BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio Local Civil Registry Office reported a 9.62 percent decrease in live births last year compared to the number of births that were reported during the previous year.
Assistant Local Civil Registrar Allan Abayao said that there was a slight decrease of 707 live birth registration from 7,347 in 2023 to 6,640 last year.
However, he claimed that the one-year change shows a potential indicator but not definitive evidence of a decreasing trend in population.
The assistant department head pointed out that in a sample survey conducted by the Local Civil Registry Office last January 2025 among their clients where circumstances affecting the said change include socio-economic factors like financial constraints; societal and cultural factors like delay in child bearing due to career choices, marriage trends, family planning, migration among others.
Abayao noted that as to gender, there are more males than females with a ratio of 106 males in every 100 females as reflected in the previous 5-year civil registry data.
As to age group of mothers, he stipulated that there was a decrease of 25 or 5.88 percent of teenage pregnancy or those 19 years old and below from 450 in 2023 to 425 last year.
According to him, nevertheless, there is an increase of 9 or 112.5 percent of mothers aged 15 years and below from 8 in 2023 to 17 last year.
Abayao emphasized that factors affecting teenage pregnancy include early romance adventure due to influence of open social media, liberal or lack of parental guidance among others.
He asserted that civil registration plays a significant role in establishing anybody’s legal identity and the vital events in one’s lifetime like birth, marriage, death, including any changes in the same such as change of first name, legitimation, paternal acknowledgement, adoption, annulment or marriage and divorce. By Dexter A. See
