Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Quick action on reproductive health needed: Duterte
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte called on Congress to focus on reproductive health and food production policies that are detrimental to the nation's survival.
He took a swipe at Congress for its penchant for holding investigations, saying time allotted could instead be used to craft measures to manage the population.
"Population cannot be managed using a calendar," he said, although he refused to pick a fight with the church for its staunch stance against artificial birth control. The church only supports natural birth control, including a method that uses a calendar to map out a woman's reproductive cycle.
He said one only needs to go to Bankerohan to see how big the problem is, recalling his recent visit where very young children were all over the place.
"We need a sane policy on reproduction. Not that we have to stop births but there should be an exact response to the growing population," Duterte said in his speech Sunday at a party he gave for the media.
Duterte said while there have been awareness campaigns on family planning, these didn't seem to have reached intended targets.
"Sige ta ug tudlo, kapoy na pero kinahanglan padayunon (We're always out there, educating, it gets tiring but we need to do it)," Duterte said.
He added that with the growing population, Congress should prioritize crafting measures to support farmers to ensure food security in the coming days.
"We cannot rely on exports forever. We have to plant. Baka wala na tayong kakainin sa susunod. I do not see a program for that. Sure, we have distributed lands but there is no ample support for our farmers to be productive," Duterte said.
The mayor said if Congress does not address these matters, it would spell disaster for the Filipinos. He added that he would like to institute similar programs in the city before his term ends, saying he cannot afford to leave without ensuring the city's continued development and sufficiency.
To pursue a food security program that relies on exports makes us reliant on other countries' surplus. But with increasing population and needs of other food-producing countries as well, there will come a time when these sources will clamp down on their supplies.
For around three years now, the City Government has been encouraging mothers of poor families who have more than five children to undergo free tubal ligation.
The city also gave cash incentives to go with the operation. Vasectomy too has been offered to men, but there were very few takers.
"Kung makakita ko ug inahan nga naay unom, pito nga anak, sus, undang na uy (I encourage mothers who already have six, seven children to stop reproducing)," he said.
