By Rey Anthony Chiu
PIA - Bohol
Population in Loon, Bohol from 2000 to 2007 fell by at least 2,274, marking Bohol’s greatest reduction by town population, a recent national survey revealed.
Mayor Lloyd Peter Lopez, in a phone interview Friday said he has yet to see the survey results.
Moreover, he is to write to the NSO for possible enlightenment as to how the survey was done. Nevertheless, he also admitted that it may be true stating that Loon has less arable lands fit for agriculture and it could force his people to displace.
According to him, the census may spoil their bid to become a second-class town.
With Loon, coastal towns of Anda, Garcia Hernandez and Mabini enjoyed significant reduction in their populations, busting a familiar myth that coastal towns generally have high population increase rates over rural areas.
Anda “lost†1,247 residents, 120 residents could not be accounted in Garcia Hernandez while Sikatuna decreased by 33.
Of Bohol’s interior towns, only Sikatuna achieved .095% growth rate, meaning from 6,602 in 2000, there are now officially 6,335 residents in the town.
Highest population gainers in Bohol are Dauis in Panglao island, with 1.368% annual population increase, or from 26,415, population soared up to 36.139 and island town President Garcia (Pitogo) with some 4,374 added to its residents in 7 years.
Baclayon also gained 3,019 residents in the same span with now 18,015 from 14,996 in 2000 while Alicia also rose to 23,422 from 21,605 or a 1.313% increase.
The data came during the recent Kapihan sa PIA and was aired live over DyTR Thursday, May 15, 2008.
The PIA forum had Jessame Anne Alcazaren and Emmanuel Galab of the local National Statistics Office, who tackled on the August 2007 census on population and other concerns.
The survey, last year’s round of the NSO run census of population had also one bright thing for Bohol.
In 2000, Bohol posted an average annual population growth rate of 2.95%, one which scared the wits out of local planners.
But by some reasons yet to be known, average annual population growth went as low as 1.06% shaving off some 1.86 from 2.59% with barely any impacting birth control programs.
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