6. 100 Million Filipinos

The Philippine archipelago, with more than 100 million inhabitants, is the 12th most populous in the world, one the fastest growing and youngest countries in Asia, and will soon overtake an aging Japan. Causes of the high rate of population growth include the teachings of the influential Philippine Catholic Church (no divorce, contraception or abortion) and the active sexual life of young Filipinos. Many women become pregnant at a very early age, soon after puberty. The country has not developed population control policies as some other countries (Thailand, China) have. Therefore it has a very young population with few elderly people, a situation that may be good for the economy (demographic window of opportunity). The chapter relates the debate around the Reproductive Health Bill, a key legislation aiming at making it easier for couples to control fertility despite virulent opposition from the Church. Other data show that the demographic and epidemiographic transition of the Philippines is far from over: infant mortality rates, although they have gone lower, are still too high. Infant diarrhea and malnutrition kill many children every year. Mosquito-borne diseases, especially malaria and dengue, are threats for the entire population, while tuberculosis remains strong in the country.