A total of 44,096 live births were registered in Mimaropa, based on the PSA Tables of Vital Statistics for 2020. Topping the list was the Province of Palawan with 11,782 live births for the year.  The total number of registered live births in 2020 was lower compared to 2019 data when the total number of live births registered was 48,887.  The Province of Oriental Mindoro was first on the list with 13,831 total number of registered live births for the year 2019. 

The number of registered marriages in Mimaropa also fell from 14,707 in 2019 to 7,049 in 2020.  In 2019, the Province of Oriental Mindoro topped this list with 4,467 marriages followed by the Province of Palawan with 3,691 marriages.  However, in 2020, the Province of Palawan recorded the greatest number of registered marriages with 1,985 with the Province of Oriental Mindoro coming in second with 1,809 registered marriages.

“The decline in the number of babies in Mimaropa may be attributed to the mechanisms adopted by couples and individuals to cope with the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic.  With fewer marriages and couples avoiding unplanned pregnancies by using modern family planning methods, fewer babies were delivered” RD Reynaldo O. Wong explained. 

In May 2020, Popcom feared that a “baby boom” would take place as women were prevented from leaving their homes to access family planning supplies.  As the statistics demonstrate, this prediction did not happen.  Instead, more women decided to delay having children and avoided having more children as they witnessed the difficulties of securing basic medical, health and family planning services when the pandemic overwhelmed the healthcare system.

POPCOM Mimaropa’s online RPFP database revealed that in 2020, the pill (8,943) was the most common choice for family planning.  This was followed by injectable (5,964), subdermal implant (2,104) and condom (1,167).  These ability for these family planning methods to be delivered via house-to-house approach could have contributed to their popularity among Mimaropans.

The total number of registered deaths in MIMAROPA reached 17,842 and 17,017 in 2019 and 2020, respectively.  The highest number of registered deaths in the region was recorded in the Province of Oriental Mindoro with 5,349 in 2019 and 5,000 in 2020.  Among the 17 regions, the National Capital Region (NCR) registered the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 with 13,000 or 43% of the total COVID-19 deaths in 2020.  MIMAROPA recorded one of the lowest numbers of registered COVID-19 deaths in 2020 with 183 contributing 0.6% to the overall tally. The other causes of deaths in MIMAROPA in 2020 are still being accounted for. (POPCOM MIMAROPA)