Introduction Many sources, books and articles say that people are the most important natural resources a land could have. People are the ones who develop and take care of the nature. People are also the main users of what the nature could give. It was yesterday when it seems that people are not the problem, in fact, they are the factors that contributes to the betterment of a nation. Today, it seems that people are coming way too fast and many already. Well, I say there’s no problem about it. No problem if these people are from other countries. But sad to say, the reality is, our nation, the Philippines has this problem.
Overpopulation is and should be everyone’s concern. It’s not something that we should blame only on the poor or the government or especially only on those who have seemingly taken God’s directive to “go forth and multiply” to heart. It has been a politically perceived issue that there is over population in the Philippines. This issue has been constantly blamed for the aggravating poverty situation. One side is claiming that unbridled population increase is putting so much strain on the financial and food resources of the country that more and more Filipinos are no longer eating three square meals a day.
Economic rating system is also stating a poor Filipino family is earning just below $1 per day. This certainly can hardly feed a family of 4 or more. On the other side, it is claimed that the cause of poverty is government corruption. They rightfully claim that while it’s true that the poor are constantly increasing, and that the income gap between them and the next economic level is likewise widening, financial resources that are intended to support the poor are being pocketed by corrupt government officials. Population is not the cause of poverty, corruption is, the Catholic Church claims.
The government is keen on crafting remedies to curb population. Several laws have been passed to curb corruption. But since they lack heavy punitive measures, they became hardly effective. Corruption has already downgraded the country’s economic standing that adversely affected our capability to borrow money from credit or financial institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. So the government resorted to drafting a bill that drew the ire of the conservative and the Catholic Church. Foremost is the reproductive health bill, which was authored by Senator Pia Cayetano and Congressman Edcel Lagman.
The bill underwent rough sailing on the legislative seas. Thesis Statement Philippines and other nations have a clear choice today. They can continue to ignore the population problem and their own massive contributions to it. Then they will be trapped in a downward spiral that may well lead to the end of civilization in a few decades. More frequent droughts, more damaged crops and famines, more dying forests, more smog, more international conflicts, more epidemics, more gridlock, more drugs, more crime, more sewage swimming, and other extreme unpleasantness will mark our course.
It is a route already traveled by too many of our less fortunate fellow human beings. The major role of the government is to provide a high standard of living for its people. This can be attained through higher levels of investments which generate employment and production, and through the equitable distribution of wealth and income. Plans, policies and programs are tools of economic development. These can only operate efficiently under regime of good and honest public administration.
