Environmental Problems and Social Issues

Instructional Module and Learning Guide

Bohol Island State University (BISU)

Candijay Campus

Second Semester
SY 2023-2024

MA. SOLITA J. VIRTUDAZO, JD, MS

Course Instructor
 UNIT III
POPULATION AND RELATED ISSUES

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this Unit, the students shall have:

1. defined basic population concepts;

2. compared the global and national population growth trends then and now;

3, described the components of population change; and

4. explained the implications of rapid population in the Philippines.

Time Frame

6 hours/2 weeks

Materials Needed

Module, ball pen, paper

Content

The word population comes from “populous”, the Greek word for people. In its
modern usage, population implies numbers and a statistical method of analysis. An
understanding of population phenomena can offer clues to underlying forces in society.
Environmental Problems and Social Issues

The population is considered as both an influence on society and also a phenomenon

that is subject to social influence. This Unit intends to arouse interest in population matters
to develop awareness that uncontrolled population growth is a hindrance to the
improvement of the quality of life of the people. The interaction between population and
economic growth is underscored by the recognition of decision-makers and planners that
runaway population poses a barrier to development.

The science of population, or demography, represents a fundamental approach to

the understanding of human society. Demography is defined as the study of the size,
distribution, composition, and changes in population. Demography is usually regarded
as a subdiscipline of sociology because population dynamics are strongly affected by

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social factors. From the demographic viewpoint, population simply means the number of
people living in a given area.

Demography is interested not only in the size, distribution, and composition of the
population at the present time but also in changes in these aspects over time and space.
Moreover, it is concerned with seeking an explanation of why a particular combination of
population conditions exists at a given time, why the conditions are changing the way they
are, and the rate of change they exhibit.

DETERMINANTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

There is no stable population Some populations increase and others decrease.

The size of a given population may change rapidly while others may change much more
slowly. In some populations, there is a high proportion of people under fifteen. Most
populations have more females than males in the older generation. These and other
population characteristics are the results of many factors which may be biological,
demographic, social, economic, political, or cultural.

POPULATION GROWTH

THE WORLD PICTURE

Population growth means an increase in the size of the population. For over a
million years, the growth of the world’s population was negligible. It took mankind four
million years to reach one billion in the early 1800’s. From 1804, when the world passed
the 1 billion mark, it took 124 years to reach 2 billion. We entered the 20th century with a
population of less than 2 billion. Thereafter, the global population reached four billion in
1974, five billion in 1987, and six billion in 1999. The United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) officially designated October 31, 2011, as approximately the day on which the
global population hit the 7 billion mark.

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

The chart below taken from ourworldindata.org, shows the global population
growth over the last 12,000 years. Apparently, what the chart tells us is that almost all of
the growth happened just very recently. Historical demographers estimate that around
the year 1800 the world population was only around 1 billion people. This implies that on
average the population grew very slowly over this long time from 10,000 BCE to 1700 (by
0.04% annually). After 1800 this changed fundamentally: The world population was
around 1 billion in the year 1800 and increased 7-fold since then. Around 108 billion
people have ever lived on our planet. This means that today’s population size makes up
6.5% of the total number of people ever born.

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 Figure II-1. World Population over the last 12,000 years. (Source: ourworldindata.org)

THE PHILIPPINE SITUATION

The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world. It is the 13th
most populous country, the 8th in Asia and the third in Southeast Asia. In territorial size,
the Philippines ranks 56th in the world and 13th in Asia. The Philippines is home to 1
percent of the world’s population and 1.8 percent of Asia’s population. The historical
growth of the country’s population is shown in the table below.

Global Global
Environmental Problems and Social Issues

Growth Density Population Density

Year Population Rate (km²) Rank Rank
2021 111,046,913 1.39% 372.43 13 34
2020 109,581,078 1.35% 367.51 13 35
2019 108,116,615 1.37% 362.60 13 35
2018 106,651,394 1.41% 357.69 13 35
2017 105,172,925 1.46% 352.73 13 37
2016 103,663,816 1.52% 347.67 12 39
2015 102,113,212 1.68% 342.47 12 39
2010 93,966,780 1.71% 315.14 12 40
2005 86,326,250 2.05% 289.52 12 45

