The country's 100 millionth baby has been reported to be a legal product of Boholano parents.

Liza M. Quirog, the provincial government's Social, Economic and Environment Management (SEEM) cluster coordinator, has identified the Philippines' 100 millionth baby as Julie Ann Mae Astronomo, who was born to parents Cherryl Laurden and Jesie Astronomo, residents of Bonbon, Calape town, Bohol. Julie Ann was officially declared to have been delivered on July 27, 2014 at 12:12 a.m. “So far, it is believed that baby Julie Ann is the champion of all 100 millionth babies reported to the Commission on Population nationwide,” Quirog told Bohol media yesterday. All babies born between 12:06 a.m. to 1:00a.m.last July 27 would qualify to the search for the 100 millionth baby, who must be reported to POPCOM until August 4, 2014.

According to the guidelines set by POPCOM, the babies shall be born at 12:06 a.m or seconds/minutes later; he/she should have been born in a government licensed health facility; born through normal spontaneous delivery; the health facility is observing the Philippine Standard Time; parents are residents of the province/city she/he is representing and be certified by the attending doctor. Each baby shall receive a Certificate and a Starter Kit worth P5,000, excluding formula milk, feeding bottles and disposable diapers. POPCOM and the local government units (LGUs) through their respective P/CPOs shall monitor the growth and development of these babies. Quirog revealed that the presentation and awarding ceremonies of the “Symbolic 100 Millionth Baby” was held last July 31 at the IMAP Lying-In Clinic in Calape, where the baby was born.

“The significance of recognizing the 100 millionth baby is to highlight our human resource comparative advantage to the world economy and at the same time the challenges we will face to ensure that this generation will grow under an environment that shall allow them to develop and become healthy and responsible citizens and able to actualize their total potentials as individuals of a progressive country,” Quirog stressed. The Department of Health through the local municipal government health unit shall ensure that baby Julie Ann shall be fully immunized, eat the right food nutrition, her health monitored and served, Quirog said. “The provincial government shall also ensure that she would be able to access the institutions for her full education and that her environment shall be safe and conducive to her well-rounded growth and being,” she noted. Quirog disclosed that the parents have committed to raise Julie Ann “to become a fine person with the positive values espoused and practiced by the people of Bohol.”(MIKE ORTEGA LIGALIG)