MANILA - Three babies are born every minute in the Philippines, the Commission on Population (POPCOM) said Wednesday.

If this rate continues, the population will increase by 2 million in just a year, the agency added.

From 107 million in 2018, the population is likely to reach 109 million by the end of the year, according to POPCOM NCR Director Dr. Lydio Espanol Jr.

Phil Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and Population Commission discuss state of contraceptives in the Philippines and impacts of a large population. pic.twitter.com/u94BF82QiM

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The desired number of babies in urban areas is two per family. This is enough to replace a mother and a father. But because of failure in family planning, some families conceive more than they desire.

The same can be said in families living in urban areas where three is the usual desired number. But some families have up to five children, maybe even more.

Espanol said the higher the number of children, the higher the possibility for a family to become prone to poverty.

With these data, POPCOM and members of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society have urged specialists to reinforce a family planning campaign, especially those in informal settler communities.

At present, Espanol said, the rate of acceptance of modern family planning by those from the middle and lower classes is at 46 percent. This is still below their target of at least 65 percent.

POPCOM said one of the targets of President Rodrigo Duterte’s executive order on Zero Unmet Need for Modern Family Planning is to decrease the number of children per family to the desired number of 2. The result of which, in the long run, will mean more workers (15 to 64 years old) compared to dependents (children and senior citizens).