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World population hits 8 billion: A feat to feed every new child
The world’s population hits 8 billion this year, but its growth is slowing. Here’s a look at what this means, particularly in developing countries like the Philippines, where numbers are rising fastest
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Vinice Mabansag, considered the world's symbolic eight billionth baby, was born in a hospital in Manila, on Nov 15, 2022.
ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA
MANILA - On the second floor of a rickety shack in the Tondo slums of Manila, newborn Vinice Mabansag sleeps on a mattress pushed against the wall on which a poster declares her the world’s eight billionth baby.
Her mother, Ms Maria Margarita Villorente, 27, does not have a job. Her father, Mr Alvin Mabansag, 26, earns just 2,000 pesos (S$49) a month repairing cellphones near a market in the Philippines’ capital. Her parents do not share surnames because they are not married.
