Espinosa, Alyssa M.

BA POS 1-1

City of Gapan:

Population Change and Population Density

Gapan is a fourth-class city in the province of Nueva Ecija. It is located

approximately at 15.2912094, 121.010573, in the Region 3 of Luzon. The place was
founded by Spanish curates and officials and was established in 1595, making it the
oldest town in the province. Gapan City became Nueva Ecija’s crown jewel because of
its historical and cultural significance. One of the barangays in this city has “Little Vigan”
which caught the attention of many tourists. Known for its exquisite designs and high-
quality slippers, Gapan City got the title of “The Footwear Capital of the North” and
every 25th of August marks the celebration of their Tsinelas Festival. Aside from slippers
being their famous local product, the city has a vast portion of area devoted to
agriculture. The type of soil that Gapan City has is clayish; hence, it is suitable and good
for palay production, root crops, vegetables, and fruit trees. The major sources of
income in this place are farming, commercial establishments, fishponds, piggery, and
poultry.
Population Change and Population Density

Figure 1. Population Growth of Gapan City, Nueva Ecija: 2015 and 2020

Gapan City is subdivided into twenty-three barangays. Based on the 2020

Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH) submitted to the Office of the City
Planning and Development Coordinator, the city has a total population of 119,884
inhabitants with an annual growth rate of 1.6797% (Table 1). Of the twenty-three
barangays in Gapan City, the largest in terms of population size is San Nicolas with
13,880 persons. It was followed by Pambuan with 12,981 persons, and Mangino with
11,623 persons. The 2020 population of the city is higher by 9,581 from the population
of 110,303 in 2015 (Figure 1); thus it is the population change for the past five years.
Out of the 119,884 population of Gapan in 2020; 60,584 (51%) were males while 59,300
(49%) were females. The number of deaths obtained from the Certificates of Death
(Municipal Form No. 103) that were registered at the Office of the City is 771. While the
number of registered births that occurred from January to December 2020 is 1,855. The
city’s total area is 164.44 square kilometers or 63.49 square miles. Based on these
data, the population density is computed at 729 inhabitants per square kilometer or
1,888 inhabitants per square mile.

119,884
POPULATION DENSITY =
164.44 square kilometers

= 729 inhabitants per square kilometer

 BARANGAY POPULATION

1. Balante 1,790

2. Bayanihan 5,574

3. Bulak 2,476

4. Bungo 2,553

5. Kapalangan 5,445

6. Mabuga 871

7. Maburak 3,365

8. Mahipon 2,492

9. Makabaklay 2,695

10. Malimba 3,167

11. Mangino 11,623

12. Marelo 2,093

13. Pambuan 12,981

14. Parcutela 1,515

15. Puting Tubig 2,581

16. San Lorenzo 6,122

17. San Nicolas 13,880

18. San Roque 9,455

19. San Vicente 9,348

20. Sta. Cruz 4,127

21. Sto. Cristo Norte 5,000

22. Sto. Cristo Sur 4,727

23. Sto. Nino 6,004

TOTAL 119,884
 Table 1. 2020 Population of Gapan City per Barangay

Environmental Impacts of Population Change

The rate of change of population is governed by natality, mortality, immigration,

and emigration of a certain place. This fluctuation is a natural occurrence and no area of
the world is immune to this change. Gapan City, being the 5 th place with one of the
highest populations in Nueva Ecija, also experienced this fluctuation which brings
impacts to the environment. In an annual review by de Sherbinin et al. (2007), they
demonstrated that population has something to do with energy consumption, carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions, nitrogen deposition, and deforestation which have major
impacts on the environment. Since Gapan is a growing city and has a lot of industries,
each inhabitant contributes greatly to climate change caused by carbon footprint. This
phenomenon is not limited to the area of Gapan, but to the world’s whole population.
This explains why the people of Gapan experienced frequent and intense storms, food
scarcity, and air pollution.

The population is one of the main factors that contribute to environmental

degradation. An increase in the population of Gapan means a parallel rise in basic
needs of its inhabitants; thus, there is high pressure on the environment, agriculture,
and land settlement. According to Mink (n.d), population potentially exacerbates the
impact of factors such as inadequate property rights and poverty. Poverty, in return, will
increase the consumption levels of people and there will be a high chance for
environmental deterioration. This phenomenon is not new in Gapan City. Irrigation near
the barangay Mangino is inhabited by many household families. Some of the people
who live there throw their garbage in the irrigation, making the water dirty and polluted.
On the other hand, farmers use chemical fertilizers due to increased demand for crop
production, changing the pH of the soil and eliminating the microorganisms that are
beneficial to plant and soil health (Sarfaraz, 2022).

