MORE DOES NOT EQUAL MERRIER

OFWs should be regarded as heroes,
not just tools for our benefit.

Too much of anything is not good.

Recently, I read an article online wherein Daet Bishop Gilbert Garcera mentioned that overpopulation for the Philippines can be good for the country, mainly for three reasons: (a) it increase the number of potential OFWs that can send remittances back to boost the economy, (b) it improves the health care services of other countries, mainly by taking care of their elderly, and (c) it helps spread the Christian faith. He added that Filipino women would make good wives for foreigners and caregivers for the aging populace in countries with low population growth rates. Bishop Garcera further stated that “the overpopulation that breeds poverty was not a problem because poverty itself was not a problem”, even claiming that the tough situation in the country brought people closer to God. He mentioned that the poor person was not a problem simply because he is more likely to help compared to the rich. According to him, poverty and overpopulation are not the problems, but corruption and unequal distribution of wealth are. These comments were made a few days after the controversial RH bill has been made into law, to which the bishop said parts of the new law were not bad.

This kind of attitude may not be bad at all from his eyes, but from a different perspective, this could actually lead to something worse.

I completely understand the point of Bishop Garcera. As a leader of the Catholic Church, it is his moral obligation not only to try to spread the good Word, but also guide Christians in his area to live the good spiritual life. And at first glance, he has a valid point. Economically speaking, the Philippines has been known globally to have manpower as one of its strongest assets. The inability of the government to create enough jobs for its constituents due to the unique oligarchic culture in the country may deprive us of skilled workers for our direct benefit, but the huge sums of money they send back to the country can still benefit us, as long as the money is spent wisely and for the betterment of the Philippines. And despite the slightly declining demand currently for foreigners, the reputation of Filipinos as good caregivers will always serve as an advantage not only for the Philippine economy, but for their respective families and the foreign elderly as well. No matter how much our economy is supposed to be growing at the moment, a boost is always needed for the well-being of the Filipinos.

However, this is where the good ends and the bad begins.

It is troubling that the bishop can say that Filipinas would make good wives for foreigners living in countries with an aging population. It sounds like the bishop is willing to, in a sense “sell” these women to other countries, in effect subjecting them to commodification not only for increased funding for the government and the businesses, but also for helping spread the Christian faith. While I am a Catholic myself and this can very well be the opposite of the true intention of the bishop, that statement alone can come across a lot of people in the wrong way. The statement also contradicts the true nature of the Church, which is to guide the people to treat other people as human beings, not merely tools for your own gain.  

This leads me to the next point of contention: most of the statements made by the bishop are focused solely on materialistic and economic benefit of the country. Is the increase in remittances, health care for foreigners, and number of Catholics/Christians the only reason to view overpopulation in a positive light? Why can’t the Church encourage Filipinos to stay in the Philippines instead of going overseas if they really are serious about helping in developing the country? After all, wouldn’t it be better if Filipinos serve their fellow countrymen first instead of helping the already developed nations become even more developed? Are the Filipino women only worthy of being caregivers for this bishop to make such a comment? Is the Philippines such a doomed place that some people are looking forward to Filipinos finding happiness for their families overseas instead of gracing the Pearl of the Orient with their talents and skills?

Perhaps the most ridiculous of all his comments is about how poverty itself is not a problem. With all due respect, REALLY? Poverty has ALWAYS been a problem not only among Filipinos; it has troubled everybody since the rise of human civilization. Poverty IS the main reason why people around the world suffer. When we are poor, we are deprived or at least lack something. And when we lack something, we would lack the ability to do something that requires something we lack. Whatever the reasons for poverty are, whether it is caused by corruption or an unequal distribution of wealth, it still does not dispute the fact that poverty is one of the main problems that all authorities should concern themselves with, especially the Church.

The bishop can claim all he wants about how poverty is a by-product of overpopulation, but if that is the case, then why would he be willing to let some of the people in the context of an overpopulated country be subjected to poverty just so more money can be remitted to the Philippines, even though there is no guarantee that such funds will actually be used to alleviate these particular people from their potential condition? Shouldn’t the effort be more focused on fighting corruption, which the current administration has slightly and successfully executed? Treating these people as some sort of a sacrifice is, once again contradictory to the very nature of what a bishop, and if applicable the Church as a whole, should be doing.       

With regards to his remarks about the poor being more willing to help than the rich, despite all the moral goodness such person will attain, practically speaking, what good will pure intentions do for the betterment of society if these will not be translated to actual results? Because the rich still holds a vast majority of the resources and means to make the actual difference to society, they will play the crucial role in the country, whether it is overpopulated or not. In this sense, I will agree that the poor person is not the problem; the rich person could be.

Contrary to what many will argue, the Philippines, and by extension the world, is overpopulated (or at least is going towards it). Overpopulation refers to the generally undesirable condition where the population of an organism exceeds the carrying capacity of its habitat. With the depletion of non-renewable resources such as oil to which a lot of our daily activities depend on, the ever-growing threat of climate change that keeps on making our lives that much more complicated and dangerous, the slowly-becoming-a-concern decrease in soil nutrient content that will pose a problem on agriculture sooner than later, and the growing need for water and appropriate land for more people added everyday to mankind, this state will be reached, if not already reached. If anyone thinks that the benefits of overpopulation will outweigh the negative consequences, they are dead wrong.

There is a reason why balloons can only take as much air as they can. If it takes too much, it will burst and it will never be the same. The same can happen with mankind. Overpopulation is not an overstatement.

If you would like to read the article, the following is the link:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/331529/overpopulation-good-for-filipinos-says-bishop