Demographic Feature and Social Development

CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION:
THE LEAST POPULOUS REGION IN THE PHILIPPINES
(Results from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, NSO)

Population to double in 38 years

The population of Cordillera Administrative Region, which covers the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province/City, Apayao and Baguio City, was 1,365,412 persons as of May 1, 2000, based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing (Census 2000). This was up by 110,574 persons as compared to the 1995 Census of Population (POPCEN). For the period 1995 to 2000, the annual population growth rate for the Cordillera Administrative Region was 1.82 percent, higher than that of the 1990 to 1995 period (1.71 percent). If the current annual population growth rate of the region continues, the population is expected to double in 38 years, increasing on the average, by almost 25 thousand persons a year or about three persons per hour.

The number of households increased to 263,851 as compared to 243,851 households in 1995. The average household size recorded in Census 2000 was 5.16 persons, slightly higher than the 1995 figure of 5.11 persons and the national average of five persons.

About two percent of the total population from CAR

The Cordillera Administrative Region was the smallest region in terms of population size among the 16 regions in the Philippines , contributing 1.79 percent to the 76.5 million population of the country as recorded in the 2000 Census of Population and Housing.

Median age was 21 years

Cordillera Administrative Region had a median age of 21 years. This meant that in 2000, half of the population were below 21 years old. In 1995, the median age was 20 years.

Among the six provinces and one highly urbanized city, Ifugao had the youngest median age of 19 years. Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province/City, Apayao and Baguio City had a median age of 20 years old, and Abra with 23 years.

Sex ratio was recorded at 104

In Census 2000, the recorded sex ratio was 104 males for every 100 females, higher than the 103 sex ratio recorded in 1995.

Overall dependency ratio was 71

The proportion of young dependents (0 to 14 years) was 37.3 percent, while the proportion of old dependents (65 years and over) accounted for 4.1 percent of the regional population. The proportion of economically active population (15 to 64 years) made up 58.6 percent.

The overall dependency ratio in 2000 was 70.71. This meant that for every 100 persons aged 15 to 64 years, there were about 71 dependents (64 young dependents and seven old dependents).

Majority were Roman Catholics

Majority (65.75 percent) of the population of Cordillera Administrative Region were Roman Catholics. Evangelicals (8.85 percent) and United Church of Christ in the Philippines (2.86 percent), followed, while 22.31 percent belonged to other religious affiliations.

Average number of children ever-born was three

The average number of children ever-born in Cordillera Administrative Region was three, the same with the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province/City, and Apayao. In Ifugao and Baguio City , the average number of children ever born were four and two, respectively.

Median age at first marriage was 21 years

Cordillera Administrative Region had a median age at first marriage of 21 years. This meant that half of the ever-married women 15 to 49 years old, got married at the age of 21 years.

Most of the overseas workers were females

Cordillera Administrative Region registered a total of 20,469 overseas workers in Census 2000 compared to 20,822 overseas workers in 1995 Census of Population. More than half (68.4 percent) of these overseas workers were females.

The overseas workers in Cordillera Administrative Region had a median age of 33 years. This meant that half of the overseas workers were below 33 years old. Female overseas workers had a median age of 32 years, lower than the median age of male overseas workers of 34 years.

Electricity, main source of lighting

Majority (61.58 percent) of the households used electricity for lighting and 32.86 percent still used kerosene. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was utilized for lighting by 1.73 percent of the total households.

In Abra (64.79 percent), Benguet (63.24 percent), Mountain Province/City (54.94 percent) and Baguio City (95.29 percent) the main source of lighting was electricity while in Ifugao (58.48 pecent), Kalinga (50.05 percent) and Apayao (62.57 percent), it was kerosene.

One in three households depended on own use, faucet community water system for potable water

The main sources of water supply for drinking and/or cooking were own use, faucet community water system (34.31 percent); shared, faucet, community water system (26.82 percent); and spring, lake, river, rain (12.28 percent).

One in two households used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking

In 2000, more than half of the households used liquefied petroleum gas (53.09 percent) as fuel for cooking. A large proportion still used wood (37.72 percent) and only 2.57 percent used electricity for cooking.

