Philippines population hits 92M

MANILA (Updated) — Fifteen million people have been added to the country’s population over the last 10 years, with the National Statistics Office (NSO) recording more than 92 million people as of May 1, 2010.

The NSO said that based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing, the Philippines population, which is 92,337,852, is higher by 15.83 million compared to the 2000 population of 76.51 million. In 1990, the total population was 60.70 million.

“The Philippine population increased at the rate of 1.90 percent annually, on the average, during the period 2000-2010. This means that there were two persons added per year for every 100 persons in the population,” the agency said.

Among the country’s 17 regions, Calabarzon (Region 4-A) had the largest population with 12.61 million, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 11.86 million and Central Luzon (Region 3) with 10.14 million.

The population of these three regions together comprised more than one-third (37.47 percent) of the Philippine population.

Among the provinces, Cavite had the largest population with 3.09 million. Bulacan had the second largest with 2.92 million, and Pangasinan had the third largest with 2.78 million.

Six other provinces surpassed the two million mark: Laguna (2.67 million); Cebu, excluding its three highly urbanized cities Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City (2.62 million); Rizal (2.48 million); Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City (2.40 million); Batangas (2.38 million) and Pampanga, excluding Angeles City (2.01 million).

The provinces with a population of less than 100,000 persons were Batanes (16,604), Camiguin (83,807), and Siquijor (91,066).

Of the 33 highly urbanized cities (HUC), four surpassed the one million mark. Three of such HUCs are in NCR: Quezon City (2.76 million), City of Manila (1.65 million), and Caloocan City (1.49 million). Outside NCR, only Davao City has a population of more than one million (1.45 million).

The 2010 Census of Population and Housing (2010 CPH) was undertaken by the NSO in May-June 2010 pursuant to Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 and Commonwealth Act 591.

About 82,000 fieldworkers, majority of who were public school teachers, were deployed during the nationwide census taking last year. The 2010 CPH was designed to take an inventory of the population and housing units in the Philippines nationwide and to collect information about their characteristics.

The census counts up to the barangay level were made official with the signing by President Benigno Aquino III of Proclamation 362 on March 30, 2012, NSO said.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said Monday that it would be up to Congress to act on controversial Reproductive Health bill as the country’s population reached over 93 million already.

“We leave it with the legislature to decide on the schedule of the debates and progress of the RH bill,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters in a text message.

Aquino has included the RH or what he calls as the Responsible Parenthood bill as one of the priority measures of his administration. (SDR/Sunnex)