”
The post-Deep Dive discussion, which included members of the local municipal team and the Provincial Youth Development Office (PYDO), also surfaced reflections that addressing adolescent pregnancy involves a multi-stakeholder approach.
Austere A. Panadero, President and Executive Director of ZFF, framed the immersion’s key takeaway: “We know the problem and we know what to do. We also need to figure out how to do the service delivery sustainably.”
The Cebu team will reconvene in November 2026 for the PLHDP Module 2 training to refine the provincial health roadmap. “We need to make them dream again,” Governor Baricuatro stressed, rallying the provincial team to create a program to address adolescent pregnancy.
Photos courtesy of the Provincial Government of Cebu.
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