THE number of children to be born this year is expected to increase due to the high number of people getting married this compared during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commission on Population Development (PopCom) Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III said that during the height of the pandemic, there was a 50-percent decline in the number of marriages.
But despite the expected increase in birth rates, Perez said they do not see this to be on the same level during pre-pandemic times.
Primary reason for this, Perez said, is that many more families are now into family planning due to the crisis brought about by the pandemic.
He said many couples know that an added member of the family, especially when unplanned, will affect their financial status.
This is what is being avoided today by most couples since life is really hard while the pandemic is ongoing and the situation is still far from stable, especially in terms of employment.