Philippine population tops 100M

THE COUNTRY’S population has breached the 100-million mark.

According to the latest Census of Population, the total number of Filipinos swelled to 100.98 million as of August 2015, up from the 92.34 million when the census was last conducted in 2010.

The latest figures placed annual population growth for the period 2010-2015 at an average of 1.72%, slowing down from the 1.90% average recorded in 2000-2010.

“The 2015 population is higher by 8.64 million compared with the population of 92.34 million in 2010, and by 24.47 million compared with the population of 76.51 million in 2000,” the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which conducts the census, said.

Guian Angelo S. Dumalagan, market economist of the Land Bank of the Philippines, said that the slower rate of population growth is “expected given the country’s declining birth rate.”

Census results showed that only six of the 18 regions had population growth rates that were higher than the national average. These six fast-growers were Central Luzon, CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Central Visayas, Davao, SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato Province, Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City), and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“Compared with previous years, people nowadays tend to marry late and have fewer children,” Mr. Dumalagan said. “In part, this is caused by the increasing educational attainment of Filipinos. Higher education usually leads people to have fewer children so that they could focus more on providing a better quality of life to their offspring.”

CALABARZON remained the most populous with 14.41 million people. Neighboring Metro Manila -- the national capital region -- was still in second place with 12.88 million, followed by Central Luzon’s 11.22 million. These three regions made up 38.1% of the country’s population.

BULACAN, LAGUNA BREACH 3-MILLION MARK
The three most populous provinces were Cavite (3.68 million), Bulacan (3.29 million) and Laguna (3.04 million). Bulacan and Laguna breached the 3-million mark for the first time, with Laguna overtaking Pangasinan, which during the 2010 census round had the third biggest population among provinces.

Pangasinan led the provinces whose warm bodies were above the 2-million mark, with 2.96 million, slightly up from the 2.78 million in the 2010 census round.

Trailing Pangasinan was Cebu, which had a population of 2.94 million, excluding its three highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue. Rizal came in second with 2.89 million, followed by Batangas (2.69 million), Negros Occidental excluding Bacolod City (2.5 million), Pampanga excluding Angeles City (2.2 million) and Nueva Ecija (2.15 million).

Completing the millionaires’ club were 17 other provinces, including Camarines Sur in Luzon, Iloilo excluding Iloilo City in Visayas and Bukidnon in Mindanao.

The least populous were the islands of Batanes (17,246), Camiguin (88,478) and Siquijor (95,984).

DAVAO OVERTAKES CALOOCAN
Among highly urbanized cities, Quezon City remained the most populous, housing 2.94 million people, followed by Manila (1.78 million). Davao, whose 1.45-million population in 2010 swelled to 1.63 million in 2015, overtook Caloocan, which now has 1.58 million, up from 1.49 million five year before.

“Rural to urban migration is also quite evident in the survey results, with highly urbanized cities such as Taguig, Makati and Mandaluyong showing higher population growth rates in the 2010-2015 period compared with the previous five-year term,” Mr. Dumalagan said.

According to census results, Taguig posted a 4.32% population growth in 2010-2015 followed, by Mandaluyong’s 3.12%. Makati’s population grew by 1.85%. The three cities, which house financial and commercial hubs, are among the richest local government units (LGUs) in the country.

Mr. Dumalagan said the concentration of people in Metro Manila and its peripheries “might be a cause of concern, especially if the rise in population is not accompanied by a similar increase in the number of jobs available.”

Recent data from the PSA show that labor turnover in Metro Manila slowed to 0.62% in the fourth quarter of 2015 from 3.20% during the previous three-month period. The drop in the turnover rate owed to slower hiring and a slight uptick in job terminations.

“People from the provinces are lured to the cities because of hopes of better opportunities. Unfortunately, some don’t find jobs,” Mr. Dumalagan said.

“Aside from the job aspect, a heavy concentration of people in Metro Manila might also amplify pollution concerns, as more people equals more waste,” he said.

Having said the above, Mr. Dumalagan said a bigger population remains an advantage as a lot of people could potentially contribute to economic growth.

