A newly born baby girl named Danica Camacho, the Philippines' symbolic seven billionth baby, as part of the United Nations' seven billion global population projection, lies on the chest of her mother Camille in government's Fabella Maternity hospital in Manila on Monday Oct. 31, 2011(AP Photo/Erik De Castro, Pool)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — She came into the world at two minutes before midnight, a tiny, wrinkled girl born into a struggling Manila family. On Monday, she became a symbol of the world's population reaching 7 billion people and all the worries that entails for the planet's future.
Danica May Camacho, born in a crowded public hospital, was welcomed with a chocolate cake marked "7B Philippines" and a gift certificate for free shoes. There were bursts of photographers' flashes, and speeches by local officials.
The celebrations, though, reflected symbolism more than demography.
Amid the millions of births and deaths around the world each day, it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant. But the U.N. chose Monday to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide, and a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.
Danica was the first, arriving at Manila's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital at two minutes before midnight Sunday — but doctors say that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday.
"She looks so lovely," the mother, Camille Galura, whispered as she cradled the 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) baby, who was born about a month premature.
The baby was the second for Galura and her partner, Florante Camacho, a driver who supports the family on a tiny salary driving a 'jeepney,' ubiquitous four-wheel drive vehicles used by many poor and working-class Filipinos.
Dr. Eric Tayag of the Philippines' Department of Health said later that the birth came with a warning.
"Seven billion is a number we should think about deeply," he said.
"We should really focus on the question of whether there will be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child," he said. "If the answer is 'no,' it would be better for people to look at easing this population explosion."
In the Philippines, much of the population question revolves around birth control. The government backs a program that includes artificial birth control. The powerful Roman Catholic church, though, vehemently opposes contraception.
Camacho, a Catholic like her husband, said she was aware of the church's position but had decided to begin using a birth control device.
"The number of homeless children I see on the streets keeps multiplying," Camacho said. "When I see them, I'm bothered because I eat and maybe they don't."
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — She came into the world at two minutes before midnight, a tiny, wrinkled girl born into a struggling Manila family. On Monday, she became a symbol of the world's population reaching 7 billion people and all the worries that entails for the planet's future.
Danica May Camacho, born in a crowded public hospital, was welcomed with a chocolate cake marked "7B Philippines" and a gift certificate for free shoes. There were bursts of photographers' flashes, and speeches by local officials.
The celebrations, though, reflected symbolism more than demography.
Amid the millions of births and deaths around the world each day, it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant. But the U.N. chose Monday to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide, and a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.
Danica was the first, arriving at Manila's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital at two minutes before midnight Sunday — but doctors say that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday.
"She looks so lovely," the mother, Camille Galura, whispered as she cradled the 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) baby, who was born about a month premature.
The baby was the second for Galura and her partner, Florante Camacho, a driver who supports the family on a tiny salary driving a 'jeepney,' ubiquitous four-wheel drive vehicles used by many poor and working-class Filipinos.
Dr. Eric Tayag of the Philippines' Department of Health said later that the birth came with a warning.
"Seven billion is a number we should think about deeply," he said.
"We should really focus on the question of whether there will be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child," he said. "If the answer is 'no,' it would be better for people to look at easing this population explosion."
In the Philippines, much of the population question revolves around birth control. The government backs a program that includes artificial birth control. The powerful Roman Catholic church, though, vehemently opposes contraception.
Camacho, a Catholic like her husband, said she was aware of the church's position but had decided to begin using a birth control device.
"The number of homeless children I see on the streets keeps multiplying," Camacho said. "When I see them, I'm bothered because I eat and maybe they don't."
In another report by BBC
Indian baby picked as world's seven billionth person
Baby Nargis, India's seven billionth baby. (Photo: Plan International)
A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International.
Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state.
Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born.
The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.
Earlier on Monday, the Philippines also declared a symbolic seven billionth baby, a girl born in a Manila hospital.
Every minute, 51 babies are born in India, 11 of them in the most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.
Nargis was born to Vinita and Ajay Kumar on Monday morning in a small government-run hospital in Mall village, nearly 50km (31 miles) from the state capital, Lucknow, a Plan International official told the BBC.
The daughter of a poor farmer, Nargis was chosen as the seventh billion baby to focus attention on the ills of female foeticide and India's skewed sex ratio, the organisation said.
Hundreds of thousands of female foetuses are aborted in India every year, even though sex-selective terminations and the use of ultrasound technology for foetal sex-determination are illegal there.
Photos of baby Nargis were shown at a function attended by nearly 250 villagers at the hospital, the BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi reports from Mall.
Health officials presented the birth certificate to her father at the event.
"We were praying all along for a daughter," Ajay Kumar said. "She is Lakshmi [Hindu goddess of wealth], she will bring us good luck," he said.
A street play staged at the event on the importance of the girl child saw many moist eyes among the audiences, our correspondent says.
Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state.
Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born.
The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.
Earlier on Monday, the Philippines also declared a symbolic seven billionth baby, a girl born in a Manila hospital.
Every minute, 51 babies are born in India, 11 of them in the most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.
Nargis was born to Vinita and Ajay Kumar on Monday morning in a small government-run hospital in Mall village, nearly 50km (31 miles) from the state capital, Lucknow, a Plan International official told the BBC.
The daughter of a poor farmer, Nargis was chosen as the seventh billion baby to focus attention on the ills of female foeticide and India's skewed sex ratio, the organisation said.
Hundreds of thousands of female foetuses are aborted in India every year, even though sex-selective terminations and the use of ultrasound technology for foetal sex-determination are illegal there.
Photos of baby Nargis were shown at a function attended by nearly 250 villagers at the hospital, the BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi reports from Mall.
Health officials presented the birth certificate to her father at the event.
"We were praying all along for a daughter," Ajay Kumar said. "She is Lakshmi [Hindu goddess of wealth], she will bring us good luck," he said.
A street play staged at the event on the importance of the girl child saw many moist eyes among the audiences, our correspondent says.
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