Population growth rate at 2.58 percent

The total population of Basilan, as of May 1, 2000, was 332,828 persons. This implied an increase of 37,263 persons over the 1995 census figure or an average annual growth rate of 2.58 percent. This was 1.53 percentage points lower than the average growth rate recorded in 1995 (4.1 percent). A corresponding increase on the number of households was also registered, from 55,137 households in 1995 to 61,546 in 2000. This resulted to an average household size of 5.4 persons, higher than the national average of five persons.

Isabela was the largest in terms of population

Of the seven municipalities in Basilan, the municipality of Isabela, the capital of the province, was the largest in terms of population size with 73,032 persons or 21.94 percent of the total population of the province. This was followed by Lamitan (17.64 percent), Sumisip (15.23 percent), Tipo-Tipo (14.50 percent), and Tuburan (12.78 percent). Lantawan and Maluso, on the other hand, had less than ten percent each.

Basilan had the lowest population in Region IX

Basilan had the lowest population from among the three provinces in Western Mindanao (Region IX), with only 10.77 percent of the 3.1 million persons in the region. It was however, the fastest growing province in the region in terms of population. At the national level, the province contributed 0.44 percent to the total population of 76.5 million.

Basilan had a median age of 19 years

Basilan had a median age of 19 years, very much lower than the 1995 median age of 25 years.

Sex ratio was recorded at 100.0

The sex ratio in Basilan was almost even, there were 166,413 males and 166,415 females in the 2000 CPH. However, there were more females in the age group 15 to 39 years and more males in all other age groups.

Four dependents for every five economically active persons

More than 55.2 percent belonged to the economically active population aged 15 to 64 years. About 42.3 percent were young dependents (aged 0 to 14 years) while less than three percent were old dependents (aged 64 years and over). The overall dependency ratio in 2000 was 81.2. This meant that for every 100 persons aged 15 to 64 years, there were about 77 young dependents and 4 old dependents.

More female than male degree holders

More than 42 percent of population five years old and over had attended or completed elementary education. Only 17.3 percent had attended or completed high school while 1.5 percent had attended or finished post secondary education. Less than three percent were academic degree holders while 6.2 percent were college undergraduates. A very insignificant number pursued post-baccalaureate studies. There were more males than females among those who had attended or finished elementary (51.1 percent), high school (50.3 percent), among college undergraduates (52.0 percent) and had attended post baccalaureate courses (58.4 percent). On the other hand, there were more females who had attended/completed post-secondary courses (52.9 percent) and were academic degree holders (52.34 percent).

Forty one percent were Yakans

About 41.3 percent of the household population classified themselves as Yakan. Others considered themselves as Tausug (23.0 percent), Chavacano (11.9 percent) and Samal (10.1 percent). The remaining fourteen percent were either Bisaya/Binisaya (4.4 percent), Cebuano (4.2 percent), Badjao (1.9 percent) and the rest as other ethnic groups (3.2 percent).

About 47.76 percent were married

Married persons accounted for 47.76 percent of the total persons 10 years old and over, lower than the 1995 figure (49.11 percent) by 1.35 percentage points. Single persons comprised 43.80 percent in 2000, from 45.71 percent in 1995. The widowed (4.49 percent) had less than one percentage point difference with the proportion registered in 1995 (3.89 percent). Those with other arrangements increased from 3.87 percent in 1995 to 4.49 percent in 2000.

Housing occupancy rate was almost 100 percent

Out of 60,710 housing units in Basilan, 60,699 units (99.98 percent) were occupied by 61,546 households. This rate of occupancy was higher than that of 1990 (95.6 percent). It recorded a ratio of 1.01 households for every occupied housing unit or 5.48 persons per occupied housing unit.

Single houses were most preferred

A large proportion (94.3 percent) of the occupied housing units in Basilan in 2000 were single houses. Three-fourths (75.9 percent) of the occupied housing units did not need repair or with minor repair while 17.8 percent needed major repair. One out of nine occupied housing units was built from 1996 to 2000.

Half of the housing units used wood for the outer walls

The proportion of occupied housing units with roofs made of galvanized iron/aluminum rose from 23.1 percent in 1990 to 42.5 in 2000. On the other hand, roofs made of cogon/nipa/anahaw declined from 69.6 percent in 1990 to 50.3 percent in 2000. As to construction material of the outer walls, the use of wood rose by 10.2 percentage points, from 42.2 percent in 1990 to 52.4 percent in 2000.

 

(Sgd.) CARMELITA N. ERICTA Administrator

 

Basilan Basilan is an island across the tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula in Western Mindanao. The bodies of water surrounding it are Basilan Strait on the north, Moro Gulf on the east, Sulu Sea on the west, and Mindanao Sea on the south. The island's early settlers were the Orang Dampuans, who were the ancestors of the Yakan. The legendary Sultan Kudarat maintained a stronghold in Lamitan town until the Spaniards crushed it in 1637. Jesuit missionaries arrived a few years later. When Zamboanga became a chartered city in 1936, it included Basilan. On July 1,1948, Basilan itself became a separate city through Republic Act No. 288. The city was converted into a province on December 27, 1973 under Presidential Decree No. 356. Basilan is the homeland of the Yakans, a peace-loving people known for their colorful clothes, handwoven with intricate geometric designs, as well as for their elaborate weddings and festivals.

Table 1. Total Population by Municipality and Sex: Basilan, 2000

Table 2.Total Population by Age Group, Sex and Sex Ratio: Basilan, 2000

Table 3. Household Population 5 Years Old and Over by Highest Educational Attainment and Sex: Basilan, 2000

Table 4. Household Population by Ethnicity and Sex: Basilan, 2000

Table 5. Total Population 10 Years old and Over by Age Group and Marital Status: Basilan, 2000

Table 6. Total Occupied Housing Units, Households, Household Population and Ratio of Household and Household Population to Occupied Housing Unit by Type of Building: Basilan, 2000

 

TECHNICAL NOTES Average Household Size – average number of people who live in the household Growth Rate – the rate at which the population is increasing (or decreasing) in a given year due to natural increase and net migration, expressed as a percentage of the base population Median Age – the age at which exactly half of the population is young and half is old Sex Ratio – the ratio of males to females in a given population expressed as the number of males per 100 females Age-Dependency Ratio – the ratio of persons in the "dependent" ages (under 15 years and over 64 years) to those in the "economically productive" ages (15 to 64 years old) in the population Household – a social unit consisting of a person or a group of persons who sleep in the same housing unit and have common arrangements in the preparation and consumption of food The 2000 Census of Population and Housing (Census 2000), was undertaken by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in May 2000, as mandated by Commonwealth Act No. 591, Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 and Executive Order No. 121. It was the 11th census of population and 5th census of housing undertaken in this country since the first census in 1903. It was designed to take an inventory of the total population and housing units all over the Philippines and to collect information about their characteristics. Census day for the Census 2000 was May 1, 2000 (12:01 a.m.). Enumeration started on May 1, 2000 and lasted for about 30 days.