But the devout Roman Catholic wishes she had fewer mouths to feed on the $2 a day she makes scavenging and selling discarded office goods.

"If I had the chance, I would have used contraceptives," the 33-year-old said. "I think life would have been easier if I had fewer children."

Like any mother, Cani prays her seven boys and one girl will have a better life.

Odds are they won't. With just a few years of schooling, the chances are slim they will be able to break out of the cycle that keeps about 40 percent of Filipinos in poverty.

The Philippines - already struggling to feed, house and employ its 80 million people - is in a baby boom that is set to double the population in the next 30 years, according to the government's Commission on Population.

"There are two million women who want to space or limit births, but do not practise any form of family planning," the commission's executive director Tomas Osias said.

"This is a clear indication of unmet need which, if not addressed properly, will have dire consequences."

THE CHURCH HOLDS SWAY

Despite the warning signs, governments have tended to shy away from the thorny question of population management for fear of offending the powerful Roman Catholic Church.

Around 85 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholics and the Church's presence is evident in nearly every aspect of life.

Political and business meetings frequently begin with a prayer. Many homes have shrines in the garden and most vehicles have a crucifix or other religious images hanging from the mirror or attached to the dashboard.

Philippines Cardinal Jaime Sin and other clerics played key roles in popular revolts that unseated Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada. They comment readily on everything from the morality of James Bond films to utility rates.

The Church is implacably opposed to contraceptive devices, branding them immoral, but it disputes claims it is against any form of population management.

"Irresponsible parenthood is as equally sinful as contraception is to us," Manila's Bishop Teodoro Bacani recently told a business conference.

But many business and political leaders say the population issue is so critical, it can no longer be swept under the carpet.

"We have an economy that can only provide about 600,000 jobs a year and the number of new entrants coming into the labour force is around 1.2 to 1.4 million," said Donald Dee, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines.

"With unemployment levels continuing to go up and poverty levels continuing to go up, we will have real problems with peace and order if something is not done."

MORE MOUTHS TO FEED

Strains from the sheer size of the population are already evident.

The country imports large amounts of rice and sugar to help cover production shortfalls, while depletion of coastal fish stocks has seen fishermen resorting to dynamite and cyanide to boost catches.

The lack of jobs has prompted millions of Filipinos, often the best and brightest, to seek their fortunes abroad.

The government, struggling to contain a runaway budget deficit, has few resources to spread across development, infrastructure and anti-poverty programmes.

Dee is spearheading a business-based, family planning programme that would include making contraceptives more readily available to workers.

"We are running into conflict with this. But if it means the Catholic Church will not support us, so be it," he said.

Politicians championing a bill in Congress to liberalise reproductive health services accuse the Church of using its influence to try to shout down alternative views on the issue.

"They are trying to dictate social policy and that really has no place in a democracy," said Nereus Acosta, a congressman from the impoverished southern region of Mindanao, who is sponsoring the bill in the House of Representatives.