“But population size alone is not the only consideration. We also have to look at the quality of our labor force,” he said.

“In this regard, I believe that the next administration should continue investing in human capital development, especially since the world is now becoming more and more interconnected... [W]e have to continuously improve the quality of our labor force in order for us to stand out from other countries,” he added.

source:  Businessworld

Property market in Metro Manila seen to stabilize

PROPERTY developers are gearing up for the launch of more real estate projects this year after a contraction was seen in 2015, with the Metro Manila market expected to stabilize after a period of “correction,” real estate advisory firm Colliers Philippines said in a briefing in Makati City on Wednesday.

Julius M. Guevara, head of advisory services at Colliers Philippines, said the total number of licenses to sell issued by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) increased 77% to 85,470 in the first quarter -- a turnaround from the 48% contraction to 48,411 a year ago -- as growth was seen across all segments except for farm lot and industrial. 

HLURB now requires developers to start selling a project within a year from obtaining the licenses unlike in the previous years when there were no restrictions on the timing of the launches, Mr. Guevara said.

“This now more indicative of the plans of developers. It means when they get the license, they will pursue the project soon.” Mr. Guevara said.

Last year, the total licenses to sell issued by the HLURB dropped 14.5% to 410,834 from 480,743 in 2014.

The condominium market in Metro Manila exhibited continued growth, with low-cost condominiums surging 181% to 1,365; mid- and high-end condominium rising 18% to 12,805; and commercial condominium inching up 2% to 991 after a two-fold surge to 972 a year ago.

The number of units applied for by developers to comply with the balanced housing unit requirement was a major contributor to the growth, climbing more than four times to 9,104 from 1,772 in the same period last year. 

Other segments that registered robust growth included open market housing, up 232% to 11,904; socialized housing, up 81% to 6,816; and economic housing, up 445% to 13,845.

Real estate firms are projected to sell roughly 30,000 units in Metro Manila this year, a decline of 6.25% from the 32,400 units sold in 2015, Mr. Guevara said.

“I think this year, the property market will stabilize then we will see steady growth. The numbers we are seeing is reflective of end-user demand so the launches will continue,” Mr. Guevara said.

The residential market in Metro Manila has been contracting since 2013 after take-up hit a high of 52,500 residential units in 2012, according to data from Colliers.

Land values in the country’s major business districts continued to go up and are projected to grow between 5%-7% over the next 12 months, Colliers said. 

On a quarterly basis, land values increased by 0.4% to P502,000 per square meter in Makati, 0.4% to P418,400 per sq.m. in Fort Bonifacio, 4.6% to P123,000 per sq.m. in Alabang and 0.2% to P180,000 per sq.m. in Ortigas.

source:  Businessworld

DBM increases fees for govt workers attending seminars

BUDGET Secretary Florencio B. Abad has increased the maximum registration fee to be shouldered by the government for state employees participating in conventions, seminars and other conferences.

Under National Budget Circular 563, the maximum registration fee the government will shoulder was increased to P2,000 per day for each participant, from the previous amount of P1,200.

The registration fee to be shouldered by the government is for “conventions, seminars, conferences, symposia and such other activities conducted by non-governmental organizations or private institutions for a fee, as part of the human resource development program of the government.”

Under the circular, authorized participants are also entitled to travel expenses and allowances for out-of-town conventions.

However, membership fees of government officials and employees in private organizations shall continue to be shouldered by the concerned member and cannot be charged to government funds.

Only institutional membership fees, wherein the government agency itself is the member, may be charged to public funds.

The circular also clarified the types of conventions being covered: “For purposes of this circular, conventions, seminars and the like shall refer to those conducted basically for purposes of sharing, discussing or disseminating ideas or information on the developments in a particular field or fields of interest and/or for common appreciation and resolution of certain issues.”

“It includes, but is not limited to, those conducted by professional organizations or groups of common interest where government employees are members. It excludes those conducted for training purposes where participants are expected to gain or strengthen skills and technical or management expertise in their areas of endeavor,” the circular added.

source:  Business Mirror