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Saturday, September 18, 2004
Espinoza: Population woes
By Elias L. Espinoza
POLITICAL TOOL. Figures do not lie. Our present population speaks for itself. Yet our resources are thinning and the economy is going down the drain.
The trend apparently doesn’t seem to alarm the government. Meanwhile, local leaders have been strongly influenced by the Catholic Church, which has railroaded population control policies or laws.
“What we need is executive action to comply with these laws. Our main problem is not wrong policies but weak execution,” said former health undersecretary Mario Taguiwalo, in his speech during a forum with journalists.
Again, this is not in praise of martial law, but if I remember correctly, it was during this time that the policies and laws on family planning were implemented to the letter and the result was remarkable.
University of the Philippines social scientist Dr. Mercedes Concepcion said President Arroyo’s administration “chews the Vatican line on natural family planning methods, it also cuts funding for purchase of contraceptives for the poor.”
The Population Act of 1971 requires the government to make contraceptives available as legal products. The local government units under the Local Government Code are also mandated to provide family planning services to their constituents. Apparently, the family services failed.
The government lea-der’s lackadaisical stand on family planning in the wake of the Catholic Church’s intervention, to me, is not about lack of political will but rather a veiled political scheme for them to perpetuate in power.
The greater the population means more underprivileged and unemployed, who are easily exploited.
It is a matter of common knowledge that the underprivileged or unemployed sector wishes to have election everyday.
CHARGES. The accusation that Mandaue City spent for the candidacy of Consolacion Councilor Alfie Ouano in his bid for the presidency of the Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL) Cebu chapter is a product of a wild imagination.
Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Z. Ouano is obliged to support his son Alfie’s political ambitions. It does not, however, follow that as Mandaue city mayor, he could use the funds from the City’s coffers for his son’s candidacy.
The Ouano clan is moneyed in their own right. I suppose Mayor Ouano is also aware of the legal consequences if he did what Alfie’s opponents in yesterday’s PCL polls accused him of doing.
Government guidelines in the disbursement of funds are strict and rigid that a proverbial camel passing through the needle is impossible to happen. The accusations heaped on Mayor Ouano are not only infirmed factually but also lacked legal basis.
On the other hand, such baseless accusations are always expected in any given political exercise. I understand the mayor was not taking the unfounded charges seriously.
After all, any irregularities in the disbursement of public funds pass the eagle eyes of the Commission on Audit as well as the Office of the Ombudsman.
For this reason, the public or the opponents of Alfie in yesterday’s PCL elections should not be overwhelmingly worried. If indeed Mandaue City funds were used, those involved would have to answer.
(September 18, 2004 issue)
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