Households exclusively used water sealed, sewer/septic tank

The proportion of households with water sealed, sewer/septic tank, used exclusively was 36.60 percent. About 20 percent had open pit and 14.74 percent had closed pit. Households who do not have any toilet facility accounted for 3.55 percent.

Burning was the usual manner of garbage disposal

Proper disposal of garbage leads to a good environment and good health. About 36 percent of the households in Cordillera Administrative Region disposed their garbage through burning; 27.27 percent, picked up by garbage truck; and 10.35 percent, fed to animals.

In Baguio City , the usual manner of garbage disposal was through collection by garbage truck (90.76 percent). On the other hand, Abra (61.26 percent) had the largest proportion of households who burned their garbage.

Three out of four households owned/amortized their housing units

Majority (77.88 percent) of the households owned/amortized their houses. Those who occupied their housing units for free with consent of the owner comprised 9.71 percent while 9.40 percent rented their housing units.

Table 1. Population Distribution by Province/City:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 2. Total Population by Age Group, Sex and Sex Ratio:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 3. Household Population 10 Years Old and Over by Age Group, Literacy and Sex:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 4. Disabled Persons by Type of Disability and Sex: Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 5. Average Number of Children Ever Born to Ever Married-Women 15-49 Years Old
by Age Group and Province/City: Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 6. Ever-Married Women 15-49 Years Old by Age Group and Province/City:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 7. Median Age at First Marriage of Ever-Married Women 15-49 Years Old by Age Group
and Province/City: Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 8. Overseas Workers 10 Years Old and Over by Age Group and Sex:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 9. Language/Dialects Generally Spoken in the Households:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 10. Household Population by Top Eight Religious Affiliations and Sex:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 11. Households by Type of Fuel Used for Lighting and Province/City:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 12. Households by Usual Manner of Garbage Disposal and Province/City:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 13. Households by Main Source of Water Supply for Drinking and/or Cooking and Province/City:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 14. Households by Presence of Household Conveniences and Province/City:
Cordillera Administrative Region, 2000
 

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Population Size and Growth Rate

BAGUIO CITY

Baguio City's population as of May 1, 2000 was 252,386 persons. This figure indicates an 11.68 percent (26,503 persons) increase over the 1995 population of 226,883. The City's population is 18.5percent of the Region's total for the period.

A historical summary of the city's population sizes and growth rates are presented in the following table.

Table2B-1. Historical Growth of Population, Baguio City

Data Source: NSO

Table 2B-1 presents a rapidly increasing trend at varying growth rates over a 97-year period. The highest pre-war growth rate was 1114 percent per annum between 1918-39. This was triggered by the opening of Kennon Road followed by the economic boom in the adjoining mining areas. An abrupt deceleration followed the war years with the growth rate dipping to 1.93 percent Rapid socio-economic recovery following the war years spurred population growth and remains unabated to date. Growth rate averaged at 4.1 percent per annum between 1960 and 1995 and declined significantly to 2.31 between 1995 and 2000. This indicates a decrease 1.79 percentage points.

Compared with the Region's 1.60 and the country's 2.02, the population growth rate of the City is higher at 2.31 percent per annum by .071 and .29 respectively.

Table 2B-2 Comparative Growth Rates.

Data Source NSO, Baguio Office 2000.

Urbanization is a vital factor in the demographic changes that occur in the city. The development and availability of basic and essential urban services and facilities helped transform the city into a major educational, tourism, regional government and recently into an emerging industrial and health services center north of Manila.

A comparison of the city's growth rates with the region and the national rate over a 40 year period indicate a very significant reduction of 54 percent from its 1960 and 1970 levels of 5.05 percent growth rate compared to the region's 24 percent and the country 33 percent over the same period.

With the present growth rate pegged at M percent and expected to continue though at a slower pace compared to the 4.1 percent in 1995, the 2001 population is estimated at 258646 persons and will increase to 271636 by 2003 reaching its 278,373 mark by the end (2004) of the plan period. Still at this rate, population is expected to double in 29 years.