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 Global Global
Growth Density Population Density
Year Population Rate (km²) Rank Rank
2000 77,991,755 2.25% 261.57 14 46
1995 69,784,088 2.43% 234.04 14 51
1990 61,895,160 2.66% 207.58 14 53
1985 54,275,822 2.76% 182.03 17 54
1980 47,357,743 2.78% 158.83 19 56
1975 41,285,742 2.89% 138.46 19 56
1970 35,803,594 2.98% 120.08 19 58
1965 30,909,988 3.31% 103.67 22 63
1960 26,269,734 3.45% 88.10 23 66
1955 22,177,058 3.60% 74.38 23 75
Source: ourworldindata.org

COMPONENTS OF POPULATION CHANGE

The population in an area rarely remains the same. A knowledge of how the
population behaved in the past and how it is likely to behave in the future is of great
importance because if the problem of allocating resources. This is essential in planning,
operating, and evaluating programs on education, employment, housing, and health,
among others.
Population change depends on the interplay of the basic demographic processes,
namely: fertility, mortality and migration. Each component of the population change shall
be discussed separately.
1. Fertility. It is a demographic phenomenon greatly responsible for setting
population trends. It is often viewed as the main variable in population change and is
negatively considered as the crux of the Philippine population problem. Fertility means
that a woman has given birth to a live child. It tells how man many children the average
woman is bearing. Fertility must be distinguished from fecundity, or the biological capacity
of the woman to have children at a future time. Fertility is actual reproduction while

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

fecundity is potential reproduction. The fecundity of a woman begins at menarche, or the
onset of menstruation. The fecundity of a physically normal woman is about twenty to
twenty-five children. However, the actual fertility of a woman in any society does not
approach the level of fecundity due to cultural, social, economic, and health factors.

The fertility performance of the human population has remained high since man
first appeared on Earth. Little effort was made toward controlling fertility. However, with
the great advances in death control measures through scientific medical applications,
improved sanitation, and better nutrition, more and more children reached maturity,
resulting in a phenomenal increase in the population. How to manage fertility is the focus
of attention of the world at present.

Over the last 72 years, the Philippines has shown a steadily declining fertility rate.

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 Philippines - Historical Fertility Rate Data

Year Fertility Rate Growth Rate

2021 2.504 -1.030%

2020 2.530 -0.980%

2019 2.555 -0.970%

2018 2.580 -3.520%

2017 2.674 -3.400%

2016 2.768 -3.280%

2015 2.862 -3.180%

2014 2.956 -3.080%

2013 3.050 -1.610%

2012 3.100 -1.590%

2011 3.150 -1.560%

2010 3.200 -1.540%

2009 3.250 -1.520%

2008 3.300 -2.370%

2007 3.380 -2.310%

2006 3.460 -2.260%

2005 3.540 -2.210%

2004 3.620 -2.160%

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

2003 3.700 -1.070%

2002 3.740 -1.060%

2001 3.780 -1.050%

2000 3.820 -1.040%

1999 3.860 -1.030%

1998 3.900 -1.220%

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1997 3.948 -1.180%

1996 3.995 -1.190%

1995 4.043 -1.150%

1994 4.090 -1.160%

1993 4.138 -1.850%

1992 4.216 -1.820%

1991 4.294 -1.760%

1990 4.371 -1.750%

1989 4.449 -1.720%

1988 4.527 -1.720%

1987 4.606 -1.690%

1986 4.685 -1.660%

1985 4.764 -1.630%

1984 4.843 -1.610%

1983 4.922 -2.150%

1982 5.030 -2.100%

1981 5.138 -2.060%

1980 5.246 -2.020%

1979 5.354 -1.980%

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

1978 5.462 -1.850%

1977 5.565 -1.820%

1976 5.668 -1.780%

1975 5.771 -1.750%

1974 5.874 -1.720%

1973 5.977 -1.840%

1972 6.089 -1.820%

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 1971 6.202 -1.770%

1970 6.314 -1.760%

1969 6.427 -1.710%

1968 6.539 -1.330%

1967 6.627 -1.330%

1966 6.716 -1.290%

1965 6.804 -1.290%

1964 6.893 -1.260%

1963 6.981 -0.820%

1962 7.039 -0.800%

1961 7.096 -0.810%

1960 7.154 -0.790%

1959 7.211 -0.800%

1958 7.269 -0.410%

1957 7.299 -0.410%

1956 7.329 -0.420%

1955 7.360 -0.410%

1954 7.390 -0.400%

1953 7.420 -0.400%

1952 7.450 -0.400%

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

1951 7.480 -0.410%

1950 7.511 0.000%

Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PHL/philippines/fertility-rate

Demographers have developed several methods to measure fertility. Commonly

used is the Crude Birth Rate (CBR), which is computed by dividing the number of live
births during a calendar year by the midyear population of the same period, expressed
per 1,000 population. A more refined measure of fertility is the General Fertility Rate
(GFR), which is the number of births occurring in a calendar year to 1,000 women of
childbearing ages (15-49).

