EV population now at 4.1M

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The results of the 2010 Census of Population and Housing showed that the population of Eastern Visayas is now 4,401,322.

This is 13.6 higher than the previous census of 3,610,355, said director Raul Dones of the National Statistics Office Region 8.

Dones said the census done up to the barangay level was made official with the signing by President Benigno S. Aquino III of Proclamation No. 362 last March 30.

Eastern Visayas’ population growth rate posted at 1.28 percent annually from 2000 to 2010, which means that about a person is added annually from 2000 to 2010 for every 100 persons in the population, Dones explained.

Leyte province remains to have the highest population with 1,567,984 as of May 2010. This excludes the population of Tacloban City, which is 221,174.

Samar has now a total population of 733,377; Northern Samar has 589,013; Eastern Samar has 428,877; Southern Leyte has 399,137; and Biliran has 161,760.

Eastern Visayas is the seventh smallest region in terms of population and accounts for 4.4 percent of the country’s population. — (FREEMAN)