CEBU, Philippines - If the combined population of the three cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu were added to the province, Cebu would have been the biggest province in the country in terms of population.
As of May 1, 2010, Cebu City had a total population of 866,171, Mandaue City 331,320, and Lapu-Lapu City 350,467, according to the National Census Office.
However, the NSO system does not include the three cities’ population in the provincial population.
The NSO has reported that Central Visayas now has a total population of 6.8 million as of May 1, 2010.
The population has increased by 1,093,227 from the 2000 census results which registered 5,706,953 people.
The NSO reports that the annual population growth rate (PGR) in Central Visayas for 2000 to 2010 was at 1.77 percent, while in 1990 to 2000 the annual growth rate was higher at 2.19 percent.
Among the four provinces in Central Visayas, Cebu province maintains its status as having the biggest population at 2,619,362 people.
Negros Oriental province follows Cebu province with a population of 1,286,666 while Bohol province has 1,255,128 people and Siquijor province, the third least populated provinces in the country, with 91,066.
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III signed Proclamation No. 362 on March 30, 2012 declaring as official the 2010 Population of the Philippines by Province, City/ Municipality and Barangay based on the 2010 Census of Population and housing (CPH) conducted by National Statistics Office.
The CPH is conducted every 10 years and is designed to take an inventory of the total population in the Philippines and to collect information about their characteristics.
The census of population and housing is the source of information on the size and distribution of the population and housing statistics as well as information about the demographic, social and economic characteristics.
This information is vital as inputs and tools for the policy and decision-makers and economic planners towards national and local social and economic development.
The 2010 CPH is the 13th series of Census of Population in the country since 1903. (FREEMAN)