Current
Situation
In the 2007
Census of
Population,
the Bicol
region
registered a
population
of
5,109,798.
There were
104 males
for every
100 females.
The region’s
population
is young.
Half of the
population
is below 19
years old.
About 45.5
percent of
Bicolanos
were within
the
dependent
age brackets
of 0-14 and
65 years up
and about
54.6 percent
comprised
the
economically
active
population.
For every
100
Bicolanos in
the working
age group,
there were
83
dependents.
The official
poverty data
for 2006
showed that
Bicol
registered a
41.8 percent
poverty
incidence
which
translates
to 422,278
poor
families.
That showed
38,653 more
families
falling into
the poor
category
than in
2003.
Poverty
threshold or
the minimum
income
required or
the minimum
expenditure
necessary to
meet the
food
requirements
and other
non-food
basic needs
rose to
P15,015.
This means
that a
family of
five would
need at
least
P6,256.25 a
month in
order to be
considered
as not
poor.
Masbate
remained the
poorest
having one
poor family
for every
two families
in 2006.
Masbate and
Camarines
Norte
however,
were the
only
provinces
that
exhibited
decreases in
poverty
incidence in
2006.
Masbate,
which ranked
third
poorest
province in
2003, ranked
eighth
poorest in
2006. Among
provinces
with largest
decrease in
poverty
incidence,
Camarines
Norte and
Masbate
ranked
fourth and
tenth
respectively
with the
former
having a 7.7
percent
decrease in
poverty
incidence
between
2003-2006
and the
latter, a
4.9 percent
decrease in
poverty
incidence
during the
same period.
Bicol Region
accounted
for 9.0
percent of
the total
number of
poor
families in
2006 in the
country, 0.5
percentage
point lower
than the
region’s
share in
2003.
Despite the
slight
decrease in
its share,
the Bicol
Region still
had the
second
highest
number of
poor
families.
The region
remained the
fourth
poorest in
the country
and the
second
poorest
region in
the Luzon
Island
group.
Crude death
rate
decreased
from 4.59
deaths per
1,000
population
in 2007 to
4.46 deaths
in 2008.
Infant
deaths per
1,000 live
births were
8.1 deaths
while
maternal
deaths per
1,000 live
births were
0.82 deaths.
A decreasing
incidence of
mortality
from
communicable
diseases was
noted. There
was a
decline in
the
percentage
of
households
with access
to safe
water and
sanitary
toilets. The
ratio of
hospital to
population
was
1:43,839.
Health
services
were still
inaccessible
to many
Bicolanos.
Despite the
increase in
immunization
coverage for
children for
immunizable
diseases
from 78
percent in
2007 to
82.59
percent in
2008,
increases
were still
noted in the
incidence of
measles and
neo natal
tetanus. The
low
immunization
coverage of
pregnant
women and
the
preference
of mothers
to seek
untrained
hilot during
delivery
caused
neo-natal
tetanus
cases.
There was
little
improvement
in the
nutritional
status of
schoolchildren
from 30.6
percent
malnourished
in SY
2007-2008 to
30.3 percent
in SY
2008-2009.
It was
highest
among the
pre
elementary
level
students
with boys
being more
malnourished
than the
girls.
Stunting was
high,
majority in
the
pre-elementary
level, at
27.8 percent
in SY
2007-2008
and 26.6
percent in
SY
2008-2009.
The
percentage
of
households
with access
to safe
water
declined
from 83.8
percent in
2007 to
79.95
percent in
2008. Access
to sanitary
toilets also
decreased
from 66.3
percent to
64.33
percent.
The
lingering
effects of
Typhoon
Reming in
2006,
coupled with
high
commodity
prices are
expected to
aggravate
the poverty
situation.
This
pressures
the
government
to provide
basic social
services for
health,
nutrition,
fertility
regulation,
education,
water and
sanitation
to more than
half of the
population.
Other
mitigating
measures
were also
implemented,
such as cash
subsidies
for senior
citizens and
drivers, tax
relief for
minimum wage
earners,
additional
tax
exemption,
and
expansion of
health
insurance
coverage.
But these
were not
enough to
support the
basic needs
of the poor.