Migration, Fertility, Crude Birth Rate and Crude Death Rate

Dynamic people movement to and front the city will be a continuing phenomenon complementing development The availability and diversity of urban services and facilities will be major pull factors that will perpetuate it The absence or lack of basic information to determine the real factors relative to population movement into the city and measure their impact towards development persists.

In-migration estimates over two inter-censal periods with intervals of five

(1975-80) and ten (1980-90) years suggest a 1.7 to 2.5 percent in-migration rates over a fifteen (15) year period. Both rates assume that 60 percent were due to natural increase (birth minus death) and the remaining 40 percent from in-migration. Simplified, between 1975-80 there was one migrant out of every eight (1:8) residents increasing to one migrant for every seven (1:7) residents in the following decade. This hints the continuing increase of migrants into the city over the period study and is projected to continue in the future.

Further significant details on in-migration among the 5 years old and above population of the city show that 86.7 percent were residents while only 13.3 percent were in- migrants. Non-residents come from a relatively wide and scattered area of origin other than Benguet and its municipalities. There were morn female in-migrants than males and is partly explained by the pr service oriented economy that show some preference for female employees.

The latest survey (1997) on female fertility in the City reveals that the average number of children born by a woman in her reproductive age is 3. This attests to a relatively high level of awareness on\the value of having lesser children. The City's Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) as placed at 54% for modem methods while it garnered 62 percent for all methods. The City placed fifth nationwide with its (PR that is much higher than the national rate of 46 percent Continued government support through improved delivery and accessibility to health services, in particular family planning contributed to the successful reduction of the population growth. However, the city's high population growth is projected to prevail in the next few years due to a relatively young population 58.44 per belong to the 15-49 age bracket which is the

Household Population by Mother Tongue

The table below reveals that Ilocano is the most widely spoken dialect by 50 percent of the households, followed by Tagalog with 22.74 percent. Pangasinense comes in third with a 4.02 percent. Close t o10 percent speak indigenous Cordillera dialects where Ibaloi and Bontok share 3.44 and 3.02 percent respectively. Baguio's households are relatively conversant in English.

Table 2B-7. Household Population by Mother Tongue, Baguio City

Source: NSO, Census of Population and Housing, 2000.

Household Population by Religious Affiliation

Households in the City are mostly Roman Catholics (80.40 percent). The rest belong to the Episcopalian Church 5.80 percent, Iglesia Ni Cristo, 3.5 percent and the remaining 10.30 percent belong to other sects or religious dominations.

Table 2B-8. Household Population by Religious Affiliation, Baguio City

Source: NSO, Census of Population and Housing, 2000.

Social Development Features

The present system of social services delivery in the city is relatively well established considering the city's prominence as the Center of Education, in the North. The city boasts of 12 high standard tertiary educational institutions, 10 of them private and the remaining 2 are public institutions. At the lower levels, the combined totals are 65 pre-elementary schools, 74 elementary schools and 32 secondary schools. These facilities cater to the needs of some 127,690 students at all levels for school year 1999-2000 or a 9.06 percent increase over school year 1998-1999.

Baguio City is now gaining prominence as a regional center for health services in the Cordillerras. The presence of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center as the only tertiary health facility in the area complemented by the modern specialized facilities and servicesof the private sector greatly enhances the city's capability in the delivery of health services.

The presence of a well-placed and community based system prevented the incidence of epidemics and unwarranted breakouts for the past two decades. The health situation in the city can be described as satisfactory. The local health personnel through 8 District Health Center, 8 Sub-District Health Centers and a Main Health Center ably sustain this. However, while the present systems are functional, foresight in programming available resources as well as expanding the coverage of health services becomes imperative to meet the needs of a rapidly increasing population.

Growing concern is becoming evident in the areas of urban housing and sustaining public safety and protection. The city being a high migration area faces problems on squatting due to in-migration.

The peace and order situation is generally satisfactory and under control. Adopting a community-based policing system as an approach in public safety and protection proved to be very effective. this approach involves the different barangays in surveillance, intelligence and crime prevention activities. Premised on the concept of police-community partnership, the implementation of the system is assisted by the 8 police sub-stations or Kababayan Centers strategially located in various parts of the City.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT "Demographic Feature"

Source of Information/Author: Ms. Christine Rivera
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