Batanes PACIFIC OCEAN Ilocos Norte Apayao Cagaya Abra Kalinga Ilocos Mountain Sur Isabel Ifugao La Union Benguet Nueva Vizcay Quirin Pangasinan Nueva Ecija Aurora PhilippinePOPULA Sea TION REFERENCE BUREAU Tarlac February 2008 Zambales Pampanga Bulacan POPULATION, HEALTH, ANDRizal ENVIRONMENT Bataan South Cavite Camarines ISSUES IN THE PHILIChina SeaPPINESLaguna A Profile of Central Visayas (RegionBatangas 7) Quezon Camarines Sur Provinc Oriental Ma.Marinduque Corazon G. De La Paz and Lisa Colson Mindoro Albay Sibuyan Sea Occidental Mindoro inking population, health, and environ- Sorsogon ment (PHE) issues is becoming increasingly Northern important for the Philippines, where natural Romblon Samar Lresources and public health and well-being are Masbate Samar often negatively affected by factors such as popula- tion pressures and poverty. Understanding these Visayan Sea connections—including the economic and social Aklan Biliran context in which they occur—and addressing PHE Philippines Capiz issues in an integrated manner is critical for achiev- Leyte ing sustainable development. Antique Iloilo This regional PHE profile highlights key popu- Negros lation, health, and environment indicators and Occidental Guimaras important development challenges for the Central Cebu Southern Leyt Visayas Region (Region 7). The profile is designed Sulu Sea to help educators, policymakers, and community leaders identify key threats to sustainable develop- Bohol ment and explore possible approaches to address- ing them. This profile is part of a series covering Negros Siquijor select regions of the Philippines, and is intended Oriental Camiguin as a companion publication to the Population Reference Bureau’s 2006 data sheet, Making the Region 7 – Central Visayas Link in the Philippines: Population, Health, and Approximately half of the region is urban, and the Environment.1 most population growth is expected to continue 0 75 150 300 Kilometers Overview of Central Visayas Region in urban areas. This growth will require robust With one of the highest population growth rates policies and programs to ensure the availability of and one of the smallest amounts of forest cover in basic services and resources such as water, electric- the Philippines, the Central Visayas Region faces ity, sanitation, waste management, public health significant population pressure and environmental services, and education. Planning is important stress, especially for water supply and quality (see because the region already falls below the national Figure 1, page 2). average in several of these areas, including access Region 7 is located in the center of the Philip- to safe water and sanitation. pines archipelago, bordered by the Visayan Sea to the north and the Mindanao Sea to the south. The SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT region consists of four provinces: Bohol, Cebu, l The incidence of poor families in Central Negros Oriental, and Siquijor. Cebu Province is the Visayas is 24 percent, higher than the national main urban center, and Cebu City is the regional averageMindanao of 24 percent (see Figure Sea 2, page 2). capital. Negros Oriental, in the eastern part of the Poverty incidence within the region is high- island of Negros, is composed predominantly of est in Negros Oriental (37 percent) and lowest rural communities. in Cebu (17 percent).2 As of 2006, per capita POPULATION, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT ISSUES IN THE PHILIppINES: A Profile of Central Visayas (Region 7) www.prb.org 2 Figure 1 gross regional domestic product at constant PHE INDICATORS FOR REGION 7 1985 prices is 13,931 pesos, compared with 14,676 pesos for the nation.3 Population (2005) 6,357,900a Population density (2000) 345 people per sq. km. l The net enrollment ratio in primary education is 4 Percent urban (2000) 46% 86 percent for the region. Simple literacy—the percent of the population 10 years old and older Annual population growth rate (2000) 2.8% who can read and write—is 93 percent.5 Lifetime births per woman (total fertility rate) (2003) 3.6 l Married women ages 15–49 using contraception 52% (any method) The unemployment rate is 7 percent, comparable 6 (2003) 36% (modern methods)b to the national level. Unmet need for family planning (2003) 17% l Almost 70 percent of families in the region 22 infant deaths per 1,000 obtain water from a safe water source, less than Infant mortality rate (2006) c live births the national average of 80 percent. Similarly, Forest cover 30% while 86 percent of all Filipino families have Number of threatened animal species (2004) 48 a sanitary toilet, only 73 percent of families in Protected areas (hectares) 1,005,062 hectares Region 7 have sanitary toilets. Families that obtain water from a safe water source l 69% Because of limited agricultural land, the region’s (2002) economy has been dominated by the service and Families with sanitary toilet (2002) 73% industrial sectors. The service sector makes the a National Statistical Coordination Board, Population Projections (www.nscb.gov.ph/secstat/d_popnProj.asp, largest