CEBU, Philippines - This Sunday, the country's 100-millionth citizen would be born.
To commemorate this, the Commission on Population (Popcom)-7 has launched a "Search for the 100 Millionth Baby" and urged all local government units in the region to participate.
According to a projection by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the 100-millionth baby would be delivered at around 12:06 a.m.
Popcom-7 Director Bruce N. Ragas urged the provinces and cities to take part and report the birth of the baby to their respective regional population offices until August 4, 2014.
"The purpose of the 'Search for the 100 Millionth Baby' is to call attention to the Philippine population growth and the tiny baby is just one, small part of our development goal. He/she is a symbol of hope and a challenge to all institutions and every Filipino to count on each other to live in a healthy, productive, and livable environment," Ragas said in a press statement.
He also said that the birth of the baby "signifies a happy as well as a challenging demographic moment in the lives of every Filipino."
"The 100-millionth Filipino will usher a symbolic hope for better quality of life as he/she epitomizes the challenge to make every Filipino count in prosperity and development," he added.
A baby each from the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Negros Oriental; one from a city in the region; and another one from Metro Manila would be picked as regional winners.
The search is open to all babies born on 12:06 am or seconds later on July 27 in a government-licensed health facility run by the national or the local government.
According to the search guidelines, the facility must be certified as observing the Philippine Standard Time and the birth must be certified by the attending birth attendant/doctor.
Only babies who are born through normal delivery are qualified, with the winners' parents each receiving a P5,000 starter kit for newborns
Recognition of the babies would be done in coordination with local government units, partner agencies, and the Department of Health and its attached agencies such as POPCOM, PhilHealth and the National Nutrition Council. —/RHM (FREEMAN)