The document discusses population growth in the Philippines, arguing that it is not the primary cause of poverty based on 4 main facts: global population growth is slowing, Philippine population growth is decreasing, there is no evidence high population impedes economic growth, and poverty is caused more by inequality and corruption than family size. The reproductive health bills are criticized for ignoring these root causes of poverty.

1. Reproductive Health Bills
The(House Bill No. 4244 and Senate Bill No. 2865)Anti-
Adolescent and
Family Issues
Population Growth: An Issue?

2. Criticism: Population is not the
cause of poverty.
Fact #1: Global population
explosion is a myth.
Many countries are experiencing negative
population growth (there are more old
people than babies born). E.g. Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Japan, New Zealand,
Germany, Italy, Australia, and Singapore.

3. These countries encourage their citizens
to have more children by giving them
additional benefits or incentives. This is
to avoid an inverted population pyramid.
As of now they have a “bulging”
population pyramid

4. Sample countries with bulging population
pyramid

7. The Problem with a Bulging
Population Pyramid
A bulging population pyramid
means that there are more workers who
pay taxes and less dependents. It is only
a matter of time before it turns into an
inverted population pyramid. By then,
the current workers/taxpayers would
become dependents (old population) and
there will be less number of taxpayers to
support them.

8. By that time, the workers/taxpayers
will be doubly burdened by
supporting a big number of senior
citizens while at the same time
supporting the younger
dependents. This will be more
difficult with the increasing rate of
life expectancy.

9. Fact #2: The Philippine population
is increasing but not exploding.
• The National Statistical Coordination
Board in its website, quotes the Philippine
Population Growth Rate (PPGR) for the
year 2010 to be at the slowing rate of
only 1.82 percent per annum (vs. the 2.36
percent during the census year 2000).
•To maintain a stable population, TFR (the
average number of children per woman) must be
2.10.
•The Phil. total fertility rate (TFR) in 2010
is 2.96, a significant decline from 3.31 in
2000. (source: NCSB)

10. • Even without the government’s
population control program, the TFR is
expected to decline due to factors like:
more young adults chose to marry later
and have lesser number of children,
migration, etc.
The point is, though our population is
increasing, it is not exploding. Our cities
are crowded because 50% of our
population live in the cities.

11. Fact #3: There is no evidence that
population growth impedes
economic growth.
• Studies show that poverty is not due to
over-population but because of inequality
and corruption.
• Countries with population density
higher than the Philippines’ like
Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan have
proven that population is not a hindrance
to economic growth.

12. Nobel prize winner Simon
Kuznets's study concludes that “no
clear association appears to exist
between rates of growth of
population and of product per
capita.“

13. • Roberto De Vera, a renowned
economist, states that from 1961–2000,
as Philippine population increased
almost three times, poverty decreased
from 59% to 34%. He stressed that the
more probable cause of poor families is
not family size but the limited schooling
of the household head.

14. Fact #4: By emphasizing the
population issue, the RH bill
ignores the root cause of poverty
which is corruption, and, rather,
diverts the blame to the poor who
are, in fact, merely the victims.

15. SW # 2
Population Growth in the
Reproductive Health Bills
Philippines: The Primary
(House Bill No. 4244 and Senate Bill No. 2865)
Cause of Poverty
Agree or Disagree? Why/
why not?