Waste management is an important practice in every household and is needed

by the community. In some barangays of Gapan City, if not all, failure in this matter is
visible, especially during the collection of garbage disposals. A big population of people
is hard to manage and educate by barangay officials which is why this problem has
never been talked about. Population change in this city has brought more garbage and
ignorance in waste disposal. According to Widiyanto et al. (2019), household
consumption behavior is one of the causes of the decline in environmental quality.
Families in Gapan City failed to do segregating and composting of waste materials;
thus, increasing the waste sent to landfills which are the major source of greenhouse
gas emissions.

The growth of the population causes an increase in a pollutant called sulfur oxide
(SO2). This pollutant is one of the most reactive gasses. When combined with water
vapor in the atmosphere, it will form sulfuric acid which is a major component of acid
rain. Due to the increase in population, there is a need for more jobs and services. This
results in the establishment of more power plants and industrial facilities. Fossil fuel
combustions are a major contributor to global inequality and environmental injustice
(Perera, 2018). This is not only a problem in Gapan City or in the Philippines but for the
whole population of the world. Pollution became rampant and the health of citizens,
especially children, is at risk of potential diseases.

Lead emissions can also be increased due to the number of people living in an
area. A high population means a high demand for transportation; thus, the usage of
fuels in vehicles is necessary and unavoidable. Tan (2014) stated that it affects
everything in the environment including the quality of air, land, groundwater, forest,
vegetation, and climate. This pollutant will contaminate the clouds, will be included in
precipitation, and it will become acid rain that will damage the plants. Since Gapan City
is devoted to agriculture, it will be a big problem for its inhabitants if this will not be
resolved.

Recommendations

Environmental impacts brought by population change are not easy to resolve.

Many efforts to create plans to reduce the risk of these said impacts have been tackled
by different leaders and organizations. Some of it succeeded, and some failed. The
cooperation of both citizens and officials is important to save biodiversity and the
ecosystem. The following recommendations are focused on mitigating the
environmental impacts of population change in the City of Gapan:

 Family planning. This plays a pivotal role in population change, poverty

reduction, and a safe environment for human development (Allen, 2007). If this is
properly sustained in each barangay, there would be a lot of benefits such as
nutrition and environmental conservation.
 Barangay Program. The program will focus on giving the citizens knowledge
about the importance of their cooperation in the environment. The speaker(s) of
the event will educate the participants on how to properly dispose and compost
their waste. The parents, youth, and even the children are welcome to join this
program.
 Tree planting. Since domestic waste is one of the highest contributors to
pollution, each member of the household is obliged to plant a tree. An increase in
population means more demand for fresh air and oxygen. It reduces carbon
dioxide emissions and pollution.
 Waste Disposal Implementation. This implementation is in the hands of barangay
officials. The collection of garbage will be changed; garbage collectors will only
get non-biodegradable wastes, and the biodegradable wastes will be subjected
to composting in the backyard of the citizens.
 Use of organics. The farmers are encouraged to switch to organic products.
Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides affects the Nitrogen Cycle—it
jeopardizes the nitrogen-fixing bacteria that keep the balance of the soil.
 Reduce the carbon footprint. The increase in population change is equivalent to a
more carbon footprint. Approach to the barangays is important to give them an
awareness of the “simple” things they are doing that are actually contributing to
climate change. Citizens are encouraged to:
 Do not buy fast fashion
 Drive less
 Reduce food waste
 Buy less stuff
  Measure the current carbon footprint
 Contribute to carbon projects

Conclusion

The City of Gapan is continuously growing in population size. As it becomes

more developed and urbanized, some movements must be done in order to mitigate the
effects of the environmental deterioration caused by population change. Gapan has
many agricultural lands and greeneries, it is also inhabited by creative and hardworking
citizens, the only thing that they must do is to be informed and educated regarding how
they would be able to conserve and protect their city. It is not an easy step, but what
matters is that they are making progress. The cooperation of leaders, officials,
and citizens is the stepping stone to achieve success in economics and the
environment.
References

Allen, Rebecca. “The Role of Family Panning in Poverty Reduction.” National Library of

Medicine, Nov. 2007, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17978110.

Mink, Stephen. “Poverty, Population, and the Environment.” World Bank Discussion Papers,

documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/192051468741002945/pdf/multi0page.pdf.

Perera, Frederica. “Pollution From Fossil-Fuel Combustion Is the Leading Environmental Threat

to Global Pediatric Health and Equity: Solutions Exist.” National Library of Medicine,

Jan. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5800116.

Sherbinin, Alex de, et al. “Population and Environment.” Annual Review of Environment and

Resources, vol. 32, no. 1, Annual Reviews, Nov. 2007, pp. 345–73.

https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.32.041306.100243.

Tan, Zhongchao. “Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases: From Basic Concepts to Engineering

Applications for Air Emission Control.” Google Books, 2014,

books.google.com.ph/books?

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&q=greenhouse%20air%20pollution%20lead&f=false.

Widiyanto, Agnes Fitria, et al. “Knowledge and Practice in Household Waste Management.”

ResearchGate, Feb. 2019,

www.researchgate.net/publication/330860714_Knowledge_and_Practice_in_Household_

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