A QUIET revolution is underway in Western Visayas — one not marked by protests or legislation, but by a simple, sobering decision shared by many couples: they can no longer afford to have children.
As reported by this paper, the region’s total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped to 1.57 children per woman, far below the replacement level of 2.1. This is not merely a matter of lifestyle or personal choice — it is a reflection of economic realities. Couples are grappling with the unrelenting pressures of inflation, job insecurity, rising tuition fees, and the soaring costs of food, housing, healthcare, and child-rearing. In places like Antique (TFR 1.46) and Iloilo City (TFR 1.50), the decision not to expand a family is a matter of survival.
As Commission on Population Development (CPD) Region 6 firector Harold Alfred Marshall aptly put it, “If you ask couples why the fertility rate is going down, most of them will say it’s because life is so difficult now — they cannot afford to have kids.” That chilling answer is echoed in dining tables, jeepney rides, and coffee shops across the region. It is not that people don’t want children anymore; it is that the economics no longer allow them to dream of it.
This demographic shift should sound alarm bells across all levels of government. While the nation obsesses over economic growth figures, the very building blocks of society — the families — are shrinking because the system is no longer supportive. No amount of population campaigns will reverse this trend unless economic policies become truly family-friendly.
Government must stop treating family planning and economic planning as separate silos. If we want couples to feel secure enough to raise children, then housing must be affordable, public education must be accessible and high-quality, healthcare must be universal, and jobs must pay a living wage. Social safety nets must be expanded, and working parents must be supported with child care and parental leave — not just in urban centers, but in rural communities as well.
We must also reframe our economic goals. Growth that leaves young families behind is not progress. A shrinking, aging population will have long-term implications for our labor force, tax base, and social systems. If we do not act now, we may find ourselves, like some developed countries, in a demographic freefall that is difficult — and expensive — to reverse.
Western Visayas is giving us a preview of what happens when people feel they are on their own. Let this be a wake-up call. The decision to have children should not be a luxury. The government must aim to build an economy where raising a family is not a burden, but a choice made with confidence, dignity, and hope.
