A Frightening Uncontrollable Growth of Population in the Philippines and the Bad Profile of Its Economy

For the past couple of decade; Philippines have been in the verge of defining the most outspoken program on Population Control which is supported by the United Nation and several Non-government Agencies.  Its policies and guidelines are very much ideal that no other nation can provide the same structure as far as definition of the program is concern.

In fact, Philippines is among the few country who operates a department specific to Population Control Program (PCP). 

Today; the author wishes to identify results from the profound structure of the project.  Because the Philippine Government owns the responsibility to present an outlined outcome of the PCP; not only to the Filipino people but to include the UN who is involve in funding the project.

Should the Philippine Government failed; the Commission on Population Control should publish the figure – and if the PCP Project is a real failure – presentation of grounds should be made available at the same time. Thus, UN can justify the multi million funding from a so called ravage project.

The Real Picture:

Artificial birth control is often taboo in this staunchly Roman Catholic country. Yet with a birth rate that is one of the highest in the world, sustainable population growth is becoming a burning issue, especially to the millions of poor people struggling to feed themselves at these times of high food prices.

This year's global food crisis, which saw prices of basic commodities such as rice soar beyond the reach of millions of poor people, created shock waves in the Philippines where over 40 percent of the population live on a pay less than Php. 100.00 a day.

Spooked by a precarious political and economic situation, some lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that will compel the central government to promote artificial family planning rather than solely focusing on natural birth control methods; an acivity supported by the Church.

Twenty-seven economists, including four former economic planning secretaries and one former budget secretary, have signed a paper supporting the bill.

"The absence of an unambiguous population policy reflects a lack of seriousness in promoting long-term economic growth and poverty reduction," said Ernesto Pernia, a professor of economics at the University of the Philippines, and one of the 27 signatories.

He compares the Philippines to Thailand.

In 1975 both countries had similar population sizes of 41 to 42 million. Then Bangkok launched a major family planning effort.

Now Thailand has a population of around 64 million and is the world's top exporter of rice. Meanwhile, the Philippines with a population of 90 million and become the world's top importer of the grain.

Thailand had a gross annual income per capita of about 7,880 in U$ in 2007, while in the Philippines was 3,730 in U$.

According to the UP Professor, that if the Philippines had followed the (population) growth pattern of Thailand between 1975 and 2000 the per capita income would have been at least 22 percent higher and there would have been 5 million less poor people, said Pernia. "That is a conservative estimate."

Yet the proposed reproductive health bill will likely never see the light of day as the influential Catholic Church is violently opposing the artificial birth control – defined as a violation of its religions norms.

The Church has denounced the bill as "morally unacceptable" and warned politicians, particularly senators who will be running for the presidency in 2010, that their stance will be remembered.

"The Catholic Church knows how to mobilize its members not to vote for anti-life politicians," said Father Melvin Castro of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines in a statement.

Priests at some Sunday masses gave PowerPoint presentations reiterating the Church's stand on family planning and one archbishop even suggested denying communion to politicians who supported the law.

Nearly half of the estimated 3.1 million pregnancies that occur every year in this Southeast Asian country are unplanned. Around half a million end in illegal and often dangerous back-street abortions.

While a relatively small middle class in the Philippines can easily afford contraceptives, millions of poor women cannot. A month's supply of the pill costs 40.00 pesos or around $1.00, around half the average daily salary of almost half of the population.

Backlash after the UN withdraw the PCP Funds

A lack of accurate information and access is also a problem.

Local governments often do not have the money to provide pills and condoms in public clinics and mayors that prefer to toe the Church line can ban them from clinics.

Officials who defy the Church sometimes risk a backlash.

Joseph Juico, a councillor in Quezon City in Manila, was denounced for introducing a family planning program in schools.

"Some priests and some lay ministers were calling me an abortionist. They were calling me a worker of Satan," Juico said.

Couples attending compulsory family planning seminars before their weddings are often warned off using artificial methods.

"One of the women leading our workshop told us the pill had given her varicose veins, diabetes and made her deaf in one ear," said one newlywed, who declined to be named.

Catholic clerics say natural family planning methods such as abstinence when the woman is ovulating are effective.

But in practice they are often unreliable and difficult to follow. Many couples in the Philippines only see each other once or twice a month because either the man or the woman has a live-in manual job elsewhere. It's even less if one of them works abroad.

Extra-marital affairs rarely alluded to by priests in the Philippines, are common and men sometimes have second or third families.

A lack of artificial contraception means that many women literally burst into tears when their period is even one day late as the only recourse for an unplanned pregnancy is an illegal abortion or giving birth to another child they can ill afford to feed.

Without an effective birth control policy, the Philippines, already the world's 12th most populous country is projected to have a population of over 140 million by 2040, then there will be no place to live on grounds but in shanties, swamps and shorelines. This will put a huge strain on its creaking health system, schools and other services, and its ability to feed itself. 

Extreme scarcity of food will be the canvass, looters, hold uppers, killers; one will survive synonymous to a life in jungle; everyone will battle hard for food. Sick people will outnumber, hospitals and healthcare facility will be deserted – hence only a few will afford medical services.  Criminalities, lawlessness and civil disobedience will skyrocket beyond controllable figures destroying the human race – where to breath a life for survival will no longer be probable.

Are we now ready to find an outcome of an impartial, poor and garbage population control policy that is influenced by our pious leaders?

Think again and support the best scientific alternative means – close at hand.