In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth.
Decades of Muslim insurgency in the southern Philippines have led to a peace accord with one group and an ongoing cease-fire and peace talks with another.
Regarding teenage pregnancy in the Philippines, the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey shows that 8% of women 15-19 have begun childbearing, 6% are already mothers while 1.8% were pregnant with their first child.