184 Million Pinoys by 2040
BAGUIO CITY - At the current growth rate, the Philippines' population may reach 184.4 million by 2040 to place it on 10th place as the most populated country, the Population Commission (PopCom) said Saturday.
PopCom Executive Director Tomas Osias said that with the country's rapid population growth, the government needs to adopt appropriate adolescent reproductive health practices to prevent over population which could result to pressing problems, such as scarcity of food and water supply and over development in both rural and urban centers.
Currently, the Philippines has a population of 92.2 million and the said figures will eventually double in 31 years to place the country in 10th spot.
The PopCom official revealed that the country's population growth rate is 2.04 percent annually but the same could increase further if the government could not implement appropriate measures to significantly reduce the rather high growth rate.
Even if the country's growth rate is on a downward trend because of the massive information and education campaign on artificial and natural birth control methods, population experts cited the same would not mean a decrease in the country's population since the country has a very high incremental rate and lots of children.
Furthermore, it was discovered that Filipino women have a high fertility rate as a woman gives birth to an average of three children during their fertile years.
It was also noted that 24 percent of the country's population falls on the adolescent category and almost 50 percent represent individuals aged 15 years and over, which is an indication of expected high fertility of the women who are expected to give birth to more children in the next several years.
Osias recommended the conduct of a massive information and education campaign on family planning, especially in the grassroots level to solve the country's increasing population problem and its expected serious negative effects to the living condition of the people.
What is important, according to him, is that the youth should be educated on population education since they are now currently facing many issues like globalization of trade, dispersal of family members, urbanization, climate change and poverty.
Osias noted that education plays an important role in population education but it must be effectively and efficiently done in the rural areas so that today's present generation will be able to cope up with the rapid increase in the number of Filipinos.
PopCom is currently implementing programs on reproductive health, family planning and responsible parenthood which evolve on four concepts: respect for life; responsible parenthood; birth spacing and informed choice.
The population agency is also closely working with the religious sector on issues concerning human equality and reproductive health to ensure that controversial issues affecting the implementation of population control programs will be addressed.
source::: Manila Bulletin
