According to Francis Earl A. Cueto, a reporter for the Manila Times, the population of the Philippines is reaching a critical level. The rising population, now at 95 million, would reach the critical level of 115 million by 2015 and seriously threaten the country’s food security. This is just one of the negative effects population to the economy. Sen. Edgardo Angara, a former Agriculture Secretary, said that 115 million is the limit of the country’s carrying capacity, which is the amount of available local resources that can sustain a decent life for Filipinos.
What further threatens our resources is the fact that the growing population is accompanied by environmental degradation. “Our production is high, but our forests, which used to be one of the most abundant in Southeast Asia, are down to about 40 percent of our land area,” said Angara. As a result of over-population, the Philippines may see scarcity in food and water and that drinking water may be expensive in 10 years than the commercial beverages.
Cebu, small as it is, already has a population of 2. 4million people according to the NSO. Cebu is already facing a critical need for fresh water for industrial, for household as well as for food production. The senator from Baler in Quezon province further said Luzon might run out of fresh water faster than Cebu because all the rainfall in the region just flows out into the sea. At that rate, our Luzon’s ground water is at risk,” Angara said. “If there is no water, there is no food. n the next six years, experts and economists see a likelihood of a financial crisis, which could have adverse impact on housing as fund source would be scarce owing to unregulated use of credit cards. Angara said the period between now and 2016 is going to be critically a turning point for the country. “We can become a successful nation or we will become like Nigeria, which cannot govern itself,” he said. First, as the population grows the opportunities for quality, available housing may become an issue.
More people crowded into less space is not a good combination in any locality. As space is taken up, it becomes more valuable. Eventually, it begins to affect to poorest in the area. In the long run the effect of population growth may be substandard housing or homelessness. In other cases, access to food and clean water may be the main issue. This is an even more immediate problem than housing. As more people are faced with unsanitary sources of food, disease and famine begin to take root. If left unaffected, it will sweep through an entire population.
Finding a solution often requires a national effort. Another negative effect of population growth is waste control. When there are relatively few people, controlling waste is a much simpler task. However, as populations grow, the waste increases dramatically. Finding a spot for this waste, or treating it in a way that does not poison the environment, is critically important. Regions of the world that do not have the ability to do this will find it leads to a number other serious issues and becomes a massive public health problem.
