Social responsibility

A group of businessmen led by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Sergio Ortiz Luis have urged GMA to aggressively pursue a stronger Population Management Program. Businessmen are extremely concerned that over-population is a serious issue that cannot just be thrown in the backburner. With an estimated 84-M population, we are now the 12th most populous country in the world with 1.8-M Filipinos added every year. From traffic jams to squatting to unemployment and poverty, there is no denying that our problems stem from the fact that there are just too many people added especially to the lower class. Government is too simply hard-pressed to solve all these problems. Most crimes are committed because people are hungry and desperate. They just do not have jobs to feed, clothe, and educate their family. All those who are concerned about the population should just go ahead and form a broad multisectoral group. Waiting for the government to do something substantial is futile at this time. As Johnny Flavier said, "Let’s just DOH it!" – without the DOH (Department of Health), I might add.

What population management advocates really want is just to give people informed choices on responsible parenthood. So long as it is not abortion, we can control our population growth. There are many foreign governments that are willing to donate artificial methods of contraception such as condoms. We should go ahead and distribute condoms all over the country and give the people a choice on how to manage their families because this is really the single biggest problem that we will face within the next 10 years if we merely bicker and do nothing about it today. While GMA supports family planning, she has refused to endorse artificial birth control methods. Obviously, GMA is a Catolica cerrada, perhaps just like my late mother who practiced strict adherence to Catholic teachings. But in reality, population management is not really going against the Church.

Our intelligent friend, Sec. Manuel Dayrit, was defending his donation of P50-M to the Couples for Christ. In that case, he should also give P50-M to private foundations advocating for population management and responsible parenthood. He said the Couples for Christ is the only group with the know-how on the rhythm method. Therefore, the intelligent Manuel Dayrit should provide the same support, assistance, and funds to other groups that advocate other choices like IUD, condoms and the pill. Population wise, we were ranked 14th in 2002 and 13th in 2003. We should not go higher up this rung because we will only make it more difficult for ourselves to sustain economic momentum and environmental conservation.

Philippine STAR columnist Teddyman Benigno said that there is so much evil lurking in the country with all the corruption, the poverty, the murders, and the threats from the right and the left. I totally agree because the only way to counteract evil is for more people who care about this country to do good. We should take a leaf from other governments that have turned to non-government organizations (NGOs) or foundations for help because they have admitted that they can’t solve all their problems by themselves. Even US First Lady Laura Bush said that NGOs frequently do what government can’t do and, more often, tread where government don’t care to. As early as 1945, Eleonore Roosevelt presciently urged the United Nations to recognize the vital role of NGOs in sustainable development.

Through the efforts of the illustrious Zamboangueño Arthur Lopez, the Canadian Renal Mission Group of Ontario combined forces with the Zamboanga Perlita Medical Society, Inc. and Philippines Inc. - headed by its Chairman Susing Pineda – to donate 15 dialysis machines slated for hospitals in San Juan, Cebu, and Bicol.

Other commendable NGO’s are the PLDT Foundation – chaired by Manny Pangilinan – it has a computer literacy program and provides computers to public schools just like the Ayala Foundation’s "Youth Tech" project. The Lopezes’ ABS-CBN Foundation has outreach projects for abused children through Bantay-Bata. It helps environmental groups through Bantay Kalikasan. The Tan Yan Kee Foundation, named after Lucio Tan’s father, has been discreetly giving scholarships to poor but bright studentsWe need more of these committed groups because this is the only way to counteract evil borne from desperation and the lack of opportunities and capital.

The Foundation for Peace and Prosperity in the Philippines is supported by the Public Diplomacy Program of the US State Department. Its programs are designed to combat the ignorance, intolerance, extremism, and poverty that continue to keep our people apart. We have to acknowledge the fact that the US has done a lot for the people of Mindanao. U.S. Ambassador Frank Ricciardone recently saw the improvements in the life of Basilan residents mainly through the humanitarian assistance and civic action projects funded by the USAID.

Terrorism is one of the worst forms of evil. The United States knows only too well that the only way to counteract terrorism and radical Islam is not through a military solution alone but to inculcate social responsibility and civic accountability. As Newsweek’s Fareed Zakaria observed, "in the war against terrorism and insurgencies, military victory plays a small part. The primary struggle is political: to win the support of the local population, defang the ideology that fuels the insurgency, win over militants to the government’s side and slowly drain the rebel movement of its strength." In this new war, guns and bullets again are not enough as Vietnam and the Philippine Insurrection have stubbornly proven. Zakaria continued that this war in large part is a political, economic, and social struggle for hearts and minds. As in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in Mindanao, an understanding of culture and nationalism becomes crucial because the goal is more complex than simple military victory. It is creating like-minded and tolerant societies that can co-exist with each other.

Man can only achieve true social responsibility when peace and goodwill truly reign on earth. In the meantime, we just have to keep trying like those who have reformed themselves through the study of the various scriptures because everyone in his own way believes in his own God, whether He be called Allah, Yahweh, Bathala, or the Atman. Like many, I too believe in Christ’s teaching that in the end good will ultimately triumph over evil.

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