The imminent baby boom due to the lockdown is not bad news but a “blessing” to the country, the Palace said on Tuesday.
The more than six-month lockdown is being blamed for the alleged unplanned pregnancies by the end of the year, but the government believes the population is the country’s greatest resource, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
“Although there must be family planning, having many children is not bad news. Our greatest resource is still our population,” Roque told reporters.
“We don’t view the children who will be born as a problem. We view them as a blessing.”
But Roque still encouraged Filipinos to plan their families, citing the government’s commitment to intensify its support on the matter. With the easing of the country’s lockdown measures, he said, couples could avail themselves of the government’s family-planning services.
“We welcome these newborn Filipinos as blessings to the country even if we would like to encourage people to plan their families,” he said.
According to the University of the Philippine Population Institute and the United Nations Population Fund, 2.5 million unplanned pregnancies are expected to be recorded in the Philippines by the end of 2020 amid the imposition of one of the world’s longest COVID-19 lockdowns.
This number is 42 percent higher compared to the 2019 data.