110.9 million Pinoys seen in 2021

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s population is estimated to balloon to 110,881,756 in 2021, the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said on Wednesday, which is 1.45 percent more compared to the previous 109,480,590 at the onset of 2020.

Popcom’s 2021 estimate was based on geometric-method projections using the 2015 population census by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

But the commission noted that the population outlook might still swell, to as much as 111.1 million, due to unintended pregnancies caused by the nationwide lockdowns during the pandemic.

“Interestingly, women of reproductive age, 15 to 49 years old, are estimated to have the greatest potential growth in numbers—an increase of about 337,193. This increase will drive population momentum as more women are expected to give birth,” the commission said in a statement.

“With the increasing proportion of Filipino women of childbearing age, there is a need to intensify actions to ensure their access to family planning information and services to prevent unplanned pregnancies, especially within the context of the pandemic,” it added.

Popcom, citing a report by the University of the Philippines Population Institute and the United Nations Population Fund, revealed in June that around 2 million babies are expected to be born next year due to the current pandemic.

“This aspect also needs attention, as Filipino women need to have healthy and safe pregnancies given the risks from COVID-19,” Popcom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III said.

“We also need to ensure that Filipinos’ aspirations on having two children on average are attained, amid service reductions in family planning due to the pandemic,” he added.

Aftereffect

Based on the commission’s data, adolescents aged 10 to 19 years old will only increase to 38,224 next year.

However, Popcom said this age group would contribute a 21.04-percent rise in unintended pregnancies.

This means that around 102,000 unintended pregnancies are expected in 2021 “as an aftereffect by community quarantine-induced service reductions on family planning.”

“Our country still has one of the highest population growth rates in (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations),” the commission said.

“There are still lingering issues we all have to address as we usher in a new decade: management of limited resources in the face of climate change, unrestrained internal migration leading to congestion in urban areas, as well as the disturbing rise of adolescent and teenage pregnancy nationwide, among many others,” said Perez.

“It would still take a comprehensive approach that links government efforts to nongovernment organizations and the private sector — one that allows population programs like family planning to reach every community in all 42,000 barangays nationwide. We also enjoin our countrymen to do their part, as their decisions on family planning will affect our communities,” he added.