Coming home to crime

Coming back from a two-week trip to Canada and the United States, I get home and all I read about are murders, carnappings and other crimes. The irony is I just came from a country in total shock over one of the biggest crimes in modern history. A few days before I left, a South Korean student went on a shooting rampage, killing 32 people at Virginia Tech before putting a bullet in his head. The boy obviously had psychological problems, sending a video to NBC full of violent ranting against rich "brats." It proved that the massacre was premeditated — the kind that sends chills down one’s spine. Psychologists say Cho Seung-Hui fit the classic figure of a loner, a bullied kid who planned revenge against a world he thought was out to get him. But then again, Cho’s case is not isolated. Compared to other countries, the rate of crime and violence in America is higher, indicative of the social problems that ail a highly developed nation like the United States.

In the Philippines, we, too, have our share of social problems. Petty crimes and grisly murders happen everyday in many parts of the country. The high-profile murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell is one of the worst things that could happen to the Philippines, projecting a horrible image in the US of a country that is lawless and listed as a terrorist haven. The image of Campbell giving up a comfortable life to help the poor, assisting in relief efforts for typhoon victims in Bicol, teaching in a school in Sorsogon, portrays Filipinos before the American public as an ungrateful and lawless people. Those who have been touched by Julia’s generosity mourn her loss, and her murder is another black mark against this country. We already have so many black marks — this murder plus the ambush of journalists add to the prevailing perception that the Philippines is covered with the darkness of crime and lawlessness.

Though the PNP claims that crime rates have gone down, recent events seem to show otherwise. People are asking why there seems to be another upsurge in crime. Is it because of the coming elections? The heat? Or is it just a season of murder and other crimes? (We’ll find out what PNP Director General Oscar Calderon has to say about that during the "MOPC PNP Night" on Thursday, April 26, where he will be our guest speaker.) What is clear is that in most of the crimes, the underlying reason is grinding poverty. The World Bank reported that 43 million Filipinos live on $2 a day, while 15 million live on less than $1 — conditions indicative of extreme poverty by any standard. How many times have we heard of criminals justifying their actions by saying they needed money to feed their family? Yet politicians have conveniently turned a blind eye on the fact that poverty will persist as long as the number of Filipinos — particularly from the poorest sector — keeps growing unabated.

A recent Pulse Asia survey revealed that nine out of 10 Filipinos see the need to "control fertility and plan a family," and that government should support artificial birth control. Moreover, 75 percent said they would vote for candidates who will push for government funding for artificial family planning methods. Unfortunately, the CBCP is again taking a hard line stance, even saying that population growth could be advantageous to the country. But STAR columnist Boo Chanco hit the nail right on the head when he pointed out the significant impact of high population growth on the incidence of hunger and poverty, citing a paper by UP Economics professors saying that rapid population growth hinders economic growth, worsens inequality and exacerbates poverty. Makati Business Club chairman Ramon "Boy Blue" del Rosario agrees that the lack of population control is indeed a major problem that aggravates poverty, but he argues that education is a big part of the solution in alleviating poverty. They say education is the great equalizer, but poverty prevents many bright, young people from getting a good education that would lift up their condition. The fact of the matter is, high population growth deters the Education Department in upgrading the quality of education in this country. As DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said, the rate of four Filipinos born every minute is like having one classroom short every 10 minutes. It’s the old chicken or the egg situation.

Government can keep pointing to great statistics to showcase economic gains, but if the number of poor people keeps growing at a rapid rate, resources will continue to be depleted faster than they can be replenished. Like climate change, the situation can only get worse. And like a storm that envelopes a country in darkness, crime will continue to hover over this nation until we seriously focus on solving the problem of poverty and overpopulation.

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I spoke to former president Erap Estrada the other day to greet him happy birthday — he was really in an upbeat mood. With his classic "weather-weather lang ’yan" line about politics in this country — he feels the weather has indeed changed dramatically in his favor — with the winds of fortune now blowing in his direction. He told me he was confident of a worst case scenario of a 9-3 victory for Genuine Opposition candidates. He qualified it though by saying, "unless Houdini comes to the rescue of Team Unity." An elated Erap was extremely happy to have so many well-wishers greet him on his 70th birthday — among them former president Cory Aquino. The weather has indeed changed — Cory Aquino was one of the first to demand the resignation of Erap in 2001.

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