Andi Eigenmann and the rising number of premarital pregnancies in the country

By Mark Pere Madrona

The interview with a crying Jaclyn Jose on ABS-CBN last June 29 sent shockwaves throughout this showbiz-crazed nation. Jose confirmed to the whole world that her 21-year-old daughter, young actress Andi Eigenmann, is indeed four months pregnant. Jose made the revelation amidst swirling tabloid blind items about the pregnancy.

Almost immediately, everyone (especially “netizens”) was speculating about who impregnated Eigenmann. Is it her ex boyfriend Albie Casino? Is it her current flame Jake Ejercito? Others, meanwhile, are talking about what effect this event would have in Eigenmann’s budding career.

According to reports, her mother network has lined up a number of future projects for her. Even while Eigenmann and her mother has remained tight-lipped on the pregnancy, her father, actor Mark Gil, has said nasty words about the father of her daughter’s baby. We all know that the media thrives on covering controversial personalities and intrigues, mainly because the public delights in watching that. Since the reportage has been centered on these individuals, we hear nothing about the deeper (and more relevant) story underneath the entire brouhaha.

To say that premarital pregnancies are becoming common nowadays may be an understatement. Almost all of us probably have a relative, a one-time schoolmate, or a neighbor who became pregnant before marriage. In some instances, the ones involved here are still on their teenage years. Having lost contact with most of my elementary batch mates for years, I was so surprised to see that some of my female classmates are already mothers. I learned about it through their Facebook accounts, where they uploaded pictures of their babies. At first, I naively thought those kids were either their younger siblings or pamangkins!

I’ve also had more than two unwed close relatives who became pregnant. For example, my cousin Theresa (not her real name) was only 15 when she got pregnant almost four years ago. We were playmates during our childhood days, though I am two years older than her. The father of her child works as a car shop painter near their house in Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City. Other than his daily pay, he does not get any other benefits from his employer. I even doubt if that shop is formally registered to do business.

According to a 2004 report by the World Health Organization (WHO), “the number of young adults engaging in premarital sex (PMS) has steadily increased over the years.” They cited the findings of the Young Adult Fertility Survey III (published in 2002) which stated that 40% of Filipinos between ages 20-24 have experienced PMS at least once. It was concluded that “the percentage of sexually active young adults increases with age,” and that males and urban adolescents in general are more likely to engage in PMS.

Despite the high incidence of sexual activity among young people, the same WHO literature review noted that a mere 20% of women aged 15 to 49 did not know when they are fertile during their monthly cycle (as revealed by the 2000 Family Planning Survey). And though 94.4% of unmarried girls aged 15-19 are aware of at least one contraceptive method, only 0.1% of them had actually used it (as per the 1998 National Demographic Survey).

These figures will surely be disconcerting for many, but one has to keep in mind that the numbers stated here are already obsolete. Getting more recent (and hence more realistic) statistics about these matters are very tough. Doing such an extensive study will surely be costly. Who will shoulder the expenses?

It will also be hard to put it into place since some sectors will surely vehemently oppose the initiative from the start. Lastly, how can you be sure that you are getting honest answers when you ask someone about his/her sexual behavior? It may be hard to quantify the increasing prevalence of premarital pregnancies in our society right now, but as stated earlier, it is not hard to put a human face into it.

One can only speculate as to the reason behind the rise in premarital pregnancies in the country. More often than not, such cases are unplanned by either of the parents. And while having a child is not bad per se, the problem comes when a couple is totally unprepared for the baby’s needs. So, the question now is, how do you reduce unintended premarital pregnancies? More on that in my next post.

* The figures cited above were obtained from Sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and youths in the Philippines: A review of literature and projects, 1995-2003, published by the World Health Organization – West Pacific region. This 153-page material can be downloaded for free at http://www.wpro.who.int/NR/rdonlyres/C39735C6-2817-4BC0-B527-3F22FBA7F2B9/0/ASRHphilippines.pdf.

