A youth-focused family planning intervention in Biñan.
Biñan City’s journey to reducing adolescent birth rates and expanding family planning outreach reflects the power of strategic planning, collaboration, and community-driven action. Known for its economic strength, Biñan recognizes the importance of investing in the health and future of its youth.
As a recipient of the Child-Friendly City Award, and under the leadership of Mayor Atty. Walfredo R. Dimaguila Jr., Biñan prioritized Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH). This commitment led to focused efforts to develop responsive, inclusive, and sustainable solutions for young people across the city.
Although the city had the resources and infrastructure to support reproductive health initiatives, addressing the unique needs of adolescents required a more targeted and coordinated approach. Services across the 24 barangays, though active, often operated in silos, resulting in duplicated efforts in some areas and unmet needs in others.
City leaders recognized that meaningful, long-term change around adolescent reproductive health demanded a multifaceted approach. This understanding became the catalyst for pursuing innovative solutions and forming strategic partnerships to protect the well-being and future of the city’s youth.
Meeting the Challenge Head-On
According to the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Region IV-CALABARZON, Biñan recorded 4,896 teenage pregnancies between 2016 and 2020, placing it among the top 20 Local Government Units (LGUs) in the region with the highest numbers. These cases represent not just statistics but thousands of young lives whose educational and developmental paths were at risk.
In 2021 alone, the city reported 945 teen pregnancies, leading to an Adolescent Birth Rate of 47 per 1,000. This was above the national target and signaled a public health emergency.
The consequences extended throughout the community. Young mothers faced interrupted education, health risks, and limited economic opportunities. Families and the community bore the social and financial burdens. Even with a relatively high modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) of 71.3% in 2021, the persistently high rates pointed to gaps in youth-focused family planning, sexuality education, and adolescent-friendly healthcare.
From Challenge to Champion
The City Leadership Team conducts a youth intervention.
After partnering with The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in 2021, Biñan graduated from TCI’s driect support in May 2025. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the city established a City Leadership Team, signaling a shift from fragmented efforts to a unified health strategy. The team brought together stakeholders from the City Population Office, the Department of Health, CPD, and the Zuellig Family Foundation to coordinate a citywide response.
The Regional Inception Meeting held online laid the foundation, defining goals and roles for each partner. The city also took part in a Leadership Adolescent and Youth-Friendly City Training to build local leadership capable of addressing teen pregnancy.
Central to Biñan’s strategy was the integration of demand generation into family planning outreach. The city understood that services alone were not enough. Educating and empowering communities to make informed reproductive health decisions was essential. This effort involved partnering with private organizations, healthcare providers, and national agencies.
For the Youth, By the Youth
Biñan began with young people – not as passive recipients, but as partners. The city collaborated with the Department of Education, school administrators, and parents to deliver comprehensive sexuality education, peer education, and values formation sessions. Recognizing the challenges of reaching adolescents, Atty. Nora Pangan, Acting Department Head of the City Population Office, emphasized that they started by building trust with school leaders, eventually gaining support from students and parents. Adolescents participated in peer education trainings led by CPD Calabarzon, gaining technical knowledge and leadership skills to become youth advocates.
A Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning intervention.
Engagement began during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the city pivoted to virtual platforms, conducting activities such as Teenage Pregnancy Symposia and film dissemination via Zoom. As in-person activities resumed, sessions transitioned into blended, community-based sessions, offering practical maternal and reproductive health education through interactive learning stations.
Building on its youth-centered approach, the city also invested in school- and community-based teen centers. Though school-based efforts initially faced restrictions, Population Program Officer Mr. Hilario Pantua Jr. noted that scheduling innovations, such as after-school programs during student camps, allowed health education to continue.
These teen centers became referral hubs through the Information Service Delivery Network, especially for mental health concerns. Formal agreements between the LGU, CPD Calabarzon, and schools led to the establishment of three teen centers in public and private secondary schools. These provided adolescents with safe, non-judgmental spaces for information and services.
Mental health emerged as a recurring concern, especially issues tied to bullying, academic stress, and family conflict. Mr. Pantua noted that the presence of teen centers helped shift youth perceptions away from punitive approaches and toward supportive care, fostering a more open and engaged youth community.
Peer facilitators trained in both school and community settings formed a network of youth advocates across Biñan’s 24 barangays. Programs – like Breaking the Barrier Sessions, Bunteens, Teenzania, Teenage Pregnancy Symposia, U4U Teen Trail, film dissemination, and Parent-Teen Talks – fostered open dialogue on responsible parenthood and family planning.
Comprehensive Mapping and Tracking Systems
A team in Biñan learns about data tracking and mapping for teenage pregnancy support.
Underlying these service delivery enhancements was a strong commitment to data-driven decision-making. The City Health Office’s Field Health Service and Information System enabled continuous monitoring and evaluation, tracking both quantitative indicators, such as teenage pregnancy rates and contraceptive use, and qualitative insights into service quality and user satisfaction.
Innovative tools like the e-Plano program enhanced data collection. Recognized by Friendly Care Foundation Incorporated, e-Plano enabled all 24 barangays to monitor performance in real time. Atty. Pangan noted that this proactive, data-driven approach helped adjust strategies and advocate for continued funding.
Reaching the Grassroots: The Serbisyong Arman Caravan
The Serbisyong Arman Caravan delivered integrated services to promote family planning methods, reduce health inequities, and strengthen family resilience. The city’s messaging evolved to promote informed choice and empowerment, moving away from myths and misconceptions.
With deep community engagement and multi-sectoral partnerships, the program addressed the root causes of unmet needs. Atty. Pangan shared that even she, once skeptical about family planning, came to support it after understanding its purpose and value.
Recognizing barangays as the smallest political units and families as the foundational units of society, Biñan anchored interventions locally. This focus helped build informed and resilient communities citywide.
Rising by the Numbers
Biñan’s mCPR rose significantly – from 71.3% in 2021 to 83.12% in 2024 – according to the City Health Office. This increase reflected better access to contraceptives, improved service quality, and more informed decision-making.
The increase highlights the success of a comprehensive approach that addressed both supply-side factors, such as service availability and provider capacity, and demand-side elements, including community awareness, behavior change, and informed decision-making.
The city’s success positioned it as a regional leader in family planning within Calabarzon, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrated strategies rooted in community engagement, technology, and capacity building.
Built to Last
After successfully graduating from TCI in 2025, Biñan City is now leveraging tools introduced during its TCI journey, particularly those for monitoring teen center performance. The goal is to establish teen centers in every public and private school and all barangays. These tools will continue to guide program implementation and help maintain quality services
City officials expressed confidence in their ability to meet funding needs through collaboration. Multiple offices already allocate budget for adolescent health, and barangays are encouraged to include teen center support in their Annual Investment Plans.
Increase in Biñan’s financial commitment to fund family planning programs, from 2023 to 2025.
Biñan’s sustainability plan is grounded in local policies, institutional backing, and multi-sectoral investment. With an ordinance mandating the creation of teen centers and a supportive local chief executive, the city is ensuring that adolescent health programs will endure, ensuring that every young person has continued access to safe spaces, trusted guidance, and essential services.
