The controversial RH Bill

For the first time, a Cabinet official of the Arroyo administration has publicly admitted that the reason why economic benefits are not trickling down to the poor is due to the country’s high population growth. Finance Secretary Gary Teves even used imagery to illustrate his point, correctly pointing out that people will just have to make do with a smaller slice of the economic pie since there are just too many people being added to the lower sector of society – averaging at four babies born every minute in Luzon and Visayas and as high as six babies per minute in Mindanao – where poverty is growing at an extremely rapid rate.

An informal survey showed that businessmen all over the country believe that we need to manage our population in order to catch up with the rest of our neighbors in Asia – a sentiment that has long been echoed even by foreign businessmen who have been urging legislators to pass the reproductive health bill. These businessmen clearly see the correlation between high population growth and poverty, and thus have been urging government to adopt a good population management policy to help alleviate the problems of unemployment and hunger, maternal health issues and infant mortality rate, among many others.

According to the Joint Foreign Chambers, poverty is not only tragic; it is also bad for business because it leads “to weak consumer demand and low public sector revenues.” What’s even more disturbing is the prospect of social unrest and instability which could discourage businessmen from investing into the country – pegged as the 12th most populous nation in the world. During the visit a few months ago of Ambassador Alistair MacDonald, head of the Delegation of the European Commission in the Philippines, he said “the continued rapid population growth in the country is draining health and economic resources and slowing down economic growth.” Rapid population growth, MacDonald added, is also threatening the sustainability of rural livelihoods and destroying natural resources – and the poor are the ones who pay “the highest price.”

While corruption is being blamed for rampant poverty in the country, the overwhelming number of people makes it difficult for any government to efficiently deliver basic services especially to the poor – who comprise the majority of the estimated 92 million Filipinos today. Take for instance education. No matter how many thousands of schools are built, it would still be difficult to accommodate the number of new schoolchildren numbering millions trooping to school, with the disturbing sight of these kids huddled like sardines in their classrooms.

It’s rather unfortunate that so many misconceptions are being spread against House Bill 5043, like the fallacy that it advocates abortion. On the contrary, the bill repeatedly underscores that abortion is illegal and criminal. Not even the most liberal of legislators will agree to abortion. As explained by Congressman Edcel Lagman, the bill’s proponent, it is a “pro-quality of life” legislation that seeks to empower couples to plan and space the number of children they want to have by giving them adequate information on the kind of options they have.

Simply put, the RH Bill aims to give couples informed choice. If they want to have as many as eight children, that’s their right and their choice. But more likely than not, without awareness of family planning options, they might end up having 10 or a dozen children – more than the eight they originally wanted. This is not meant to discriminate against the poor, but tell me – if a couple can hardly feed and adequately support the needs of three children, should they in all conscience bring three more children into this world?

Surveys have shown that more and more Filipinos – particularly women – want more access to information regarding family planning options. After all, it is the women who are most affected by this issue. Every time a woman gives birth, her life is also at risk, and it does not matter if she is rich or poor. According to data by the Guttmacher Institute, 3,500 pregnancy-related deaths occurred in the Philippines last year, twice the annual average of 1,783 deaths recorded from 2000 to 2004. The report also disclosed that some 30,000 Filipino babies died a month after birth, and that an estimated 52,000 babies did not live long enough to celebrate their first birthday. Experts aver that high infant mortality rates are connected to maternal mortality, since it would be difficult to nourish a child if the mother herself is not healthy.

Proponents of the reproductive health bill admit that pushing for its passage has been an uphill battle especially with the influential Catholic Church exerting every effort to block it. Even Speaker Prospero Nograles has admitted that HB 5043 is the most difficult to pass, with members of the lower chamber divided over the issue. Some are also predicting that even if the Lower House passes the bill, it will most likely be killed in the Senate because the “presidentiables” are not inclined to clash with the position of the Church. But then again, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin campaigned against one of the strong proponents of population management, then Health Secretary Johnny Flavier when he was running for the Senate. But the Catholic influence on voters turned out to be a myth, because Johnny Flavier still came out Number 2.

No doubt the reproductive health issue is contentious – but we need to “take the bull by the horn.” Because no matter how much the economy expands or grows, it would be difficult to feel its benefits trickling down to the poor majority if the rapid population growth outpaces economic growth. Being an economist herself, GMA only knows too well what Gary Teves is talking about. If she really wants to leave a good legacy as she has repeatedly expressed, then this is one time when she has to show political will and exert all effort to get House Bill 5043 passed in Congress. –Babe Romualdez (The Philippine Star)

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Email: babe_tcb@yahoo.com