Health
facilities
in the
region are
operated by
the
government,
private
sector and
non-
government
organizations.
The region
has 116
hospitals,
50
government
and 66
private,
yielding a
ratio of 1
hospital to
43, 839
population.
Meanwhile,
there are
125 rural
health units
and 1,090
barangay
health
stations in
the
region. Other
facilities
include
birthing
homes,
dialysis
clinics,
psychiatric
care
facility and
ambulatory
surgical
clinics. But
these are
mostly in
urban
centers.
Government
and private
hospitals
have been
upgrading
their
facilities
and
equipment
prompted by
the shifting
trends in
the
incidence of
diseases
that need
modern
diagnostic
and
therapeutic
technology.
This,
however,
resulted in
the
escalation
of the cost
of health
care which
further
compromised
the access
of
marginalized
sectors to
specialized
health care.
Government
hospital
services
were
expanded to
include
promotion of
wellness and
preventive
services.
Hospitals
are already
being
promoted as
centers of
wellness.
Among the
factors
identified
that denied
access to
health
services in
the region
were: lack
of
information
on available
health care
services;
lack of
accessible
and
affordable
transport
facilities
that would
allow better
access to
health care
facilities;
unavailability
of public
health
facilities
in remote
areas; persistence
of
socio-cultural
values and
belief
systems
preventing
acceptance
of
appropriate
and
effective
health
services;
and high
cost of
health care
especially
those
requiring
hospitalization
and advanced
diagnostic
examinations.
The National
Nutrition
Council (NNC)
and the
local
government
units
jointly
implement
programs for
nutrition
under the
Philippine
Plan of
Action for
Nutrition.
The PPAN
underscores
the
involvement
of health,
agriculture,
food
production,
food
processing
and
manufacturing
sectors to
ensure
adequate
supply of
safe,
nutritious
and quality
food
products to
the people.
The programs
for
nutrition
are: home,
school, and
community
food
production;
livelihood
assistance;
micronutrient
supplementation;
food
fortification;
nutrition
education;
food
assistance;
nutrition in
maternal and
child health
services;
and enabling
mechanism.
Popcom, DOH,
and other
concerned
agencies
implemented
aggressive
strategies
to promote
birth
spacing,
breastfeeding
and natural
family
planning. They
undertook
responsible
parenthood
campaign by
mobilizing
parents. Responsible
parenting
became a
component of
the
accelerated
hunger
mitigation
program.
The housing
sector
delivered
only 23,084
units of
housing in
2008 under
the Bicol
Rehabilitation
Plan.
Priority was
given to the
development
of new
resettlement
sites,
expansion of
existing
sites, and
providing
housing
materials to
families who
were victims
of super
typhoons in
2006. The
resettlement
program
funded by
the Bicol
Calamity
Assistance
Rehabilitation
Effort
delivered
only 5,652
units. The
housing
materials
assistance
program
assisted
12,750
families.
The core
shelter
assistance
program of
DSWD
provided
core shelter
units to
2,284
families.
Desired
Situation
Local
government
unit health
systems are
at the
forefront in
providing
health
services.
All
barangays
and villages
have primary
health care
centers.
Every
municipality
has a well
equipped
hospital
capable of
handling
emergencies.
District
hospitals
are
operational.
All
provinces
shall have
specialized
tertiary
hospitals.
Health
insurance is
provided to
all.
The health
of the
population,
especially
women and
children, is
improved.
There are no
cases of
preventable
diseases.
Infant and
maternal
deaths are
greatly
reduced.
Life
expectancy
levels are
at par with
developed
countries.
There are no
malnourished
children.
The needs of
special
groups
(abused
women and
children,
the
disabled,
the elderly,
and the
insane) are
met.
Family
planning is
fully
supported.
Adolescents
are well
informed on
population
issues and
reproductive
health.
Every family
has a decent
house safe
from hazards
arising from
calamities
and natural
disasters.
Safe water
and
sanitation
services
shall be
made
available to
all
households.
Squatters
and homeless
individuals
shall be
provided
decent
housing.
Slum areas
and poor
communities
shall be
upgraded and
shall be
made fit for
human
settlement.
