BONTOC, Mountain Province – To increase awareness on mental health and to mitigate cases of teenage pregnancy, the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) and Provincial LGU of Mountain Province conducted a seminar on Adolescent Health and Development on July 30, 2021, at the Multipurpose Building Conference Hall.
Some 70 Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) workers of the Bontoc LGU participated in the seminar.
Topics discussed during the seminar include Mental Health by Eleanor Batnag, a Psychologist from provincial government of Mountain Province; Adolescent Health and Development by Daisy Faba-an, a nurse from the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College; and Nutrition for Adolescents by Mary Diane Monte, a dietician from the Provincial Health Office.
In an interview, Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey remarked that the community’s cooperation is important in the reduction of teenage pregnancy cases and in disseminating information on mental health.
“For decades, teenage pregnancy has been a problem in our country so various government initiatives like such are needed to lessen the cases while more attention and increased awareness of the community is needed to put an end to mental health stigma,” he added
The activity was spearheaded by the Provincial Population Development Office in partnership with the Public Employment Service Office and the Municipal Population Development Office of the Bontoc LGU. By Christy Che-es