Reproductive Health Bills

(House Bill No. 4244 and Senate Bill No. 2865)The Adolescent and Anti- Family Issues

Population Growth: An Issue?

Criticism: Population is not the cause of poverty.

Fact #1: Global population explosion is a myth.

Many countries are experiencing negative population growth (there are more old people than babies born). E.g. Hong Kong, Taiwan,

Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Singapore.

These countries encourage their citizens to have more children by giving them additional benefits or

incentives. This is to avoid an inverted population pyramid. As of

now they have a “bulging” population pyramid

Sample countries with bulging population pyramid

The Problem with a Bulging Population Pyramid

A bulging population pyramid means that there are more workers who pay taxes and less dependents. It is only a matter of time before it turns into an inverted population

pyramid. By then, the current workers/taxpayers would become dependents (old population) and

there will be less number of taxpayers to support them.

By that time, the workers/taxpayers will be

doubly burdened by supporting a big number of senior citizens

while at the same time supporting the younger

dependents. This will be more difficult with the increasing rate

of life expectancy.

Fact #2: The Philippine

population is increasing but not exploding.

• The National Statistical Coordination Board in its website, quotes the Philippine Population Growth Rate (PPGR) for the year 2010 to be at the slowing rate of only 1.82 percent per annum (vs.

the 2.36 percent during the census year 2000).

•To maintain a stable population, TFR (the average number of children per woman)

must be 2.10.•The Phil. total fertility rate (TFR) in 2010 is 2.96, a significant decline

from 3.31 in 2000. (source: NCSB)

• Even without the government’s population control program, the TFR is expected to decline due to factors

like: more young adults chose to marry later and have lesser number

of children, migration, etc.

The point is, though our population is increasing, it is not exploding. Our cities are crowded because 50% of

our population live in the cities.

Fact #3: There is no evidence that population growth impedes

economic growth.

• Studies show that poverty is not due to over-population but because

of inequality and corruption.• Countries with population density

higher than the Philippines’ like Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan have

proven that population is not a hindrance to economic growth.

Nobel prize winner Simon Kuznets's study concludes that “no clear association appears to exist between rates of growth of population and of product

per capita.“

• Roberto De Vera, a renowned

economist, states that from 1961–2000, as Philippine population increased almost three times,

poverty decreased from 59% to 34%. He stressed that the more

probable cause of poor families is not family size but the limited

schooling of the household head.

Fact #4: By emphasizing the population issue, the RH bill

ignores the root cause of poverty which is corruption,

and, rather, diverts the blame to the poor who are, in fact,

merely the victims.

Reproductive Health Bills

(House Bill No. 4244 and Senate Bill No. 2865)

SW # 2Population Growth in the Philippines: The

Primary Cause of Poverty

Agree or Disagree? Why/ why not?