ZAMBOANGA CITY (PNA) – The annual population growth of this southern port city has remained steady at 3.56 percent for the past 14 years or since 1996, according to a local government official.

According to Francisco Barredo, an officer of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer (CSWDO) here, this city’s population in 1995 was 511,139.

Barredo said results of the 2000 census conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) showed that this city had a total population of 601,794 – registering an increase of 90,655.

The latest survey conducted by the NSO showed that this city’s population has increased to 774,000, or with an increase of 172,206, Barredo said.
He said migration of people from nearby provinces has contributed much to the rapid population increase of this southern port city, citing the birth rate remains steady at 3.56 percent annually.

He said that the migrants are from Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and as far as from the Visayas and Luzon areas.

Most of the migrants from the Visayas and Luzon areas are members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) who settle together with their families in this city upon retirement from the service.

While employment and livelihood opportunities are the main reasons why most people from nearby provinces have migrated to this city as it is the trade and commerce hub of the region, Barredo said.

As this developed, Barredo foresees the need for de-urbanization to decentralize the population in this southern port city’s outskirts, noting the seven-kilometer radius is now heavily populated.