MANILA – The most urgent concern of young people today are sex-related issues like pre-marital sex and teen pregnancies, according to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

In a news release at their website, the CBCP cited a survey commissioned by the National Secretariat for Youth Apostolate (NSYA) which showed that young Filipinos are "grappling the hardest" with "sex issues, followed by growth in faith and nurturing relationships."

The survey also showed that "family issues" and "drug abuse, vices" ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

The CBCP quoted Runualdo Villamata, Diocesan Youth Leader of Lucena City in Quezon, who admitted that early physical intimacy jeopardizes young people's future.

"Meron samin, 16 years old pa lang, dalawa na ang anak (In our place, there are 16 year olds who have two kids already)," he added.

He said the Church and youth ministry, in particular, is responding more actively to this reality of young Filipinos by holding various seminars, which have talks on God, Church, family and youth ministry.

Villamata, who oversees the youth ministries in Lucena's 36 parishes, said that such seminars also encourage young people to wait before plunging into exclusive relationships and to see the value of chastity.

The NSYA, the executive arm of the CBCP – Episcopal Commission on Youth, surveyed youth ministers from 86 dioceses in the country and 27 member organizations of the Federation of National Youth Organizations last April.

The survey was done primarily to consult youth ministers regarding the program and content of the National Conference for Youth Ministers in October.*