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 1.1 Education. Education is perhaps the most important factor influencing fertility in
the Philippines. Generally, there is an inverse relation between education and the
number of children. The higher the educational attainment, especially that of a
woman, the lower is the number of children. This is because educated women
are more aware of birth spacing and birth limitation methods, or “responsible
parenthood”.

1.2 Occupation of the Father and Income. Again there is an inverse relation
between the number of children and income. Usually, fathers of high-paying
occupations have fewer children. This is especially true in the Philippines. Based
on the Virtual Statistics Report in 1989, the least number of births were among
fathers of high-paying occupations. The majority of the births (60,759 or 38.8
percent) came from fathers classified as production and related workers,
transport equipment operators, and laborers which was 520,037 or 33.2 percent.
Among fathers engaged in professional, technical, and related work as well as
those in administrative, executive, and managerial work, the births reached only
41,833 or 2.7 percent and 2,813 or 0.2 percent of the total births respectively.

1.3 Rural-Urban Differential. As expected, fertility is higher in rural areas. The

difference is probably due to the fact that rural couples cannot readily get
information and facilities for family planning.

1.4 Age at Marriage. Age at marriage especially that of the bride is another factor
influencing fertility. Delayed marriage means lesser exposure to fertility and
therefore reduces the number of children born to a woman.

1.5 Ambition. Ambition is the desire to maintain or secure a good social status. It is
one of the important factors leading to the control of fertility. For many couples
with good social status, it is easier to maintain that status and ensure the same
status to their children is the families are relatively small. Therefore, in a society
where there is a strong competition to maintain and/ or improve status and where
safe and simple means for preventing conception are widely known, the
restriction on the size of the family is prevalent.
2. Mortality. Mortality refers to death. It is negative component of population change.

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

Normally it is believed to reduce population. However, it has been observed recently that
rapid population growth has been brought about by declining death rates rather than
increasing birth rates. Mortality has an unequal impact on the various age groups of a
population. It strikes very hard at the youngest and the oldest members of the population.

Good nutrition and efficient medical care are measures to delay the moment of death.
Mortality is an indicator of health condition of a given society.
.
Several measures can be used in order to study mortality trends. The most commonly
used measure of mortality is the Crude Death Rate (CDR), which is the number of deaths
per 1,000 population. However, Crude Death Rate ignores the age structure which has
an important bearing on mortality. Certainly, a population with many older persons will
exhibit a higher CDR than one with fewer older persons. This can be taken into

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 consideration by using another measure of mortality which is the Age-Specific Death
Rate. The Age-Specific Death Rate is the number of deaths of persons in a given age-
group per 1,000 population of that age-group. This measure will provide an accurate
picture of mortality for both males and females at each age-group.

A special mortality measure to indicate the death rate of children in their first year of
life is the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). It is computed by dividing the total number of
deaths of age 0 by the total population of the same age. It is expressed as the number of
infant deaths per 1,000 live births. It indicates how many babies die before reaching the
age one.

Another mortality measure which is very helpful in monitoring the effectiveness of

health programs of a given country is the Death Rate by Cause of Death. This rate is
commonly expressed in terms of death from a given country expressed in terms of death
from a given disease (cause of death) per 100,000 population. And to know how many
mothers die because of childbirth, the Maternal Mortality Rate can provide the picture.
The Maternal Mortality Rate states the number of mothers dying per 10,000 live births. In
general, the risks of childbirth are highest at the later ages. Maternal mortality statistics
also reveal that the first birth is most hazardous for the mother.

3. Migration. Population change comes not only through increase and decrease (the
balance of births and deaths), but also through the net effects of migration in and out of
an area. The movement of people from one area to another to settle permanently is
termed migration.

