Fertility Transition in the Philippines: Application of the Bongaarts’ Model

Christian P. Cruz, University of the Philippines

Employing the model developed by Bongaarts (1982) as a framework, this study is conducted to help ascertain the direct influence and interplay of selected intermediate variables on fertility in the Philippine setting, as controlled by various background variables. It will help shed light to the uniqueness of the fertility movements in sub-national categories in the Philippines needed for population policy and program interventions. The focus of this paper is to help explain the fertility performance in the Philippines by region and other sub-national background variables (socio-economic status, type of residence and educational attainment) from 1981 to 2001 and evaluate intermediate factors which include contraception that will help explain the existing conditions. This analyses hope to augment new findings to pioneering and subsequent studies done which are mostly on a national scale generally pointing out to the level of contraception as the primary direct cause of the fertility decline.