Local governments to set population control policy — Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines - Amid pressures from groups that blame population growth for the tightening food supply, Malacañang said it will continue to allow local governments to implement their own family panning programs, particularly on promoting the use of birth control methods. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Anthony T. Golez, Jr. told BusinessWorld that while President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo prefers the use of the Roman Catholic Church-backed natural family planning methods, she will continue to allow local officials to determine their policies. "It [allowing local governments to craft their population control programs] is part of the informed consent. People are informed of the different [family planning] methods. The local governments will have to implement that," he said in Filipino. "For instance, during the time of Manila Mayor [Joselito L.] Atienza, [Jr.], he preferred natural family planning methods over artificial ones. That was his preference and he was allowed to implement it." The administration of Mayor Alfredo S. Lim, on the other hand, held an information campaign on birth control methods last Friday in conjunction with World Population Day. Mr. Golez, a medical practitioner, said the population policy rests on four pillars, namely, respect for life, which effectively bans abortion; informed consent or providing access to information on reproductive health; proper birth spacing; and responsible parenting. Filipinos number more than 88 million with an annual population growth rate of around 2.3%, said to be one of the fastest in the region. Some economists and advocacy groups said poverty and hunger have worsened due to rising population, and have called on the government to promote artificial birth control methods. These methods, however, are frowned upon by the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, which is pushing the natural family planning methods such as abstention from sexual activity. Mrs. Arroyo, a devout Roman Catholic, has been a supporter of natural family planning methods and has authorized local leaders to formulate their own population control programs. Ambiguous, ineffective In last Friday’s World Population Day forum, former President Fidel V. Ramos criticized the Arroyo administration for its "ambiguous" and "ineffective" population control programs and maintained that larger families tend to be poorer. Mr. Ramos, a Protestant, was quoted as saying that the health of mothers and babies are put to risk due to "religious narrow-mindedness" and "political expediency." He also scored the policy allowing local officials to adopt their own population control policy, saying that not all municipalities or provinces can afford to provide contraceptives. Malacañang said it welcomes the suggestions of Mr. Ramos but maintained that the President has her own stand on the issue. "While they [Mr. Ramos and Mrs. Arroyo] have their own separate points on the matter, they both share common advocacies for the dignity of a person and respect for individual decisions and judgment calls," said Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza in a text message. Cabinet Secretary Ricardo L. Saludo said the population growth is still close to the government targets. "Our population growth rate slowed to 2.04% average since 2000, from 2.36% in 1995 to 2000. The 2006 to 2007 rate is 1.95%, very close to 1.9% target for 2010," he said. The United Nations Population Fund has warned that the Philippines’ aim to lessen maternal mortality rate to 52 deaths per 100,000 births by 2015 will not be met if the government does not promote proper family planning. It also reported that the maternal mortality rate in the country only declined by 22% in the last 13 years, or around 162 per 100,000 births in 2006. Mr. Golez said maternal deaths are usually caused by unhygienic practices of some traditional midwives, and has assured that steps are being undertaken to provide mothers access to modern medical equipment. Political survival Benjamin E. Diokno, an economist from the University of the Philippines and a former Budget secretary, said the government must allow access to all family planning methods — natural or artificial — if it wants to address overpopulation. "Had we pursued population management in the last 30 years, there would have been 20 million less mouths to feed today," he said in a text message to BusinessWorld. Mr. Diokno said letting local authorities deal with the issue is "more for political survival to avoid the wrath of some bishops." The Roman Catholic Church claims the membership of more than 80% of Filipinos. Mrs. Arroyo has been a supporter of the Church’s stand on policy issues like the lifting of death penalty and the scrapping of an executive order barring officials from attending inquiries in aid of legislation. But Mr. Golez maintained that the government is not subservient to the Church and that it makes decisions based on scientific evidences and studies. "We are aware of the concept of separation of Church and the state," he said. Reproductive Health Bill Meanwhile, Malacañang assured that it will not intervene in the deliberations of the Reproductive Health Bill, which seeks, among others, to provide access to all family planning methods. The scheduled meetings of government officials with Roman Catholic bishops kicked off Wednesday evening with the latter expressing their concerns over the long-stalled Reproductive Health Bill. Last week, some Catholic bishops who are reportedly opposed to the bill met with the President to discuss their position on population control. Palace officials, however, remained silent as to the stand of Mrs. Arroyo on the measure, which has been bypassed by three Congresses. In a separate telephone interview, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman (1st district), principal author of the bill, said he is optimistic that the government and Church will reach a compromise on contraceptives. "There is a need to stabilize population growth rate to attain sustainable development and to fully address poverty We agreed to hold a dialogue to look for a common ground," he said. Lawmakers and bishops are expected to meet before Congress resumes sessions on July 28. - BusinessWorld