There are two general kinds of migration, namely: international migration and internal
migration. International migration is the movement of people from one country to
another to settle permanently. The coming into the country of which the person is not a
citizen for permanent residence is called immigration. The going from one’s country for
permanent residence in another country is called emigration. The Internal migration is
the movement of people from one part of the country to another for permanent residence.
Internal migration may be out-migration or in-migration.

From the international standpoint, the contribution of migration to population growth

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

is negligible. Restrictive laws regulating or prohibiting population movement such as the

imposition of quotas, the establishment of requirements of qualifications that potential
immigrants must possess (screening for health, political ideology or professional training)
limits population movement. This is adapted by all countries of the world including the
Philippines.

Internal migration brings not only demographic, but also socio- economic implications.
The most common type is the flow of people from rural agrarian areas to urban industrial
districts which is prevalent in the Philippines. Such movements not only reflect the extent
of socio-economic development, but also cause changes in fertility and mortality as well
as the population structure of a given community.

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 Metro Manila is facing a serious problem of over-population. Metro Manila has already
13.8 percent of total population of the Philippines, but only 0.2 percent of the total land
area. Half of the population in Metro Manila belong to the urban poor and one-third of
them are squatters. Most of the migrants are females between the ages of 15-24 who
have obtained only an elementary or high school education. And those who have obtained
higher education in Metro Manila seldom return to their provincial residence due to lack
of job opportunities. Rural people are more and more attracted to Metro Manila hoping to
improve their economic status.

Many rural folks believe that urban centers like Manila can offer them employment.
The principal bread winner comes to Manila and if s/he finds work, s/he sends for the
family. Housing is not available to all, so they squat in areas where they can set up a
shanty, probably near creeks, or around railroad tracks or in any available space near the
shanties or relatives or town mates. They account for 1/3 of the so-called rural poor.

Like any developing country, the Philippine population is characterized by a high birth
rate and gradually declining death rate. The growth of population in the Philippines is due
to natural increase (the excess of births over deaths). International migration is relatively
negligible. Therefore, from the national standpoint, the contribution of migration is
insignificant. However, from the regional and provincial viewpoint, migration plays an
important role in population change in the Philippines.

POPULATION STRUCTURE AGE AND SEX COMPOSITION

The social and economic structure of any society is influenced by age and sex
composition. Every population has a unique sex structure and this can have a
considerable impact on its demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Age and sex
data can assist in understanding the pattern of human behavior such as school
enrollment, marriage, labor force participation, etc.

1. Age Composition. One of the most important characteristics of a population is its

age composition. Age composition refers to the relative proportions of people at various
age levels. The proportions in the different age groups (children, adults, aged) very greatly

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

from time to time and from society to society. These variations in age composition result
from the interplay of several factors, such as fertility, mortality, migration, marriage, war,
famine, epidemics and many others.

The social and economic structure of any society is largely influenced by its age
structure. The industrial and military potential of a nation depends on its age composition.
A population with heavy concentration in the productive years has a larger labor force for
mobilization in time of emergency. A population with smaller proportions in the productive
years is less able to respond to threats against its security and is probably less adaptable
to technological change. A population concentrated at either extreme of age distribution
has a heavy dependency ratio; that is, the number or non-productive individuals is
relatively greater and is a burden to the productive population.

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 Data on population’s age structure provide a basis of various demographic analyses
which may lead to an approximation of the characteristics of the future population. The
demographic pattern has an important and serious implication for development planners.

As of the beginning of 2021, it is estimated that the Philippines has the following
population age distribution:
34.6 61.1 4.3

- percentage of population under 15

- percentage of population between 15 and 64 years old

- percentage of population 65+

In absolute figures (estimate):

• 38,312,723 young people under 15 years old (19,543,923 males / 18,768,800 females)
• 67,539,594 persons between 15 and 64 years old (33,773,667 males / 33,765,927
females)
• 4,721,502 persons above 64 years old (2,037,875 males / 2,683,627 females.

