Rising population both a challenge and an opportunity’

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang said yesterday a growing population presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the country even as it stressed that measures are in place to ensure that everyone would benefit from economic growth.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the government has been studying the movement of the population’s growth rate and the resources needed to respond to it.

“That (growing population) is both a challenge and an opportunity because people are the most important component of any society. That is our balanced view of the situation,” Coloma said in Filipino.

“That is why our Philippine Development Plan is focused on inclusive growth. Everyone should be included. Most of the Filipinos should not be left behind or set aside,” he added.

Coloma was asked to react to a statement of the Population Commission (PopCom) that the country’s population may hit 100 million this year.

He said the government has been increasing its budget for social development to respond to the needs of a growing population. Social protection and social welfare and development constituted 37.4 percent of this year’s budget.

Coloma also noted that Congress passed the Reproductive Health (RH) Law last year, but this was temporarily stopped by the Supreme Court (SC).

The RH Law allots billions for reproductive health measures supposedly to promote greater access to all types of family planning methods and to prevent maternal deaths.

Critics of the measure, however, said the huge amounts allotted for contraceptives could be used for more meaningful anti-poverty and health programs.

The SC has issued a temporary restraining order on the law to allow debates on the controversial measure.

“Nevertheless, we will continue other programs allowed by law to determine the increasing needs of our growing population,” Coloma said.

While RH Law advocates claim that a higher population puts a strain on the country’s resources, some sectors said having robust human resources has its benefits.

A Wall Street Journal article published last year said the Philippines could face economic risks if it implements a reproductive health policy. The report said the Philippine government’s promotion of the RH bill was “jarring” as it could result in “a demographic trap of too few workers.”

“The Philippines doesn’t have too many people, it has too few pro-growth policies,” the article reads.

Opponents of RH Law also pointed out that because of population growth, the Philippines is not experiencing a shrinking workforce unlike countries of Japan and Singapore. –Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)