REGION 10 (NORTHERN MINDANAO)
Demographic, Social, and Economic Profile

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Region 10 is composed of the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental and the five cities of Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog, Oroquieta, Ozamiz, and Tangub. It has a total land area of 14,033 square kilometers. It has a total of 65 municipalities and 1,511 barangays.

Compared with the other regions in the country, Region 10 is lightly populated with a population density of 171 persons per square kilometer. The 1995 census revealed a total regional population of 2,483,272. This is an increase of 285,718 persons over the 1990 population.

The last census placed the annual growth rate of the region at 2.32 percent. This growth rate is attributed to a certain degree by in-migration from Luzon, the Visayas, and from economically depressed neighboring regions. At this growth rate, the regional population is expected to double in 30 years or in the year 2025.

Of the four provinces in the region, Bukidnon has the biggest population and highest population growth rate (2.19 percent). Of the five cities, Cagayan de Oro (the regional capital and the only highly urbanized city in the region) has the biggest population (428,314) and the highest growth rate (4.75 percent).

In Region 10, males outnumber the females at a ratio of 103 males to 100 females -- 1,262,301 males as against 1,219,791 females. The median age is 20 years. The working age group (15-64 years old) accounts for 56 percent of the population. This means that 44 percent of the population belong to the so-called dependent age groups (children below 15 years old --40 percent and those who are over 64 years old -- 4 percent.

With a relatively young population and a high dependency ratio of 78.5 percent, the bulk of the region's resources are channeled toward services and public ministrations such as health, housing, education, and others rather than invested on directly productive programs. Although there is a surge of economic development encouraged lately by the government's liberal policy and infrastructure support, these initiatives is largely focused in Misamis Oriental and a city or two in the region. Clearly, the ongoing economic development is at risk of being overwhelmed by the region's fast growing population unless more population-sensitive programs and policies are conceptualized and implemented.

Region 10 has 478,730 households with an average size of 5.17 persons per household. Poverty incidence is high -- the 1994 estimate on poverty incidence placed it at 52.2 percent or 250,000 families are living below the poverty line.

The continuing quest for a better quality of life propels people to move in search of opportunities. This is the cause of this recent trend in the region -- the transfer of poverty from the rural areas to the urban areas. Population movements are directed toward highly urbanized centers like Cagayan de Oro City and Ozamiz City. These cities are already experiencing a rise in criminality, proliferation of slum areas, pollution, and traffic congestion. There now exists in the region tremedous pressure by a fast-growing population on the environment, land resources, food security, and the delivery of basic services.

The July 1996 Labor Force Survey recorded a labor force population of 1.26 million, higher by 15.12 percent than the previous years. Employment figure was placed at 1,146,000, up by 153,000 workers from July 1995. Employment rate was among the highest in the country, at 94.8 percent. Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro City poster the highest employment rate at 97.9 percent and 92.4 percent, respectively. However, the peso devaluation that occured beginning July 1997 has brought about an unpleasant future to the economic boom in these areas. The slump that followed draws a bleak unemployment picture for 1998.

In the education sector, the region enjoys relatively good student/teacher ratios of 1:37 for the elementary level and 1:35 for the secondary level. There remain, however, the perennial problems of shortage in classrooms and books. Total enrolment in public and private schools for the school year 1997-98 was 691,707 students in all levels. The high drop-out rate, however, compounded by the problems cited above, creates a formidable barrier to the attainment of quality education and eventually a sustainable development for the region.

Life expectancy in Region 10 shows an increasing pattern for the past decade. As of 1995, life expectancy reached 63 years for men and 68 years for women, of an average of 65 years. Significat strides in mortality and fertility have been made but the availability of health services to the population in general is still far from ideal. Family planning as a health intervention program remains at a prevalence level of 57.6 percent of women of reproductive age.

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