2. Sex Composition. Sex is another important characteristic in describing a

population. It directly affects the incidence of births, deaths, marriage and migration. Sex
composition refers to the differences in sex make-up which is determined by sex ratio,
that is the proportion of males over females. Among human population, there is slightly
higher proportion of male births (51.5 percent) to female births 948.5 percent). The sex
ratio at birth is around 105-106. The sex ratio at conception is higher which is 110-112,
but prenatal and postnatal hazards for males reduce the disproportion. Since the sex ratio
at birth is biologically favorable to males, the Philippine population shows that the ration
is always above 100 except in the 1970 data. This is shown on Table 3. The ratio of the
sexes affects social and economic conditions such as availability of workers for farming
and industry, school attendance, the status of women in the community and many other
social conditions.
Environmental Problems and Social Issues

Population Pyramid
A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of
the age and sex of a population.

Types:

• Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger

age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high
death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population.

• Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people,

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 indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller
than the previous one). Example: United States
• Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age
group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.
Stages:

Based on Philippine population estimates, the pyramid can be broken down into 3 main
age groups. The groups are the same as we used above: population under 15, between
15 and 64 and population which is over 65 years old.

65+
15-64
0-14
male female

Source: The estimation data for section "Philippines age structure" is based on the
latest demographic and social statistics by United Nations Statistics Division.
Note: The pyramid provided is not corresponding to data given above because the age

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

groups have different number of years. As we can see the Philippines population pyramid
has an expanding type. This type of pyramid is common for developing countries with
high birth and death rates. Relatively short life expectancy, as well as low level of
education and poor health care are also describe such kind of population age distribution
model.

IMPLICATIONS OF RAPID POPULATION GROWTH: THE PHILIPPINE SITUATION

Rapid population intervenes with specific development concerns as the utilization
of natural resources, education, employment, health and nutrition, housing and income
equity. In a developing country like the Philippines, rapid population growth exerts

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 tremendous pressures on the economy’s ability to adequately provide goods and service
and to meet the demands of an increasing population. If rapid population growth is left
unchecked, the government and the people may face difficulty in attaining socio-
economic development. In urban centers like Metro Manila, the delivery of basic services,
like electric power, water supply and collection of garbage is very inadequate, mostly due
to overpopulation.

1. Population and Natural Resources. Before World War II, the forest cover of
the Philippines was about 75 percent of the total area of country. The natural, unspoiled
and pristine environment of the Philippines was one of almost complete forest cover. The
forest is not only a source of timber, but it also performs ecological functions in terms of
catchment protection, soil erosion control and as a storage of genetic information. It is
unfortunate that these valuable benefits are overshadowed by the economic benefits of
logging and timber production which result in the over-exploitation of our forests.

2. Population and Education. The young age structure of the Philippines will
continue to exert pressure on the educational system. Access to elementary schooling is
practically universal, with public schools reaching out to remote barrios. Unfortunately, a
large proportion of entrants eventually drop out.

There are several deficiencies in the present educational institutions in the

Philippines such as shortage of classrooms, teachers and textbooks, aside from the
problem of quality. On the positive side, the cognitive skills of Filipinos experienced an
improvement. Basic literacy, which is the ability to write a simple language or dialect
showed an increasing trend

According to our estimates 69,579,102 persons or 96.29% of adult population

(aged 15 years and above) in Philippines are able to read and write. Accordingly, about
2,681,994 adults are illiterate.
Literacy rate for adult male population is 95.78% (34,299,579 persons). 1,511,963
are illiterate. Literacy rate for adult female population is 96.79% (35,279,523 persons).
Environmental Problems and Social Issues

1,170,031 are illiterate.

Youth literacy rates are 96.98% and 98.94% for males and females accordingly.
The overall youth literacy rate is 97.94%. Youth literacy rate definition covers the
population between the ages of 15 to 24 years.
All the above estimation data for section are based on the latest data published by
UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
3. Population and employment. For our economy to grow, we will need a
tremendous amount of high quality labor force. This will exert pressure on the educational
system. The supply of educated labor in different skills takes a considerable length to

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develop to meet manpower requirements. A rapid population growth and a sluggish
economy would naturally result to unemployment.

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but
available for and seeking employment. Based on the historical unemployment data of the
Philippines from 1991 to 2019 shown below, it is characterized by a period of stability and
drastic up and down. Particularly, unemployment was greatly reduced from 2015 to 2019.
However, the COVID pandemic which started in the first quarter of 2020 has changed all
that.

