28/05/2026
LOOK: CPD Region XI underscores people-centered POPDEV strategies and policy directions in the 2025 NDHS Regional Dissemination Forum
The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Region XI participated in the Regional Dissemination Forum on Key Indicators of the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) held today, May 28, 2026, at the Apo View Hotel, Davao City.
The forum gathered stakeholders from regional line agencies, LGUs, healthcare institutions, academe, civil society organizations, and media partners in Region XI to present the updated demographic and health indicators from the 2025 NDHS, which provides vital information on fertility, fertility preferences, family planning practices, childhood mortality, maternal care, child health and development, violence against women, and other health issues. The survey findings are intended to support policymakers, program managers, and development partners in designing, strengthening, and evaluating programs that improve the health, welfare, and development of Filipinos. The 2025 NDHS also provides indicators aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028.
CPD Region XI Director Jeff Fuentes served as one of the discussants during the session titled "Strengthening Demographic Resilience through Rights-based and Evidence-based Population and Development (POPDEV) Strategies: Turning Insights into Impact - Policy Directions from the 2025 NDHS Region XI Findings.”
In his presentation, RD Fuentes emphasized that Region XI is entering a more advanced stage of demographic transition, where declining fertility may open opportunities for demographic dividend, reduced dependency burden, and increased investments per child. He underscored the need to promote a balanced fertility framework anchored on reproductive rights, informed choice, and socioeconomic security.
On adolescent pregnancy, RD Fuentes noted the significant improvement reflected in the 2025 NDHS, with adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 who have ever been pregnant declining from 8.2 percent in 2022 to 4.1 percent in 2025, the lowest in Mindanao. However, he stressed that 2024 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics data still show continuing births among the 10 to 14 age group, which signals serious child protection concerns.
He emphasized that adolescent pregnancy remains a major population and development, child protection, and human capital concern. To address this, he called for intensified adolescent pregnancy prevention using life-course and human capital approaches, strengthened localized demographic intelligence, deeper intersectoral convergence, and stronger POPDEV localization.
RD Fuentes further advocated for the continued integration of reproductive health, poverty reduction, human capital formation, and demographic resilience into broader regional and local development planning.