Beware of Globe Telecom's fake pomos

I received a text message (which I’ve already deleted out of disgust) from Globe last May 19 saying that I will get 100 Globe-to-Globe/TM texts and a five-minute call if I load P50 from May 18-20, 2011. I already loaded P25 the night before I received that message (May 18), which means that I if I load another P25, I will get the reward. I didn’t. The free texts and the five-minute call never came! However, I didn’t lose hope. One the third and last day of the “promo,” I loaded another P50. It is now May 24, 2011, and the supposed “rewards” are still nowhere. Attention, Globe! Stop making a fool out of your subscribers! Stop sending messages about your fake promos!

In memoriam, Lourdes "Chit" Estella-Simbulan (1958-2011)

On our way home riding a jeepney one afternoon when I was in Grade Four, a bunch of people handed out to us and our fellow passengers free copies of The Manila Times. That was in mid-1999, and though I no longer recall where the distribution of these papers happened, I will not forget its main story: “Nasagasaan kami ng jeep ni Erap.” The piece goes with a cropped photo of the then President driving a jeep.

Because of the pro-Estrada sentiments in our family at that time, and because I am merely 9 then, I didn’t give much attention to it. I didn’t even set aside that give-away for posterity’s sake! I was only able to realize the importance of that moment many years later, when I was already a journalism student in UP Diliman. I learn the true story behind the paper being “ran over.” Estrada filed a Php 99 million libel case against the paper, and facing the prospect of a prolonged legal tussle against the country’s most powerful man, the paper folded up, and then changed owners.

One of the key figures in that event was the late Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan, Manila Times’ then-managing editor. As I took my first journalism class in mid-2007 (History of the Press, under Ms Evelyn Katigbak), I learned about that classic episode in Philippine media’s history. Over a year later, I’d be enrolled in one of her classes.

As a final requirement for that subject titled “The Newsroom,” students must produce a newspaper by the end of the semester. The class had its line-up of news executives, and I was the paper’s associate editor, or second-in-command. For reasons that already escapes me now, we named the paper “The Signum,” a name Prof. Simbulan later described as “innovative, creative, (and) interesting, though a bit strange.” All did not go smoothly. Deadlines weren’t met, while some seemed uncommitted; printing the newspaper became a problem, too. There were moments of introspection and self-blaming, compelling the paper’s top three editors (including me) to write separate open letters via our online group. Weeks after that, Prof. Simbulan gave a detailed two-page critique of our work. Though she made some pointed comments like “some headlines were stretched disproportionately,” “not a very careful use of bastard layouting,” and “proofreading can be improved throughout the newspaper,” she was appreciative of the paper’s strong points, writing:

“The Signum was a good first attempt at a newspaper. Its choice of stories was good, the opinions were earnest. Although it had its fair share of technical lapses, the substance made up for these. The newspaper had heart. “

That was a vindication for the efforts our entire class exerted for that output. I would’ve wanted to take other classes under her, but she went on study leave on my senior year. I remember gleefully answering a two-page “test” about Philippine history as part of her graduate studies research late 2009. Nevertheless, we still got to exchange pleasantries whenever I see her around the campus, or during her lunch meals with my thesis adviser Prof. Yvonne Chua.

I once kidded her (outside the UP College of Mass Communication building) that the only way she’d be my professor again is if I’d stay in UP beyond April 2010, my graduation date. She said she hopes that I’ve already graduated by then, and humorously quipped, “and with a job!” She emceed that year’s college graduation rites, and right after the ceremonies, I went up the platform of the UP Film Center to … have a photo with her. She gladly obliged, and now that she’s gone, that picture became all the more priceless to me.

I asked if she has a Facebook account. She said yes, but I was never able to search it. Months later, we saw each other again in the college. I came to ask for a recommendation from Prof. Chua about my application for MA History last August 2010. After greeting her, she ribbed me: “Mr. Madrona, I thought you already graduated!” Of all my journalism professors, she’s the only one to call me that way. It is saddening to note though that that encounter was the last time I saw her alive.

On my way out of Arlington’s Felicidad chapel, I approached Mr. Roland Simbulan to say how proud I am to have been once under his wife’s mentorship. The appreciative wido

w told me while shaking my hand: “Chit lives on through students like you.” The important lessons in journalism integrity and professionalism that she emphasized to us will be her biggest legacy, but Mam Chit is irreplaceable.