These are the findings of the April 2020 Labor Force Participation Survey
conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA, 2020; Reference 2020-102):

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

a. Unemployment rate rose to 17.7 percent accounting to 7.3 million unemployed
Filipinos in the labor force in April 2020. This is a record high in the unemployment
rate reflecting the effects of Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) economic
shutdown to the Philippine labor market. Unemployment rate in January
2020 was 5.3 percent while in April 2019, it was recorded at 5.1 percent.
b. Labor force participation rate among Filipinos 15 years and older is estimated
at 55.6 percent in April 2020, the lowest in the history of Philippine labor market.
c. Employment rate in April 2020 fell to 82.3 percent from 94.7 percent in January
2020. In April 2019, it is posted at 94.9 percent. This translates to 33.8
million employed persons in April 2020 from 41.8 million in April 2019.

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 d. Average number of hours worked per week also fell to 35.0 in April 2020, a drop
from 41.8 hours per week in April 2019.
e. Employed persons with job but not at work is reported at 38.4 percent or 13.0
million of the total employed.
f. All regions reported double-digit unemployment rates. The highest unemployment
rate was in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at
29.8 percent. It is followed by Region III (Central Luzon) and Cordillera
Administrative Region (CAR) with unemployment rates recorded at 27.3 percent
and 25.3 percent, respectively.

4. Population, Health and Nutrition. Health is both a means and an end of

development. Improved health increases the productive capacity of a population. There
are key indicators of health and nutrition of a given population.
Life expectancy refers to the number of years a person can expect to live. It is
based on an estimate of the average age that members of a particular population group
will be when they die. According to worldometers.info/demographics/Philippines-
demographics/#life-exp, the average life expectancy for Filipinos combined for both sexes
is 71.7 years, 75.9 years for females, and 67.7 years for males. Generally, Filipino
females live longer than their male counterparts. However, the graph below shows a
generally increasing life span for Filipino females and males from 1955 to 2020.
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 Many Filipinos suffer from malnutrition. Food production has to be increased,
especially protein-rich foods, to catch up with our increasing population. Malnutrition can
seriously affect the productivity of an individual. It has been observed that a malnourished
adult who loses 15 percent of body weight may lose 30 percent of actual work.

Another indicator of health is morbidity or prevalence of disease or illness.

Based on the data posted on the Department of Health website
https://doh.gov.ph/Statistics/Leading-Causes-of-Morbidity, the top ten leading causes of
morbidity in 2010 in the Philippines are: 1) acute respiratory infection (ARI), 2) acute lower
respiratory tract infection and pneumonia, 3) bronchitis/bronchiolitis, 4) hypertension, 5)
acute watery diarrhea, 6) influenza, 7) urinary tract infection (UTI), 8) tuberculosis (B)
respiratory, 9) injuries, and 10) diseases of the heart.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the top three causes of death
in the country in 2020 were ischemic heart diseases, neoplasms, and cerebrovascular
diseases. Incidentally, these were also the leading causes of death in 2019.

In 2020, deaths due to ischemic heart disease were the leading cause of death
with 99.7 thousand cases or 17.3 percent of the total deaths in the country. This was an
increase of about 2.3 percent from the 97.5 thousand deaths or 15.7% of the total deaths
in 2019.

On the other hand, neoplasms, commonly known as “cancer”, came in second with
62.3 thousand deaths or 10.8 percent.

Cerebrovascular diseases were the third leading cause which accounted for 59.7
thousand deaths or 10.4 percent of the total. Neoplasms and cerebrovascular diseases
both showed a decrease of -9.3 percent and -6.0 percent, respectively, from the previous
year.

Deaths due to diabetes mellitus (37.3 thousand or 6.5% share), which ranked Environmental Problems and Social Issues
fourth in 2020, had an annual increase of 7.8 percent.

Meanwhile, deaths due to pneumonia, which recorded 32.6 thousand cases (5.7%
share) in 2020, posted a -48.1 percent decrease from 62.7 thousand (10.1% share) in
2019, making it the fifth leading cause of death for the year.
The graph below presents the top 20 causes of mortality in the Philippines in
2019 and 2020.

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 5. Population and Housing. To attain quality life, the population should be
provided with adequate and comfortable housing facilities. The Philippines must meet
three needs to provide solutions to the acute housing problems of the country. These
include the following:
a) The need for additional housing units to accommodate new households;
b) The need to upgrade components of houses, particularly those in slums and
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blighted areas;
c) The need for site and services projects to accommodate marginal income
families migrating to urban areas and those displaced from danger areas and
land reserved for the infrastructure programs of the government.

