Food crisis linked to stubborn

Church pressure
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:35:00 04/18/2008

Filed Under: Family planning, Population, rice problem, Food,Churches

(organisations)

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez (“Gov’t, clergy need to discuss

population, food—prelate,” Inquirer, 4/3/08) shot at the heart of one of
the biggest reasons this country now finds itself in a rice crisis—the
government’s stubborn stand against population management and
family planning because of pressure from the Catholic Church.

No matter how the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration tries to

divert public attention from the rapid population growth, the issue will
continue to hound it. As pointed out by very outspoken bishops, it
should be OK if families have a large number of children. However, it
becomes a problem when the parents do not want many children
because they do not have enough resources to cover the basic needs
of each child, such as food. This is proven in the consistent survey
results conducted by the National Statistics Office and other reputable
institutions.

Sadly, President Arroyo, who is a self-proclaimed economic genius,

does not seem to fathom the link between development and
population growth—a concept that does not exactly require an
economics degree from Georgetown University. She incessantly bows
down to the dictates of the bishops who think that teaching couples to
use contraceptives is a grave sin. The government is accountable to
all the people and not only to the few but arrogant bishops who act as
if they have influence over the voting population and, therefore, they
have the right to bully government officials to agree to whatever
position they adopt on a particular issue.

The rice crisis should serve as an eye-opener to the Arroyo

administration: pleasing so many “influential” people, including the
Catholic hierarchy, is not worth it. Nothing actually is, when it
jeopardizes the welfare of Filipinos.

Ms Arroyo should realize that, in the end, the bishops who have been
pressuring her to take a conservative stand on the population issue do
not hold the key to this country’s economic development.
ETHEL N. MENDIOLA, advocacy officer, Philippine Legislators’
Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD); VIRGINIA F.
BENOSA, media relations officer, Philippine Legislators’ Committee
on Population and Development Foundation Inc.