contribution to the gross regional domes- accessed Nov. 27, 2007). tic product, about 60 percent, followed by the b National Statistics Office and ORC Macro, Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey (2003). industrial sector at 30 percent.7 c National Statistics Office, 2006 Family Planning Survey (www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2007/pr0718tx. html, accessed Feb. 5, 2008). SOURCE: Except where noted, data are taken from Population Reference Bureau, Making the Link in the DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH Philippines: Population, Health, and the Environment (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2006). TRENDS Central Visayas Region has a total population of 6.4 million people and a population density of Figure 2 345 people per square kilometer. Among the island INCIDENCE OF POOR FAMILIES, 2003 provinces of the region, the province of Cebu, which includes Metro Cebu City, has the largest population at 3.4 million (the most populous prov- 24% Central Visayas ince in the Philippines) and is projected to reach 4.0 million in 2008. Almost half of the population Cebu 17% in Region 7 lives in urban areas, and in Cebu more Bohol 29% than 60 percent of the population is urban. l The annual population growth rate of the region Siquijor 31% is 2.8 percent, higher than the national average of 2.4 percent. At the current population growth rate, Negros Oriental 37% the region’s population will reach 11 million by 2040 (see Figure 3). l SOURCE: National Statistical Coordination Board, Poverty Statistics (www.nscb.gov.ph/poverty/2004/ Since 1993, Central Visayas has seen the total fertil- table_1.asp, accessed Feb. 5, 2008). ity rate decline from an average of 4.4 children per woman to 3.6. However, a gap remains between actual fertility and wanted fertility. Women are having, on average, one child more than they would like to have.8 POPULATION, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT ISSUES IN THE PHILIppINES: A Profile of Central Visayas (Region 7) www.prb.org 3 l Approximately half of married women in the region use As of 2003, only 3 percent of the remaining forest in some method of family planning, while one in three uses Central Visayas is considered “closed” or dense forest. modern contraception. This is slightly higher than the Most of the forest cover (57 percent) is open forest, national figure of 33 percent (see Figure 4). where the crowns of trees or shrubs only occasionally interlock. The remainder comprises mangroves (16 per- l Although the region has seen an increase in modern cent) and plantation forest (24 percent).9 contraceptive prevalence over the last few years, about 15 percent of women have an unmet need for family l The region has 70,824 hectares of protected areas com- planning. They would like to wait before having more posed of natural parks, protected landscape/seascape, children or would prefer to have no more children but wilderness area, game refuge, and bird sanctuary.10 are not using any method of family planning. These protected areas help ensure the survival of rare species and maintain ecosystem services. l As a key indicator of health status, the infant mortality rate in the region is 22 deaths per 1,000 live births, slightly l Olango Island in Cebu, part of a bird sanctuary, sup- better than the national average of 24 deaths per 1,000 live ports the largest concentration of migratory birds found births. in the country (67 percent of a total of 77 species). l Forty-eight species of threatened/endangered animals NATURAL RESOURCES AND are in this region, including black shamah and flower- BIODIVERSITY ISSUES pecker in Cebu and the tarsier in Bohol. Threatened The Central Visayas Region has some crop (mainly sugar marine animals in the seas off Central Visayas include cane, coconut, palay, corn, and cassava) and grazing land. species of reef fishes, elasmobranchs (rays and sharks), However, little of the region’s intact forests remain. Min- and cetaceans.11 eral resources—including silver, manganese, copper, gold, The Philippine government has established national limestone, silica, and coal—are abundant and account laws mandating local government units and coastal com- for one of the largest revenue sources for the region. The munities to sustainably manage coastal resources in ways waters surrounding the island provinces are well-known that will enable the recovery and rehabilitation of the fishing grounds. coastal environment. The Fisheries Code of the Philip- l Only the National Capital Region has less remaining pines defined “municipal waters” to be waters under the forest cover than Central Visayas (74,869 hectares). Figure 3 Figure 4 PROJECTED POPULATION OF REGION 7, MARRIED WOMEN Ages 15–49 UsING 2005–2040 CONTRACEPTION, 1993, 1998, AND 2003 Millions 52% 52% 15 46% 12 11.0 36% 9.8 10.4 8.5 9.1 29% 28% 9 7.7 6.4 7.0 6 3 0 2005 2015 2025 2035 1993 1998 2003 ■ Any method ■ Modern methods SOURCE: National Statistical Coordination Board, Population Projections www.nscb.gov.ph/secstat/d_popnProj.asp, accessed Nov.