It’s only natural that people wonder why the Philippines is “over-populated”. Undeniably, families with children more than two are common because we, Filipinos, have accepted this culture for centuries. Most of us value the enormity and closeness of our clans that sometimes, its practicality is overviewed. According to the National Statistics Office, our nation’s population is estimated to have reached 84 million and is growing at a rate of 4 babies per minute . However, this overwhelming figure is not solely due to our aspiration for a lot of relatives. Our problem is rooted deeper into our dynamic culture; into each individual and into every mind.
For a lot of people, the blame for the uncontrolled population in our nation is strictly pointed at the government officials. Since most of them are incompetent, then everything that they govern is flawed – a slippery slope. Of course, they are fundamentally responsible for the welfare of our people, which includes population, but it doesn’t mean that it is purely their fault. Yet, this is not a statement of acquitting them of their corruption, I am just pointing out that there are other people to blame apart from them.
Now, let us look at the media because it is another target for the blame. Scattered everywhere – on billboards, on brochures, on products, and on digital advertisements – are authorized and illicit portrayal of sexual acts and idols. The proliferation of this allowed for sex to be ingrained as socially accepted. It should be accepted; but in this generation, it is “too accepted” that its boundaries seem to be diminishing. For instance, half-naked models that are magnified on road-ads not only promote sex; they also set the ideal appearance that numerous individuals, especially the youth, see as sexually appealing.
Consequently, our acceptance of these promotions also places us on the “table of blame” because we have failed to help our nation in controlling our population. Without our consent, the population need not grow so fast. We have to fix our own mentalities. We need to realize the principles and measures that we are willing to implement in order to improve our national status. Also, should being a predominantly Catholic country have an impact on our overall opinions and actions?
These problems are not very different to the rest of the world; particularly to other third-world countries like ours that are economically, educationally and socially struggling. Our nation lacks the money to fund for helpless families that are only multiplying in numbers. It is also impossible to overlook that the poorest among us are the ones who contribute to our drastic population increase. This is mainly due to their illiteracy and inability to understand or control the effects of their behaviors. Moreover, we live in a “competitive environment” as everyone tries to uplift their social status; sometimes by making more children that can help alleviate the families financially.
Furthermore, it is unfortunate that we are divided among ourselves because we tend to blame other people apart from ourselves. We should stop this. Let us not be ignorant any longer of our own mistakes because the sooner that we take responsibility for our actions, the sooner that we can initiate “proper” remedies. Take note: A population is a collection of individuals. For us to control our population, we need to have an undivided cooperation from each individual.