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Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Cebu’s population showing signs of aging, research shows
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
Although Cebu’s population is showing signs of “aging,” the province is still inhabited mostly by young people, with half of the population about 21 years old and below.
An analysis on the census data in 1970 and in 2000, however, show that the disparity between the number of persons age 25 and above and those who are 24 and below has decreased over the last three decades, prompting researchers to conclude that the population in Cebu is “exhibiting signs of aging.”
Update, tribute
However, the median age of Cebu’s population is 21 and, except in Lapu-Lapu City and the rest of the province, there is a decreasing trend in the population growth rate in Metro Cebu, specifically the cities of Mandaue and Cebu.
These findings are among the highlights of the book “Cebu: A Demographic and Socioeconomic Profile Based on the 2000 Census,” which was launched by representatives of the Office of Population Studies of the University of San Carlos (USC) at the USC Talamban campus yesterday.
The publication is not only an update to the book authored by the late Fr. Wilhelm Flieger SVD, whose work was based on the 1990 census, but also serves as a tribute to the latter, whom Dr. Socorro Gultiano honored yesterday for his contributions to demography.
Other data
Gultiano, together with Anthony and Victorina Zosa and Daisy Cusi, authored the “updated” version, which was symbolically turned over yesterday to USC president Fr. Roderick Salazar, who represented the academe; National Statistics Office 7 Director Lilia Tandoc; National Economic and Development Authority 7 officer-in-charge Sandra Manuel; Commission on Population 7 Director Leo Rama and a representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
Planning
Aside from data analysis on population growth, the book also contains migration rates from 1995 to 2000 as well as a count of basic community infrastructure, like public markets and churches.
Anthony Zosa, in his presentation of the highlights of the book, noted that some chapels in the province are no longer used.
“It’s either we lack priests or these people have stopped being practicing Catholics,” he said, adding that this could be an idea for a research topic.
“Things can get interesting if much of our researches will be based on concrete data. I hope our researchers and government planners could make better policy preparations and better research work (with the use of the book),” Anthony added.
Manuel said it is important for local governments to use reliable and accurate data to meet their planning targets.
Rama, for his part, said that while the projections based on “arithmetical” data, like the ones used in the Cebu book, have a tendency to be lower, they are still as useful.
However, he said that the decrease in population growth confirms survey results that the acceptance rate on family planning is high.
Rama said they will have to sustain their population management efforts so they could maintain the trend.
For the last 30 years, data show that from an average of seven children per family, Cebuano couples now only prefer to have three to four children.
(May 11, 2005 issue)
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