Bacolod City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod is urging the City Population Office (POPCOM), and the City Health Office (CHO), through the Office of the Mayor, to prepare and implement aggressive population control programs and strategies to curb the rise of the city’s population, teenage and unplanned pregnancies in Bacolod City.
The resolution authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) officially reported that as of July 1, 2024, the country’s total population reached 112,729,484 – an increase of approximately 3.69 million from 109,035,343 on May 2020, showing that despite a slight slowdown, the country still grew at a rate of 0.80 percent between 2020 and 2024.
Continuing population increase demands growing expenditures in public health, education, infrastructure, and social protection – placing greater strain on both national and local government budgets, it said.
Teenage pregnancies and unplanned pregnancies remain pressing issues, especially in low-income communities, resulting in higher drop-out rates, poorer maternal and child outcomes, and perpetuation of the poverty cycle, the resolution said.
It is well established that investments in comprehensive reproductive health services – such as access to contraceptives, adolescent education, responsible parenthood, and community outreach – can substantially reduce unplanned pregnancies and related public spending, it said.
To address the issues relating to the increase in population, it is imperative for the city government to devise and execute aggressive, data-driven population control programs and strategies aimed at stabilizing population growth and lowering incidents of teenage and unintended pregnancies, the resolution concluded. (Chrysee semillano via tvds photo by tvds)