THE Province of Ifugao has the highest average number of children per family in the Cordillera Administrative Region according to Job David Manalang of the Population Commission in the region.
Manalang said compared to other areas in the region, Ifugao recorded an average of three to four children per family as compared to Baguio City’ s 1.8 to 1.9 and Benguet’s 2.5 or 2.4.
Based on the 2017 National Demographic Health Survey, the Philippines has an average of two to three or 2.7 children per family.
By 2022, it is hoped that the average number of children per family is two.
The Cordillera region presently is at 2.5.
“In average, if we were to gather all women in the country which has a potential to give birth, our target should not go over two children per family with the focus entered on family planning use by our women. Our contraceptive prevalence rate at present is at 65 percent, meaning it is hoped that 65 percent of our reproductive women would use some form of modern family planning method,” Manalang added.
Although married and unmarried couples in the region are 99 percent informed on the programs regarding family planning, only 54 percent have availed of the programs for family planning.
Meanwhile, in the last report on adolescent fertility and sexuality, the biggest factor to prevent pregnancy of a young female depends on the parenting style.
“In the Cordillera, the last report of teenage pregnancy was at the age of 10 while on the 2016-2017 national records coming from the different civil registry for those who gave birth on those years, showed 31 cases of teenage pregnancies in the country,” Manalang stated.