hese
islands and its inhabitants seemed to have been doing fine up until the
Spaniards arrived in 1521 and imposed Christianity on the
subjugated natives. After which Filipinos became second-class citizens
in their own country.
Today, over a hundred
years since those Spaniards departed, Filipinos still have been unable
to rid themselves from the shackles Spain placed on them. The religion
imposed on Filipinos has outlasted even the Spanish empire itself.
Now Catholicism in
itself would be just fine if it were practiced the way people from other
countries (including present-day Spaniards) practice it. Filipinos
however practice a Catholicism that seems like a throwback to the Dark
Ages—full of mysticism and superstition—before the Age of Enlightenment
or the Renaissance took hold.
The imperious
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church in
the Philippines today wields tremendous power over Filipinos. From
cradle to grave, the Catholic Church practically controls every facet of
a Filipino's life. Despite the separation of church and state, the
Catholic Church decides which laws are passed and which ones are
rejected by the people.
Unfortunately leaders
of the Philippine Catholic hierarchy have an incredible amount of
authority but not the corresponding responsibility that should be taken
along with it. There are many examples of this, but for purposes of
brevity, let us just focus on one of the most, if not the most
egregious: birth control.
The Philippines now has
over a hundred million Filipinos cramped into an area roughly the size
of Arizona a state with just 6.7 million people. It is no wonder
that foreigners arriving in Manila for the first time are immediately
struck by what looks like wall-to-wall people everywhere they look;
thanks to the Catholic Church and their rabid stand against any form of
artificial birth control. The priests and bishops also selfishly benefit
from an exploding population: more baptisms, more confirmations, more
first communicants, more weddings, and of course, more funerals—not to
mention all the donations and weekly offerings Catholics fork out over a
lifetime. The "congregation" is a significant milking cow for the
Church. So naturally, the bigger the milking cow the, bigger their take.
Like we said earlier
(and as every student of management knows this), with authority there
should be a corresponding amount of responsibility. But that's not the
case with the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The Church accepts no
responsibility for the country's exploding population. It is an issue
they are simply unconcerned with even though they are largely to blame
for it. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the Philippine
government should address this issue.
One step forward,
two steps backward
The Philippines was
leading all other countries in the region during the 1950s. We had the
highest literacy rate among our neighbors; we had the first stock
exchange in Southeast Asia; the first air force in the region that flew
supersonic jet fighters; we were the first in so many things at one
time. Today we are down towards the bottom while most of our neighbors
have surged ahead.
And though crooks like Ferdinand Marcos may have had
much to do with our decline, our exploding population seems to be the
most significant factor in our downfall. The government and the private
sector just can't keep up. Business can't create jobs fast enough and
government can't build roads and infrastructure fast enough to meet the
growing demand. For
every step forward business or government takes, our exploding
population takes two or even three steps forward leaving them even
further behind.
It does not take a
degree in rocket science to realize there is a problem. For example, say
every person needs a gallon of water each day. In 1960 when the
population of the Philippines was just 26 million, the country needed 26
million gallons of water a day. Today the country needs over 100 million
gallons of water just to stay even with what Filipinos had in the 1960s.
That's 74 million gallons more each and every day! No wonder deep wells
are now banned in Metro Manila and surrounding areas. There isn't enough
water for everyone anymore. And that's just
water, what about rice, electricity, clothing, etc. When you really
think about it, you realize the gravity of the problem facing the
Philippines.
Unless the Catholic
Church is stopped from further meddling, the country will continue to
spiral downward. More and more Filipinos will have to make do with less
and less. Those with enough smarts will continue to leave. And this
country will eventually become a wasteland as those most able to
contribute towards its future would have forsaken it for the greener
pastures of other countries taking with them the skills and productivity
the Philippines desperately needs. 12/19/2015 |