MANILA, PHILIPPINES — According to a report, a baby girl born in Manila is one of the babies signifying the 8 billionth person in the world.
Vinice Mabansag was born early on November 15, Tuesday, in the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital at 1:29 in the morning.
“So we just witnessed the world’s 8th billion baby in the Philippines. So we waited around two hours starting 11 p.m. last night and the baby was delivered at around 1:29 a.m., normal spontaneous delivery,” Dr. Romeo Bituin, the hospital’s chief medical officer, stated.
Maria Margarette Villorente, Vinice’s mother, stated she finds it a blessing that her daughter is referred to as the “8th billion baby” of the planet.
Lyneth Therese Monsalve, the main administrative officer of the Commission on Population and Development, expressed hope that Vinice may one day serve as a benchmark for development.
“We are looking at, particularly the local government units, for the possible interventions that they have to give for these babies and the coming other babies for that matter in terms of health, education, then housing when they grow up,” she said.
Lower fertility rate in 2022
The UN (United Nations) previously predicted that by mid-November this year, there will be eight billion people on the planet. Nine billion people could arrive in 15 years, and the UN projects that 10 billion people won’t arrive until 2080.
Population growth is already going down after a significant uptick in the middle of the 20th century. The UN acknowledges that it is difficult to estimate the world’s population accurately and that its estimates may be off by one or two years.
Meanwhile, POPCOM estimates that the population of the Philippines will grow more slowly in 2022, with a fertility rate of 1.9, meaning that a mother will give birth to fewer than two children. Compared to the 2.7 fertility rate in 2017, this is lower.
According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects and the Filipinos’ growing awareness of family planning are to blame for the lower fertility rate. – WhatALife!/Zed
Also read: Youth sexual & reproductive health programs supported by Mayor Klarex
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