(Paper Presented by Rep. Edcel C. Lagman at the 2^nd National Multi-Sectoral Policy Conference on Population and Human Development on 15 August 2007 at the Heritage Hotel, Pasay City)

Achieving sustainable and genuine human development is a long-cherished aspiration of the Filipino nation. This elusive dream will degenerate into a nightmarish failure if our policymakers and implementors fail to contain with alacrity the inordinately huge population growth rate which impacts adversely on all the indicators of human development like health, education, food security, shelter, employment and the environment.

Ranked as the “12^th Most Populous Country”, the Philippines is projected to reach a citizen pool of 88.7 million this year. Young dependents belonging to age group 0 to 14 years comprise 34.28 percent of the total population. Old dependents (65 years and over) account for 4.20 percent, while 61.52 percent comprise the economically active population (15 to 64 years). Majority of the working class reside in rural areas, eking out a livelihood principally in agriculture and also in forestry, mining, fishing and other traditional non-farm enterprises. Others seek better opportunities in metropolitan areas, which results in more densely populated urban centers. An estimated nine million Filipinos have already gone overseas.

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