A 4


The Sunday Times


SUNDAY


O c tober 3, 2010


Edit orials Courage, Mr. President


H


OW quickly fortunes change for President Benigno Aquino 3rd. A few weeks ago, he was on the receiv- ing end of criticisms about the bungled hostage- taking situation in August. Today, the President is in the crosshairs of the Church and its allies for supporting the controversial Reproductive Health bill, but in so doing, he has stumbled upon a position that is popular with the majority of Filipinos and with groups on both sides of the so-called political aisle. To force the President to reconsider, Church officials have even floated the threat of excommuni- cation, although the influential Catholic Bishops’ Confer- ence of the Philippines (CBCP) has denied that it was considering that option. We applaud President Aquino for his courage to take a stand, even if it means offending the Church and risking political suicide, not to mention the eternal damnation of his soul. We also believe that his position on supporting voluntary family planning and government measures allowing pregnant women informed choices is correct. This move will lead to fewer unwanted pregnancies, abortions and maternal deaths. We see nothing wrong with the government helping poor couples needing condoms—if that is their preferred method of family planning. This is a public-health issue, not a moral one.


The Church and opponents of the House bill seem to ignore the fact that President Aquino does not discount natural family planning—if that is the preferred alternative for some families. The promotion of one’s choice does not mean the exclusion of others. Nothing is keeping the Church and its allies from pushing abstinence or natural family planning. In fact, those methods should resonate with the poor, because they are free. We hope that President Aquino maintains his resolve amid threats and intimidation. Popular wisdom says that doing what’s right is never easy. But we can’t help notice some cracks. It is troubling to hear Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda put a spin on the President’s position, saying that it does not follow that he is supporting the controversial Reproductive Health bill. We hope the President and other Palace officials do not buckle under pressure, especially when the Church and its allies eventually make good on their threats.


Making tough decisions, after all, is part and parcel of the President’s duties. The Reproductive Health bill is actually overdue. Statistics show that the Philippines has 160 mater- nal deaths per 100,000 child births, a far cry from the target set in the Millennium Development Goals of 52 per 100,000. We doubt if the President, or anyone, will want more mothers dying on his conscience.


Politics in the pulpit


The Church, it seems, has lost touch with its flock. We see evidence of this in the empty pews and in the rise of evange- lists, who arguably have the traits of false prophets. Surely, there are a number of reasons, not the least of which is poorly crafted sermons.


Another reason may be the content of homilies and other messages coming from the Church. Politics, the national pastime of Filipinos, has crept into those messages. And politics can be divisive, because there are sides to any issue. In contrast, religion has right and wrong, good and evil. There really are no choices.


The Church has taken a firm stand on the reproductive- health debate. However, it does not have the solid backing of the faithful as shown by the national polls. Instead of threatening the President for taking his stand, it might be better for the Church and its allies to examine why it has lost influence. If they can make their arguments clear and compelling, the President’s position, or that of any other political leader, will not matter. We submit that that is the better approach for the religious community to take.


Myanmar’s non-event


EIGHBORING Myanmar is preparing for elections in early November, but it is a non-event because of the exclusion of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The military junta has kept her locked up for nearly 20 years since her party’s unrecognized election victory in 1990. Her party, the National League for Democracy, is boycotting the elections, arguing that the polls will only serve to legitimize military rule. We agree. To blunt criticisms of its sham elections, however, the military junta is reportedly considering the release of the 65- year-old Suu Kyi, perhaps within a week before the national polls. We hope that will materialize, although it is unlikely that the junta will risk it.


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Like in the past administration, President Aquino should take an unequivocal position on the release of Myanmar’s only beacon of hope for positive change. Manila should continue the policy of engagement to prevent the isolation of Myanmar, but at the same time, exert pressure on its leaders to do what’s right. The other icon of democracy, the late mother of the President, once stood up to a dictator and his generals. We welcomed the support of the international community for her cause. And in today’s policy toward Myanmar, we should return the favor and push for the release of Suu Kyi and the peaceful restoration of freedom and democracy.


SUNDAY October 3, 2010


The Manila Times DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, Executive Editor


FRED DE LA ROSA, Chairman Editorial Board RENE Q. BAS, Editor in Chief ROMY P. MARIÑAS, News Editor


ARNOLD S. TENORIO, Business Editor CONRAD M. CARIÑO, National Editor


TESSA MAURICIO-ARIOLA, Lifestyle Editor BRIAN M. AFUANG, Art Director RENE H. DILAN, Photo Editor


 DANTE F. M. ANG 2ND, President and CEO


Telephone All Departments. 524-5665 to 67 Telefax 528-1729; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 URL http://www.manilatimes.net • e-mail newsboy1@manilatimes.net Letters to the editor


THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Dante Ang and Associates Building, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1020