Many Filipinos dream of houses of their own. But for every person who manages
to fulfill this dream, a far greater number have to make do with rented dwellings or live
with their parents or relatives.

The situation is exacerbated with the fact that with young population coming into
marrying age, a number of new households with housing needs outpace the performance
in the Housing Sector.

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 To address the urgent housing need of the lowest 30 percent of the population for
housing assistance, the National Housing Authority (NHA) adopted new policies and
approaches to housing delivery. IT has reintroduced Medium-Rise Housing as an
alternative approach to the squatting problems in Metro Manila. Medium-Rise Housing is
an in-city relocation scheme designed to maximize use of high-cost urban land and to
minimize economic dislocation of families. Also, in line with the policy of regionalization,
the NHA gradually expanded its housing activities in areas outside of Metro Manila in
order to effect an equitable and wider spread of housing benefits for the poor.

Recognizing the major problem confronting the housing sector, there is much to be
done to meet the challenges ahead. Foremost of these is the design and implementation
of a comprehensive program that will expand the production and address the housing
needs brought about by the rapid population growth, urbanization and migration.

6. Population and Income Distribution. The degree of income inequality

among Filipinos was high according to world standards and showed no improvement over
the last two decades. Moreover, the poor population is increasing rapidly. It is impossible
to attain total economic equality. Income inequality arises from a variety of causes which
are acceptable to Filipinos. These include occupational rank, education, special talent,
age, sex, and family size. The equitable distribution of development and improvement of
the conditions of the greater majority of the population through improved incomes is the
primary concern of our government
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 the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) July 2018 overall dependency ratio of 57.7
percent.
Families in Western countries like the United States and the 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

Environmental Problems and Social Issues

is made on clothing and other basic service necessities such as housing, electricity,
water, and other social services such as health and education. Families with the highest
poverty incidence such as those in the fishing and agriculture sectors are hardest hit as
the high inflation rate remains unabated, making the daily survival of poor Filipino families
hard to address, more so with increasing family size.
The country’s rapid population growth continues to be a constraint in raising the
standard of living of the average Filipino. The ever-increasing demands of a burgeoning
population are putting pressure on the limited resources of the country. The inability of
the country to absorb additions to the labor force has likewise caused the loss of the
cream of its workers to foreign countries. Talents and skills that could have been used for
the country’s benefit are being harnessed by foreign countries. At the same time, the
socio-economic and physical environment continues to suffer increasing strain brought

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 about by population densities. Unless the fast pace of population growth is curbed, the
economy will find it increasingly difficult to maintain current living standards, much less
take off from the present position.

The goal of the Philippine population policy is the improvement of the quality of life
of every Filipino in a just and humane society. This is embodied in the 1987 Philippine
Constitution.

Summary

The interaction between population and economic growth is underscored by the

recognition of the decision-makers and planners that a runaway population poses a
barrier to development.

Rapid population growth intervenes with specific development concerns such as

the utilization of natural resources, education, employment, health and nutrition, housing,
and income equity.

In a developing country like the Philippines, rapid population growth exerts

tremendous pressure on the economy’s ability to adequately provide goods and services
and to meet the demands of an increasing population. If rapid population growth is left
unchecked, the government and the people may encounter difficulty in attaining socio-
economic development.

Learning Activity

Reflect and answer the following questions:

1. How does population change?
2. What are the components of population change? Explain briefly.
3. What are the factors influencing fertility differential? Discuss each.
4. What are the socio-economic implications of internal migration? Explain.
5. Is the Philippine age composition conducive to development? Why?
6. What are the possible development issues associated with rapid population growth?
7. Are you in favor of the government imposing strong population control measures,
Environmental Problems and Social Issues

such as the one or two-child policy implemented by authoritarian governments?

Why?

References

Salcedo, L., Peralta, A.M., Ronquillo, A., Fontanilla O. (2002). Espiritu, C. (Ed.) Current
Issues Third Edition. 210 pp.
https://countrymeters.info/en/Philippines#population_2020
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/PHL/philippines/fertility-rate
https://www.ourworldindata.org
https://psa.gov.ph/content/employment-situation-april-2020
https://popcom.gov.ph/?p=291
http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/ph

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