Presidential bets pushed on population issue

An advocacy group challenged yesterday all presidential candidates to reveal their stand on the controversial issue of population control, warning the country’s population could balloon to 100 million in six years if the government does not undertake immediate measures to control it.

"The situation is alarming. We are really encouraging them (candidates) to include the population issue on their agendas," Roberto Ador, executive director of the Philippine Legislators‚ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel in Quezon City.

The country’s population is expected to double in 30 years from the present 82 million, Ador warned.

An estimated 1.7 million babies are expected to be born this year, the Population Commission (PopCom) said last month.

With a population growth rate of 2.36 percent annually, Ador said there are 1.8 million children being born each year or about three babies every minute.

"In about 30 years, we expect to have shortages in resources, especially in the area of food production. There is a strong possibility that we will have shortages," Ador said. Poverty, which affects 40 percent of the population, is expected to rise with the increase in the number of people.

Ador pointed out that at the moment, only presidential contenders Sen. Panfilo Lacson and evangelist Eddie Villanueva have a clear-cut stand on population control and management.

Lacson is advocating the use of contraceptives to control population growth. This is included in his program of government. He is keen on the idea of Filipino families having a maximum of only two children.

Ador said having two children per family is the most ideal program as the kids would only be replacing their parents.

Villanueva, spiritual director of the Jesus is Lord (JIL) Movement, is open to the idea of providing families with access to artificial methods of birth control. This is strongly opposed by the influential Catholic Church.

Ador said the rival candidates of Lacson and Villanueva have vague or "motherhood" stands on the issue of population explosion because they want to court votes of the predominantly Catholic citizenry.

President Arroyo, a devout Catholic, has reaffirmed her administration’s population policy, which she said was based on the "moral choice" of Filipino couples rather than on a government-dictated birth control program.

But Ador said what the nation needs is an integration of the population problem in government planning.

"Those in academe and economists believe that population is an important factor to be considered in making policy decisions," Ador said.

Ador said the issue was given its due importance during the term of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos with the establishment of the PopCom.

But he noted how government’s attitude on the issue of population control and management has been "flip-flopping" from one administration to another.

Ador said government support is needed if the issues of population growth and family planning are to be seriously tackled.

Ador said the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health Care Act of 2002 (House Bill 4110) could also help government resolve the population growth issue.

According to Ador, the Reproductive Health Care Act penned by Rep. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, calls for the promotion of education and information on family planning and reproductive health. It also offers access to various forms of family planning methods and services both natural and artificial.

"If we do not stop this runaway population growth, the poor sector which comprises 40 percent of he population will surely be most affected," Ador said.