Pimentel, Atienza doubt 2-child policy will work in RP

Passing legislation limiting to two the number of children a couple may have will not work, opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Manila Mayor Lito Atienza said yesterday in separate fora.

Pimentel said the two-child policy proposed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman will not work in the Philippines, while Atienza called Lagman’s proposal a "band-aid solution" to the problem posed by the country’s explosive birth rate.

"I do not believe that a two-child policy could be made compulsory in a democratic and highly Christianized country like the Philippines. It could work in China, not in the Philippines," Pimentel said after the Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel forum in Quezon City.

Atienza, meanwhile, said the Lagman proposal is "tantamount to population control, which is not really the solution. No matter what we do to control population, many Filipinos would remain poor and the country will still be underdeveloped if the government doesn’t provide opportunities for economic productivity."

He said the proposed two-child policy could even cause irreparable and lasting damage to the country and would only distract the government from the priorities set by President Arroyo, such as the drive to provide more effective governance and measures to boost the economy.

Pimentel said that instead of proposing such controversial birth-control measures, a population forum should be convened to involve concerned families, government agencies and the Catholic Church.

It will be recalled that the Church has aggressively opposed the government’s artificial population control measures.

"While I believe that population management could be done positively to enhance economic development, I believe that what we should do is to really convene a forum where concerned families and government officials, as well as the Church must act together to define the population policy of this country in accordance with Article 2, Section 12 of the Constitution," he said.

Pimentel blamed the absence of a sound population policy for the Philippines as the reason why there is now a flurry of controversial proposals to arrest population growth.

"We have defaulted in defining our own population policy. We have allowed foreigners to dictate the population policy of this country," he said. "This is the reason why there is a flurry of proposals relative to population because I think the foreign funders are wondering (where) the money for population programs have gone."

Concurring with Pimentel, Atienza said the real solution to poverty is for the government to pursue effective governance and create more economic opportunities for the people.

He also warned that the net effect of the proposed two-child policy will be to erode positive values, such as respect for the sanctity of life.

Such a measure, he added, will also send the wrong signal to the youth and encourage young people to have a casual attitude towards sex and he warned that the proposed policy may pave the way for the legalization of abortion in the Philippines.

"We are not really teaching young people responsibility and discipline if the message we are sending is that it is all right to have sex for as long as they use contraceptives," Atienza said.

He added that the Philippines should learn from the experience of countries like Germany and Singapore, which had instituted population control policies.

The population policy provided for a reduction in the populations of Germany and Singapore, but caused a bigger problem later on — that of a growing population of elderly citizens outstripping the number of young people. Both countries have since had to offer incentives for couples to have more children.

Atienza also recommended that the government should promote responsible parenthood by teaching couples that every child they bring into the world is a gift and a responsibility. "They should only bear children they can support," he added.