VOLUME 111 NUMBER 354


O


OCT. 3, 2010


PNoy should tell the bishops: Back off


N artificial birth control, President Aquino should defy the bishops. There is no point in delaying what the state should have made a policy centerpiece decades ago—that of forcefully reining in the already runaway population growth. What reasons could the Presi- dent invoke in his defiance? First, artificial birth control is sound economic policy. Second, it is the moral thing to do. Third, there is no policy alter-


native but population control. President Aquino should not fear the literal violation from the bishops about the “go and mul- tiply” passage. The Bible, the greatest book of all time, has tens of thousands of passages admon- ishing us to do the right, moral and practical thing, and rebuking the ones that do not fit into a particular time and context. Even theological scholars will agree that what should guide us in the conduct of our temporal and mortal lives is the contextual, not literal and constructionist, mean- ing of the Bible.


On the threat of mass protests, the pro-rhythm, anti-condom groups within the civil society are bluffing. They can’t even tie their shoelaces.


The math alone should em- bolden President Aquino into funding the access of families into artificial means of birth control, anything that stops short of abortion.


A single child, just look at Gibo Teodoro, is easier to rear, educate


MARLEN V. RONQUILLO


and guide into the right path— ang matuwid na daan—than a dozen kids. Or just six kids for that matter. A family with scarce resources, with just one or two kids to take care of, can send their children to college, the real thing, not the Tesda training centers. It is entirely different for a strug- gling family with six or a dozen mouths to feed. Where material resources are strained, everything is strained and stretched to the limit and parental work and duty are severely tested. With the Phil- ippine per capita income, the re- alistic and right thing to do is really to contain birth rates through artificial means. I just wish the authors of the RH bill would produce metrics on the survival economics of same-income families—one with one or two kids to rear and an- other struggling to feed, edu- cate—and even shower with love—six to a dozen children. The bishops would not listen to sci- ence, of course, but the public would be enlightened.


Can the bishops show us a country that has a runaway popu-


lation growth rate and at the same time is within the Top 30 countries on the human growth and development index? China, which is now the second largest economy in the world (it leaped over Germany and Japan) has the most unbending population con- trol policy in the world. Did China suffer immensely for this? The bishops may counter back with something like this—well, China is a Godless country. But this would be a lame argument. Policy makers cannot square off a medieval population policy that turns out a yearly population growth of 2.3 percent to 2.5 per- cent with 30-year food productiv- ity average of just under two per- cent. Our paddies have shrunk to a little over 1 million hectares as residential subdivisions have been steadily eating up our pro- ductive, irrigated lands.


Thailand can tap anywhere from 7 to 9 million hectares of land for rice production. Vietnam can eas- ily tap 5 million hectares. We are not actually behind the two coun- tries in rice production technology. We only have less rice farms to till and more people to feed. The mismatch alone in food productivity growth and popula- tion growth should push us into adopting the mainstream popu- lation policy. This single reason is compelling enough. But there are more reasons why we should rein in our population growth on an official basis and through gov- ernment-sponsored programs. The skewed figures in the 2011


national budget, billions of pe- sos for cash dole-outs to thou- sands of poor families and prac- tically token spending for inno- vation and research and develop- ment, should push President Aquino into talking the right path—that of un-tethering the population policy from its absti- nence-only orientation. Think about this: what is a country that is forced to grant cash dole-outs to the poor and starve the universities and R and D of funds? This is a hopeless, poverty-ridden country with no hope of competing among the world’s best countries in this gen- eration and the next. We are that country. President Aquino, in this sad context, should do what he ought to do. Rein in the runaway popu- lation growth. Defy the bishops. Even our moral and biblical choices admonish—constantly and without fail—the leaders to always do the right and rel- evant choices.


If there is a political fallout from this, so be it. The most in- spiring story of time present and time past is a story of great suf- fering. It is even the greatest theme of our Christian faith. Last point. Where is Ping Lacson when we badly need him. He needs to come out and file that bill that seeks a two-child policy. With his bill and the RH measure, we have two complementary measures on population control.


mvrong@yahoo.com Remembering ‘Ondoy’ and preparing for the worst


HE word Ondoy will forever be etched in the Filipino psyche as representing death and de- struction in an unprecedented scale as nature unleashed its fury. Striking the Philippines a year ago last September 26, it was one of the most destructive weather- related disasters in recent history. It brought untold grief to 829,498 families in Metro Ma- nila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal and some areas in Regions VI, IX, XII and ARMM. Ondoy’s sheer force over- whelmed both government agencies and nongovernment or- ganizations. Even Citizens’ Dis- aster Response Center (CDRC) a non-profit organization advocat- ing community-based disaster management, was surprised by the unprecedented magnitude of Ondoy. “Our activities scheduled on that day had to be post- poned. Major roads were ren- dered impassable. Even in Times Street, the flood was knee-deep. Ondoy made all of us heroes in countless ways,” remembers its Deputy Execu- tive Director Carlos Padolina. Ondoy poured more than a


