Press Release Gatchalian seeks more aggressive gov't response to teenage pregnancy surge Following the Commission on Population and Development's (POPCOM) report that pregnancies among minors aged 10-14 was up by 7 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year, Senator Win Gatchalian is calling for a more aggressive government response to prevent young girls from being pregnant and falling in the trap of 'intergenerational poverty.' Gatchalian also warned that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to further increase the number of adolescent pregnancies, citing experiences from past calamities and disasters. When Typhoon Yolanda struck, 23.5 percent of teenage girls in Eastern Visayas got pregnant, according to a study by the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP).