I noticed that whenever Philippine politicians discuss issues such as financial crisis, budgetary
deficits, debt burden and specially poverty, they point their fingers to the overpopulation as the main cause of the Philippines'
economic difficulties. They believe that finacial growth is inversely proportionate to population growth. So based on their
belief, they immediately point to the poor and their growing numbers as the main reason for the Philippines' economic slump.
Misguided by this wrong premise, government uses its powers (from local government intervention to national media manipulation)
to stamp on the poor's mind to produce less number of children or else.Some politicians even want to make birth control a
must by legislation.
Initially, I intended to agree with the government line but after researching into the matter
I got the following information:
1. Among others, England, Germany, Japan and Korea are the most populated countries (200+people/kilometer)
in the world. They are among the most developed nations.
2. The next most populated (50-199/sq km) are Austria, Switzerland, China, Indonesia, among
others.
3. Among the least populated are Ethoipia, Tanzania, and (your'e right) the Philippines.
4. Among the world's cities, New York and Hong Kong are the most populated.
Although one can neither conclude that the most populated is the poorest nor that the opposite
is true, one can safely assume that blaming the poor for the Philippines' present economic crisis and enacting laws to limit
their production of children is self-subservient, grossly unfair and counterproductive. Because one thing is clear and true
that if not for the poor and their children the Philippines would have gone bankrupt for the past several years. Why? Because
only the remittances of the OFWs have kept our country econmically afloat. Where do you think these millions of OFWs come
from? They struggled and came from the deepest poverty level and by sheer determination were able to leave the Philippines
to be servants of the world.
And where will the world be without those servants? Can thousands of heads of families of developed
countries leave their homes and fulfill their jobs without the Filipino nannies and maids? Will their offices and factories
operate without those heads of families of OFWs? Will developed countries run productively with those offices and factories
on a standstill?
Therefore, due to the above facts, politicians should be circumspect before blaming the poor.
Once they gather and analyze Philippine economic data and statistics, perhaps they will be surprised that they don't have
to look far and wide to know who are really to blame for this economic morass that the Philippines has sunk in.
As one saying goes. "I have seen the enemy and the enemy is we!" (The United Nations Development
Program that, basedc on the 2004 Common Country Assessment, around P100 billion or 13 percent of the Philippines' P781 billion
budget in 2001 went to the pockets of corrupt officials). Yes, if our politicians can only look in deeply and study the national
budgets for the past fifteen years then they can determine and conclude who are the least productive citizens of the Philippines
and whose births should be controlled.
YOU OFWs must keep in mind that, although you serve foreign employers here in Korea, in the
Philippines all government officials are your servants. Send your messages to them through Pinoy Balita
and UPAK so that they can realize their role and serve you better. Tell them that they should look
for ways to lessen the burden of the poor instead of blaming them for the country's financial crisis.