T RANDOM JOTTINGS


So it was good to note that the tragic day was remembered, not just with a depth of sadness, but also with the firm determination to ensure that the citizenry would be better prepared if a ty- phoon of such magnitude would, God Forbid, ever hit the Philippines again. The CDRC commemorated


Ondoy tragedy’s one-year mark last September 26 through a gathering dubbed as Ondoy: Isang Balik-Tanaw (Ondoy: A Flashback). The event, which took place in


month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours. According to Pagasa, the 455 milliliters of rain that fell on the eventful day was one and a half times the historical average of 364 mL for the month of Sep- tember from 1993 to 2008. In Metro Manila, over 100,000 people from over 900 barangays evacuated. In some areas, flood- waters rose to second and third floors of buildings, forcing resi- dents to seek refuge on the roof of their houses. There were chil- dren crying out for help on their roofs and waiting desperately to be rescued. Others were com- pletely swept away by the strong current along the flooded streets. Landslides also occurred in other regions. And some four weeks af- ter Ondoy hit Metro Manila, several communities


were still submerged in floodwaters.


Balay Kalinaw in UP Diliman, was attended by volunteers, do- nors and partners who have made significant contributions in helping the survivors rise above the calamity. Survivors also attended the event to share about their experiences. Marilyn Tinio, Ondoy tragedy


survivor from Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, recalls the tragedy with grief. “We thought it was just another rain, but heavier rains later started to fall. Water sud- denly rose within seconds and the floodwaters reached as high as the second floor of our house. My heart broke when I heard one of my children say ‘Ma, I’m so tired’ trying hard not to drown. The current was so strong. I my- self was having difficulty trying to keep myself afloat, but I have to be strong for my children. I have to save my children.” The event also highlighted the bayanihan spirit present in all Fili- pinos from all walks of life—stu- dents, teachers, housewives, fac- tory workers, artists, businessmen and government employees, among others. Ondoy was witness


to how the vulnerable and the less vulnerable sectors united for a common purpose. Hart Adorna, a pre-school teacher who volunteered during the height of Ondoy, would spend sleepless nights sorting and repacking goods for the victims. “I did whatever I could to be of help to others. Ondoy was a wake up call for me. I realized that any- thing can happen in just a blink of an eye. Nothing is permanent in this world and what we have now may be lost. Ondoy tragedy made me closer to God,” she said. Another volunteer, John


Voltaire Lim, was also there dur- ing the many relief delivery op- erations conducted by CDRC. A photographer, Lim captured the whole essence of bayanihan when he joined CDRC in one of its re- lief delivery operations in Balara, Quezon City last year. He also captured the innocence of chil- dren during one of CDRC’s psy- chosocial activities in Santa Inez, Tanay, Rizal. Ondoy: Isang Balik-Tanaw


event was also highlighted by the launch of “Helping people help themselves,” a short thematic video on volunteerism, and on empowering communities in fac- ing and coping up with disasters. It is written and directed by Karl Ramirez featuring his song “Alagaan ang Kalikasan.” With its geophysical and socio-economic condition, the Philippines is unquestionably vulnerable to disasters but deaths and devastation to thou- sands of families and P8.3-bil- lion worth of damage to infra- structure could have been re- duced if more emphasis had been placed on disaster prepar- edness and risk reduction. “An effective disaster manage-


ment work emanating from the government is still wanting. Needless to say, the country has consistently experienced an un- relenting showdown of extreme events. In fact even in a period tra- ditionally known as disaster-free


months, disasters have continued to strike,” said Lourdes Louella Escandor, CDRC’s executive di- rector.


While there is nothing that can be done to prevent typhoons and other hazards from happening, one can always prepare for them to minimize loss of life and property. CDRC is now focusing on two of its projects. One of which is the project entitled: Disaster Prepared- ness and Mitigation for Flood and Landslide prone Communities. It is managed by Singaporean humanitarian NGO Mercy Relief with the support of Singapore’s leading media company Media- Corp. and implemented by the Citizens’ Disaster Response Center together with its network of re- gional centers. It was launched in 24 landslide and flood-prone communities in seven municipali- ties and three cities in the prov- inces of Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Sarangani and Misamis Oriental. CDRC also continues to imple- ment the third phase of its disas- ter preparedness and mitigation project in typhoon-prone Philip- pine regions. Now, on its third year, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe pledged to continue to support the project for three more years. The project will serve small


farmers, fisherfolks and indig- enous people in 128 typhoon- prone communities in 26 provinces across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. “These two projects hope to build the capacity of selected communities through awareness- raising and the formation of Dis- aster Preparedness Committees (DPCs), and to develop and build community resources for long- term mitigation and risk reduc- tion,” says Escandor.


She adds: “It is hard not to ex-


pect any more Ondoys in the com- ing months, and only through proactive disaster management can we face disasters of that magnitude.”


rjottings@yahoo.com


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