<p>The role of demographic changes in the development of the Philippines has been highlighted in many papers for a considerable period. While it has been credited as one of the earliest adopters of a strong population program in Asia, today its still has not resolved the population problem while her late adopting neighbors have successfully addressed the problem and turned to face other problems.</p>
<p>This paper shows how large family size can be an important contributor to household poverty. It presents results from recent research by the author using nationally representative household survey data that demonstrate clearly how large family size can contribute to poverty and vulnerability through its impact on household savings, labour supply, and parental earnings and education of children. The paper is the most systematic attempt to date to show the links between family size and poverty in the Philippines using household survey data.</p>
<p>The clear implication of the results is that, in the case of the Philippines, an active population policy aimed at restricting family size could have an important impact on poverty reduction.</p>