Philippines welcomes 100 millionth baby

A baby girl born early Sunday has officially pushed the population of the Philippines to 100 million, highlighting the challenge of providing for more people in the already-impoverished nation. The child, Jennalyn Sentino, was one of 100 babies born in state hospitals all over the archipelago who received the symbolic designation of "100,000,000th baby".
"This is both an opportunity and a challenge... an opportunity we should take advantage of and a challenge we recognise," Juan Antonio Perez, executive director of the official Commission on Population, told AFP.
While a growing population means a larger workforce, it also means more dependants in a country where about 25 percent of people are living in poverty, he said.
He said the Philippines had to find a way to bring services to the poorest families while also lowering the average number of children that fertile women will bear in their lifetimes.