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[av_heading heading=’WV population to hit 7.8M by end of 2018 ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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ILOILO City – The population of Western Visayas is estimated to increase from 7,536,383 million in 2015 to 7,828,222 by Dec. 31, 2018, with a population growth rate (PGR) of 1.2 percent.
The figure is based on projections made by the Commission on Population (PopCom) Region 6 using the 2015 Census of Population of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Women of reproductive age (15-49) will also increase by 1,914,319, or about 65,000 more from the 2015 census. These women are usually the beneficiaries of reproductive health services under the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law.
Adding to the growing population is the number of adolescent girls (10-19) at 727,569 who are also entering their child-bearing years and likely contributing to the increasing incidences of teenage pregnancies.
“The increase in population is both seen as an opportunity and challenge; opportunity in the sense that we have increased human resource and challenge in a way that the government should provide for the basic social services, notwithstanding the challenge to balance population, resources, and environment,” said PopCom-6 regional director Harold Alfred Marshall.
PopCom is the lead agency in terms of planning, coordinating, and monitoring of the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP), which includes the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning (RPFP) program.
This program aims to empower couples and individuals to achieve their desired number, timing, and spacing of children in the context of informed choice and responsible parenthood.
PPMP aims to attain zero unmet need for modern family planning and increase of Contraceptive Prevalence Rate to 65 percent.
PopCom-6, in coordination with the provincial/city population offices, is doing demand generation activities like RPFP classes, pre-marriage counseling sessions, and Usapan sessions and linking these to service delivery through the provincial/city health offices.
Based on the 2015 Census of Population, among the six provinces, the province of Negros Occidental is highest as projected to reach 2,563,400 population, followed by Iloilo province at 2,021,919; Capiz, 788,630; Antique, 605,522; Aklan, 600,370; and Guimaras at 182,238.
For the highly urbanized cities, Bacolod City is estimated to reach 594,581 population and Iloilo City at 463,264.
The Philippine population will also continue to increase to 107,190,081 at the end of 2018. (PIA-Iloilo/PN)
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