In the Philippines, for every 1,000 live births, 34 die before reaching the age of five years, according to the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The findings from the current and previous NDHSs reveal that under-five mortality rate in the country had declined gradually, from 54 deaths per 1,000 live births during the period 1988-1992 to 40 deaths per 1,000 live births in the period 1998-2002, and further down to its current level at 34 deaths per 1,000 live births (Table 1). The infant mortality rate in the country also declined, from 35 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in the period 1993-1997 to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003-2007.

The 1997 Family Planning Survey (FPS) is a nationwide survey aimed at collecting information on contraceptive use in the Philippines in 1997. It is the third in a series of annual family planning surveys to be conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) from 1995 to 2000 with funding assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This survey was conducted nine months after the July 1996 survey.

The pill remains as the most popular contraceptive method among currently married women with 13.7 percent using this method. Ranking second is female sterilization (10.6%), which is followed closely by calendar/rhythm (9.5%). These are findings from the results of the 2000 Family Planning Survey (FPS) conducted by the National Statistics Office with funding assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).