Migration is the change of residence from one place to another. Among others, the expectation of higher monetary reward in the place of destination relative to the place of origin induces spatial mobility.
Where do migrants go? Based on the 1973 National Demographic Survey conducted by the National Census and Statistics Office (NCSO), the dominant stream of migration is from rural to urban. Hence, the cities and their peripheries (which compose the urban sector) are the places of choice. Wages in these areas are comparatively higher than in rural areas due to the presence of high-paying jobs in the manufacturing and services sectors of the economy whose places of business are concentrated in these areas.
Migrants enter the cities to stake a gamble for better life. However; the capacity of cities to provide amenities like good housing, adequate water supply, medical care, transportation, light and employment is limited to a certain number of people. Thus, the massive entry of migrants poses problems on housing, sanitation and competition for livelihood.
The cost of migration is high. It includes the loss of opportunities to earn from previous employment, the long period of waiting for new employment, the high index of city living, transport cost and the risks of uncertainties in a new settlement.
Migrants seek alternative settlements in the city peripheries extending even to nearby municipalities. Based on the NCSO report, the National Capital Region (NCR) is a source of outmigrants to outlaying provinces. 1/ As recipient provinces soon grow to urban size but simultaneously find themselves recipients of backwash effects in terms of overcrowding, pollution, inadequacy of amenities and unemployment.
Cavite is an example of a province that increases its population through migration. It is a recipient of outmigrants from the National Capital Region and other provinces. Based on the 1980 Census of Population and Housing by the NCSO, Cavite’s population is already almost 60 percent urban. The rural population had steadily declined over the last three censal years – from 49.82 percent in 1970 to 45.49 percent in 1975, moving down to 40.21 percent in 1984. This could be partially attributed to migration rather to just natural increases alone.
The growth of Cavite’s coastal municipalities may also be partly due to in-migration. The proximity of this province to the country’s prime urban center (Metropolitan Manila) and the richness of Manila Bay as a fishery resource could have provided lures for fishermen to come and settle in the coastal areas of the province.