The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) has called on the government to implement "far-reaching and holistic" approaches that will further strengthen its population and development programs.
Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio Perez III said that while the growing population contributes to the country's socioeconomic development, it also calls for actions to ensure that citizens are well-nurtured and equipped with needed skills.
“The steadily growing population implies the need for more resources and opportunities for development to ensure the well-being of all Filipinos," Perez said in a statement on Wednesday, July 13.
" calls for actions from governments at all levels to intensify their initiatives to ensure that all Filipinos are healthy, educated, resilient, and able to contribute to national development," he explained.
The POPCOM chief made the call after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released the latest census of population which showed that the country's population increased by about 1.6 million yearly since 2015.
In the 2020 Census, PSA announced the country's population at 109,035,906, including the addition of 8,053,906 persons from 2015.
According to Perez, the results have implied the continuing relevance of population and development programs in the country which are intended to put the people at the center of the development.
Commenting on the country’s updated population figures, Perez said population growth has slowed down--something that he attributed to lower fertility rate as many Filipino women have opted for smaller families.
Perez also noted that since the census was conducted during the pandemic, the return migration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the country may have contributed to the movement in the population count.
"POPCOM continues to seek their invaluable support to help us advance our population strategies in the attainment of more resilient communities, and an improved quality of life for every Filipino family," he added.