The Philippines . is reported as the 14th populated country in the world and the 8th in Asia, with the highest growth rate in our region today which is 2.36 percent per annum. From a low six million in 1903 to a whooping 80 million inhabitants today ,our country has indeed experienced a very rapid population growth in only a hundred years’ time.
Population growth would not be the major problem that it is if our economy could support the additional inhabitants every year. But currently, no less than 40 percent of our people are said to live below the poverty level and this will double by the year 2020.
This galloping population growth rate, if left unchecked, will definitely aggrevate such problems as malnutrition of children, high drop-out rates in school, inadequate medical and health care delivery system, scarcity of housing and shortage of available jobs. To date almost eight million Filipinos have taken foreign jobs as overseas contract workers and over 2 000 are joining them everyday for the simple reason of sheer survival. A large majority of our college graduates are finding that employment in this country is not easy to come by these days. After a long struggle to obtain an education, far too many of our young people have to join the ranks of either the unemployed or the underemployed . Our people’s capacity to multiply is truly a massive problem for the government and for all concerned.
Medical science suggests a number of methods in curbing the excessively high birth rate which are the use of pills, intrauterine device (IUD) condom and ligation or vasectomy. The Roman Catholic Church recommends only the rhythm method which is a pro-life stand ,but if our people cannot follow such a noble stand, what will happen to the million of innocent babies who will be born without adequate foods, shelter, clothing ,health care, education etc.?
Increasing the population without a corresponding improvement in the country’s economy might be, after all ,a pro-death stand.
By: MRS. JULIETA S. REFUERZO | Teacher III | LALAWIGAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SAMAL, BATAAN
