Population-environment balance

BACK in 1973, the Philippines must have been the only country in the world with a policy on population embodied in the Constitution, which says, "It shall be the responsibility of the State to achieve and maintain population levels most conducive to the national welfare." (Sec. 10, Art. XV, 1973 Constitution) Additionally, the Philippine Environment Code (PD 1152 of 1977) provides a section on population-environment balance. Both pieces of legislation came at a time when there was much concern about the rapidly growing Philippine population aggravated by decreasing availability of natural resources.

Actually, a Filipino, Rafael Salas, the first executive director of the UN Population Fund, called the attention of countries about "the crucial links between population growth and development goals and there is a need to take population factors into account in development plans."