Population Explosion: a Threat and a Challenge to All Filipinos

POPULATION EXPLOSION: A Threat and A Challenge to All Filipinos
BY
ANDEA, ISIDRO JR B.
KABACAN WESLEYAN ACADEMY- KABACAN, NORTH COTABATO
ABC EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER

There are 7.2 billion people currently living in the world today. Each country has its own way of standing on its own, and relying on its economy. The Philippines is one example that relies on its natural resources and exporting products abroad. But, as the years go by, the growth of the country’s population is increasing rapidly and affecting the economical and environmental aspects of the country. The government continually thrives on coinciding our resources with the growing population. Thus, a question arises; “ is population explosion a   challenge of our time ?’

On July 27, 2014, the 100th millionth baby was born.   This event signifies the 100 million mark of our country’s population.   At present, the Philippines have a population of 100,617,630 with a 1.89% growth rate and ranks as the 12th most populated country in the world. With every passing minute, there are three babies born. Adding to this, there is a significantly high percentage of adolescent pregnancy contributing to this predicament. Over the next few years, if this is not prevented, our country’s population will be over 150 million.

Our growing population also threatens our heath and environment in any various effects possible. Located at the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, the Philippines experiences a diverse number of natural disasters. The most common are typhoons, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis . Not only that, the Philippines suffers major human degradation including loss of agricultural lands, deforestation, soil erosion, water and air pollution, improper disposal of sewage and toxic wastes, loss of coral reefs either caused by overpopulation in urban areas or the development of infrastructures. The destruction among the farmlands is not the only devastation brought by the floods....