Author: Nicole Tan
In recent months, young Filipinos in Metro Manila are stepping to take charge of conversations around health and wellbeing, especially topics surrounded by stigma. A new initiative, Adolescent Peer Champions for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), is empowering teens to create and share digital content that promotes accurate information about sexual and reproductive health.
Supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Bayer Philippines, MakeSense Asia, and local government, the program allows youth aged 15 to 19 to produce social media content that tackles topics such as consent, access to contraception, and puberty experiences.
Youth ambassadors are using platforms like TikTok and Facebook to challenge stigma, correct misinformation, and make health dialogue relatable to their peers. With adolescent pregnancy rates rising in parts of the National Capital Region, this peer-led approach highlights how youth can mobilize their voices and creativity for social impact.
“Our ambition is to normalize and mainstream conversations around sexual and reproductive health… ensuring that young people are not just participants, but leaders and agents in shaping their health and their lives,” said Christine Elaine Peralta, Government Affairs Manager-Pharmaceuticals of Bayer Philippines Inc.
As Metro Manila continues navigating public health challenges, initiatives like this show how youth leadership can spark critical conversations and change in their communities.
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