MARAMI tayo kaya tayo mahirap!
This is the idea mainstream media feed to the Filipinos.
But not the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN). Its international marketing manager for Asia and the Pacific, Edwin Lopez, says the opposite—population growth is not the culprit. In “The Impact of Mass Media on the Family,” a symposium last Oct. 12 at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex auditorium, Lopez said the media have become biased in lobbying for population control. He exposed the contradicting claims of the second edition of The Ties that Bind: Population and Development in the Philippines by the Philippine Center for Population and Development.
“The book itself stated ‘research has never proven a direct link between poverty and population growth, and it would be misleading to assume that one is directly dependent on the other,” quoted Lopez. The conclusion of the manual was however, a far cry from its initial statement. He said that the book still insisted that there is a link between population and poverty.
Lopez explained corruption, poor governance, and unequal distribution of wealth are the cause of the country’s economic crisis. He added that according to a World Bank study, 50 per cent of the annual budget is lost to corruption.
According to Lopez, a country can have a booming population, and at the same time enjoy economic stability. He said Singapore, with 28 times the population density of the Philippines, reversed its “Stop at Two” child policy to “Have Three or More” child measure, after realizing the value of population growth.
“We must learn from other countries now suffering from the effects of an aging small population. If a big population is the culprit, then why do Communist countries, where mass genocide by the millions have been committed, continue to be poor?” Lopez said.
Lopez added that artificial contraceptives like condoms do more harm than good to the country, contrary to what population controllers say. He said the 100 per cent condom use program increased Thailand’s HIV incidence. In 1987, there were only 112 reported cases of HIV in the country; the Philippines had more, with 135. Now, AIDS has become the leading cause of death in Thailand.
“Today, Thailand has more than 750,000 HIV cases, conservative Philippines with a low 1, 935,” he said.
Lopez cited a Ugandan experiment where cases of HIV infections decreased from 30 per cent in the 80’s to a mere 6 per cent due to the promotion of abstinence and monogamy. Kathleen T. Valle
