MANILA - An average of 530 women aged 10 to 19 give birth every day, an official of the Commission on Population (POPCOM) said Thursday.

According to POPCOM Executive Director Usec. Juan Antonio Perez, the number of teen pregnancies reached a peak in 2014, with as many as 576 young mothers giving birth every day.

The number slightly went down the following years, with at least 530 teenagers giving birth daily as of 2017.

One in every 6 teenage mothers get pregnant again, he added.

Perez said the increase in number of teenagers engaging in premarital sex is one of the factors in the increasing number of teenage mothers.

"Ang tinitingnan namin niyan, dalawang bagay. May mga tinatawag na non-sexual risk behavior katulad ng pag-inom, paninigarilyo at paggamit ng droga," Perez told DZMM.

"Yung pag-inom at paninigarilyo, that leads to premarital sex, and that leads teenage pregnancy," he added.

Internet use can also influence the behavior of teenagers when it comes to sex.

"Yung sexual [risk behavior], 'yung pre-marital sex mismo na nage-engage sila directly. Nakaka-influence dito, to some extent, ang internet, 80 percent may smartphone," Perez said.

Perez also said most of the teenage mothers come from poor families in rural areas.

These young mothers give birth to healthy babies, but they are more prone to illnesses, Perez said.

"Mas mataas ang mortality rate among teen mothers, infant mortality rate din, mas mataas among teen mothers," Perez said.

For Perez, another factor in the increasing number of teenage pregnancies is lack of knowledge among teenagers.

"Malaki rin yung lack of knowledge. For example, they believe na kung minsan ka lang makipag-sex, hindi ka mabubuntis," he said.

(They believe they won't get pregnant by having sex once or twice.)

"Maraming ganun na prevalent na beliefs nila that are not filtered by adults," Perez added.

Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Ernesto Pernia earlier said "the rising teenage pregnancy rate in the Philippines has contributed to the country's population crisis."

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday proposed the revival of family planning in the country, saying religion cannot help in the reproductive health of women.

Duterte also urged the public not to rely on religion when it comes to reproductive health, which has been an issue between the church and the state for decades.