PRESS RELEASE

Family size matters:

Average Filipino family spends 40% of monthly expenses on food

The average Filipino family spends nearly half of its resources per month on food.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that at the end of the second quarter
of 2018, food expenditure stood as 41.5 percent of total household expenditure.

In the Philippines, more than half of family members are identified as dependents, based
on Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) July 2018 overall dependency ratio of 57.7
percent.

Families in Western countries like the United States and United Kingdom spend around
10% of their monthly expenditure on food.

This means that the total family income is mostly spent on food and less spending is
made for clothing and other basic service necessities such as housing, electricity, water
and other social services such as health and education.

Families with highest poverty incidence such as those in the fishing and agriculture
sectors are hardest hit as high inflation rate remain unabated, making the daily survival
of poor Filipino families hard to address, more so with increasing family size.

The theme “Pamilyang Planado, Panalo! #FamilyPlanningTryMo,” is still the battle

cry for this year’s Family Planning Month celebration in August. Together with the
Department of Health (DOH), the Commission on Population (POPCOM) has been
integrating and implementing programs that promote awareness and information on
family planning methods for the past 49 years since POPCOM’s early beginnings.

Family Planning (FP) is now being recognized as one of the vital health programs. It
emphasizes the health and well-being of mothers through proper awareness and use of
different family planning method with the aim to reduce maternal and infant deaths;
decrease teenage pregnancies; avoid induced abortion cases; and ultimately, alleviate, if
not end cycle of poverty in the future.

Form No. PR-IMCD-FM003 Version No. 01 Effective: March 1, 2018

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2017 National Demographic and
Health Survey (NDHS), roughly one in ten women age 15-19 have begun childbearing
and 17% of women age 15-49 want to practice FP but do not have access to said FP
methods.

Despite the numerous benefits of family planning, some Filipinos are still hesitant to try
different modern FP methods due to myths and misconceptions. FP practice is lowest
among married women who belong to the lowest socioeconomic classification and those
who did not attend school.

Moreover, the issue of adolescent fertility is equally important for both health and social
reasons. Teenage mothers and their children are exposed to risk of illness and even
death as well as experiencing constraints in pursuing educational and employment
opportunities.

POPCOM Executive Director Juan Antonio A. Perez III said, “POPCOM will continue to
work hard in giving the best FP information and services to every Filipino family. We will
unreservedly invest in the health and rights of women and couples for them to have the
power to choose, plan and attain their goals and desires for themselves and for their
families. When they are empowered, so is this country.” Dr. Perez said. “Ang Pamilyang
Planado, Panalo!” he added.

With the said observance for this month, POPCOM together with regional offices will
organize local events such as health caravans, seminars, workplace orientations,
conferences and social media campaigns to generate widespread attention about family
planning.
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Information Management and Communications Division (IMCD)

Tel.: (02) 531-6978; 531-6897
Email: imcdcentral@gmail.com
Website: www.popcom.gov.ph

Press Release No. IMCD-PR-018-08-005 Release Date: August 22, 2018

Form No. PR-IMCD-FM003 Version No. 01 Effective: March 1, 2018