Ang mga

Dalaga sa
Sapang
Kawayan
A Reaction Paper

Fajardo, Rachel Mae R. Prof. EJ De Torres

BSA – BBC ZGE 1102 Subject Course Professor
 A Reaction Paper on an iWitness Documentary entitled:
Ang mga Dalaga sa Sapang Kawayan

Poverty, lack of education, teenage pregnancy, and malnutrition are societal

problems that are all interconnected and prominent. Experiencing one can trap you and
lead you to the other unless you act on yourself. I firmly believe that both the cause and
consequence of all these problems is poverty. Poverty impedes the progress of a
person and the country as a whole. It deprives people of education, which is the key to
a better life and greater opportunities.

Poverty and teenage pregnancy have a strong correlation. According to a study

conducted by Diane Stonehocker in 1997, youths living in poverty have a teen
pregnancy rate which is five times the average. This implies that socio-economic factors
affect the rates of teenage pregnancy. Teenagers in the areas of poverty lack proper
education, this means that their curiosity about unexplained happenings drives them to
find answers for themselves. It is also proposed in Stonehocker's study that teenagers
who live in poverty think that they won't be able to break free from the chains of poverty
and all they have for their greatness is their sexuality.

A small community in Masantol, Pampanga called Sapang Kawayan has been

faced with poverty, high rates of teenage pregnancy, and lack of education for
generations now. The cycle seems to continue as the parents of teenage mothers
consent to the doings of their children. It was as if they have already accepted their fate
and have no intention of working hard to change their situation into a better future.

A baby is always a blessing but I think that the situation in Sapang Kawayan is
tragic. I think that the youths there are not fully aware of the world outside their island.
They are not aware of the possibilities that they can experience if only they were not
impregnated at a very early age. Living like a husband and wife at the age of 13 is not
ideal and unacceptable. Teenagers at that age should be at school, studying, or
exploring and enhancing his or her skills - not staying at home to take care of her child.
Admit it or not, youths at this age are still uncapable of settling down and building their
own family. They probably can't even feed their children and will still be dependent on
their parents. I also believe that before one enters into parenthood, they must be able to
ensure that they can raise their kids well and educated. They must first assess
themselves if they can provide for all of the needs of their children, which basically
include education and proper nutrition. All of these, I believe, that teenage parents
would not achieve, or at least, would have difficulty in achieving.

Upon learning about the age of the teenage mothers in Sapang Kawayan, I was
shocked and worried at the same time. A teenage body is not fully mature to carry a
baby, and giving birth at such an early age, such as 13, is very dangerous. It is like
risking a life for another life and teenagers aren't supposed to be making that kind of risk
yet. The risks that they should be taking are the risks that would help in developing their
future.

The effect of poverty is just unacceptable and heart-shattering. Imagine the

number of teenage parents who could've been great professionals, turn into teenage
parents who are still uncapable of living for themselves. Proper education could've
changed their destiny if only they were not deprived of that. They could've been more
than what they are. They could've provided a better future for themselves and for their
parents and siblings. Now, they are stuck with the fate that they have.