Thursday, December 25, 2008 Editorial: Managing the population
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte couldn't hide his frustration about the stampeding population growth and his fears for the future when he talked to media practitioners during his annual Christmas party.
That he does not want to pick a fight with the Church was apparent, and voiced out. But that he believes there is just too many underprivileged children being born can be felt. Comes to mind an excerpt of a 1970s lampoon movie by Monty Python, "The Meaning of Life", where a huge family belts out in a song about the sperm. But no, like the city mayor, we too do not want to argue with the Catholic Church, and we'd rather not put in print the hilarious but very irreverent (if not blasphemous to some) parody about the Church's stand on population management.
But we can urge everyone to visit one inner city community, especially at around 4 p.m. until just before sundown -- choose your wild, Isla Verde, Punta Dumalag, Muslim Village and Kanaway at Times Beach, the seaside areas of Boulevard and Agdao -- and get the feel of what population growth is all about. Late afternoon till sundown is the time when children are out on the streets and mothers are walking their toddlers. If you're used to the quiet neighborhood of exclusive subdivisions, then get ready for a shock.
"Population cannot be managed using a calendar," the mayor said, and that's the most he would go to say his piece on reproductive health, population management, and the Church's stand.
The 2007 census results placed average annual growth rate of the Philippines from 2000-2007 at 2.04% reaching 88.57-million from the 76.5-million in 2000.
Davao city, too, has joined the millionaire's club of the 32 highly urbanized cities. The millionaire's club refers to the highly-urbanized cities with population above one-million. There are only four all over the country: Quezon City with 2.68-million with a growth rate of 2.92%, Manila with 1.66-million and 0.68% growth rate, and Caloocan with 1.38-million and 2.2% growth rate. Davao has a population of 1.36 million with a population growth rate of 2.41%.
No wonder then that the streets of inner city settlements ring out with children's voices every afternoon when school is out and mothers are taking a break from housework.
Indeed something more has to be done aside from putting up calendars and talking about how to have sex without the reisk of procreating. Population management and reproductive health, after all, is not just about making babies.
