Update on our alarming population

By Herbert Vego

THE current population of the Philippines ranges from 117 to 118 million individuals. This is alarming because only one year and seven months has passed since July 2024 when the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) declassified its most recent population census revealing 112,729,484 Filipino residents.

Compare that to the total population of the Philippines as of 2020, which was 109,035,343 – an increase of 3,694,141.

We need to wait until 2030 for the next census.

Based on the United Nations’ “worldometer,” projection, our country is now the 14th most populated nation on earth — terrible for a country that is a mere dot in the world map.

It’s a big leap from 16 years ago in 2010 when we were only 92.3 million.

Going further back in 1960, the Philippines had a population of 30 million. This means that, between 1960 and today, the aforesaid population that took centuries to accumulate has almost quadrupled!

In 2012, seeing the urgency of population control, the late President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10354 or the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act”.

The law provides universal access to information, services, and products for reproductive health and family planning.

In a previous column, this writer raised the alarm of population congestion as a direct cause of poverty, which has already forced millions of Filipino laborers to seek greener pastures abroad.

This time I would like to focus on overpopulation as a direct cause of the pollution problem besetting the urban centers.  One example is the Manila Bay, from where thousands of tons of garbage have been extracted.

Another is the long and winding Pasig River that cuts through Metro Manila. Anybody who has been there has seen and smelled the murky, almost stagnant waterway. It has not always been like that.

As described by Dr. Jose Rizal in his Spanish one-act play, “Junto al Pasig” (1880), Pasig River was a clean, vital transport route, and a place of beauty, depicting the river as a beautiful, central part of Filipino life.

In his novel Noli Me Tangere, Pasig River serves as the backdrop of the azotea where Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara share an intimate love scene.

One of my prized possessions is the English translation of an 1853 French book, Adventures of a Frenchman in the Philippines by Paul P. de la Gironiere.

In a chapter on the Pasig River, he wrote: “The newest and most elegant houses are built upon the banks of the river Pasig. Each house has a landing place from the river and little bamboo palaces serving as bathing houses to which the residents resort several times daily to relieve the fatigue caused by intense heat.”

We can only see the same clean bodies of water today in sparsely populated rural riverbanks.

In fairness, the once murky Iloilo River in Iloilo City has been transformed into a fishing opportunity for anglers. The esplanade alongside is now a major leisure and tourism hub where people jog, walk, and enjoy the view. Thanks to former Mayor Jerry Treñas for his initiative.

Will the new mayor, his daughter Raisa Treñas-Chu, carry on?

-oOo-

“UNPLUG AS YOU GO”

It is a safety tip we read on the Facebook page of MORE Power.

While it is not strictly necessary to unplug all appliances when you are away from home for short periods, it is highly recommended for safety, fire prevention, and energy efficiency to unplug items. It reduces the risk of electrical fires caused by malfunctions, saves money on energy consumption, and protects sensitive electronics from power surges.

Otherwise, essential electrical appliances – such as refrigerator and security system — need to be left plugged in.