ILOILO CITY (PNA) – Local government units (LGUs) are urged to intensify their reproductive health (RH) campaign to curb the growing rate of illegitimate births in Western Visayas.

A recent study by the Population Commission (PopCom)’s shows that Western Visayas has a steady growing rate of illegitimate births.

Of the six provinces in the region, Aklan topped the list followed by the province of Antique and Iloilo.

Negros Occidental and Capiz are not in the top three but this is because of their failure to update their current profiles.

Still, in the previous study, Negros had a higher number of illegitimate births compared with Iloilo, with Capiz province trailing Iloilo. Guimaras has the least number of illegitimate births in the region.

Meanwhile, the Popcom study pointed out that most illegitimate births in urban areas in Western Visayas are in Cadiz City in Negros Occidental followed by Sagay City in the same province, then Iloilo City, and the component City of Passi, Iloilo province.

Bacolod City was also in the list even though its illegitimate birth rates remain the same.

Other cities in the region with high registry of illegitimate births are Silay City in Negros Occidental and Roxas City capital of Capiz province.

Bago City in Negros Occidental has a declining number of illegitimate births.

Most illegitimate births in the region are delivered at home despite an increasing advocacy to have these in hospitals.

The result showed that natural family planning and reproductive health programs are yet to take root in the provincial level.

Bebot Sorio, PopCom regional information officer, lamented that despite the Church’s claim of having a stronghold on the faithful, the number of illegitimate births has increased.

Serio said most illegitimate children were born of Catholic mothers, which is expected since Western Visayas is predominantly Roman Catholic territory.

Other illegitimate births are from parents that are Protestants and Baptists, according to the study. Popcom plans to pursue next a study on the number of abortion incidence among illegitimate births.