In my younger days, the tradition is to have as many children as you can. It doesn't matter if your finances cannot handle the expenses as long as your lineage will continue. Particularly those in the slums area, children are like mice that roam the area, half naked or sometimes naked. And when you ask the parents why they are letting their toddlers roam in the area, they would just reason out that they are poor. But now, the culture has changed the Filipino's outlook in family. The lesser children, the more you can care for them. Especially those educated couple, they prefer 1 child or 2 at the most so they can give their child (or children) the best education, best food, best of everything that they can afford.
Many medical conditions which used to be fatal can now be treated and older people are living for longer. It therefore makes sense to encourage people to have fewer children when the world population keeps rising, so that children can be given better care and have a better education, with more chance of getting work that will pay them enough to live a better life.
In one respect, I agree with that. However, there is the problem that, for the most part, the people who will listen to such advice are those who are better off and better educated, while poor, uneducated people continue to have as many children as humanly possible, the result being a larger percentage of the world population that is poor and uneducated.
It is important to be able to care for the children you bring into this world. I thin it is better to have fewer children that you can care for than to keep having children that you can not care for, it is important to be able to give children love and attention as well as food and clothes on their back. Medical expenses for a sick child can cause a strain on the family resources, what if you have more than one sick child how do you care for them and the healthy ones if you have lot of people needing your attention as well as your money.