Lagawe municipal government introduced an ordinance wherein couples applying for a marriage certificate must first plant a tree in order to protect the environment. Officially known as Lagawe Municipal Ordinance 29, but more popularly called the “Plant a Tree and Bear with Me” ordinance.
Aside from planting trees, the couples must also take time out to care for it. With already 916 approved marriage licenses, that effectively makes it 4000 trees planted. I don’t know how that number came to be, but by doing the math, it looks as if each couple had to plant 4 trees.
Its a useful gesture, but if they government really wants to help the environment and the economy, they should really enact a stronger population control plan.
That goes for the whole world too. Developed countries should really be concerned with the uncontrolled population growth of its neighbors and should really lend out a hand. Not in the form of “developmental loans” that are prone to corruption and just burdens the country further with interest rates. Debt forgiveness could be one way to do this in exchange for effective and measurable population control program.
Applying for marriage in the Philippines is an exercise in contradiction. Before the Catholic Church will marry you, you have to take a seminar which prepares you spiritually then tells you not to practice contraception. Afterwards you apply for your marriage license with the city government and before you can get that you will need to take a seminar on the proper use of contraception.
Higher Population means, more mouths too feed, more consumers, higher energy requirements. We can do all the alternative energy projects we want, but if there are still too many mouths to feed it will still overheat the planet’s limited resources.
The Philippine Population stands at 92 Million right now, I can remember about ten years ago when the country celebrated the birth of the 50 millionth baby. How long before we celebrate the arrival of the 100 millionth child?, not long with the current trend. I cannot play dumb either to the fact that local insurgency has started to stir again in the Philippines and I have but poverty to blame for this as well as the high price of oil and food.
And I’m just looking at the local picture. How long before countries start looking at neighboring countries lustfully? (since 2003 accdg to this) If you look at the news recently there are a lot of riots over food and the high price of oil. And it takes just a handful of mad men politician feeding off the cries of the populace to send the world into world war chaos all over again.
The world as I see it is in a state of balance. Producers produce, consumers consume. Too much consumers over producers and the whole thing tips over. When you look at the history of wars in the planet, most of it is due to the want of more things because there was a lack of it. Nothing like a restless population.
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Category: Population Control
July 6th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Honestly, the only way I see this being tackled in the Philippines is at the local level. National government is too slow and scared.
Maybe cities (or even barangays!) can start assessing their resources and what the ideal population levels are.
This is the only way to make the issue “real” to people. Maybe then the growing population of a neighboring city/municipality/barangay level will be of concern to every government.
I see the Philippines as a microcosm of the world. Everyday, countless people make their way from the suburbs or smaller cities into Makati/Manila for work, just like Filipinos need to jump ship to places where making a living is more lucrative. Because it works, and because people are still spending most of their money back home, local governments neglect creating the enabling environment for local business and employment.
Population growth makes this a time bomb sort of situation. While the outlayers’ population grows, Makati and Manila also have increasing numbers. There will come a time (or it is probably here already) when outlayers displace residents of their jobs.
In the global context, this is the source of much hostility towards immigrants. On the local level, until cities/municipalities/barangays begin collecting relevant data, quality of life among residents will continue to plummet– and cities will continue not to care and ask questions about populations of surrounding areas.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Great insights B. Thank You also for dropping by the site.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
That on the killer impacts of population bomb are true.
Population explosion is at the back of each and every problem that the world is facing.. be it deforestation, Fossil fuel Consumption, global Warming, Ocean rising, Poverty and Humger, Social & National character degradation, Economic Bancruptcy, Debt traps, diseases etc etc..the list is unending.
We are dissatisfied, unhappy, have failed relationships, over reaching outlooks in life, cut throatism..makes us go down the drain all the more.
When is it all going to lead us and when is it going to end and at what Stake…no one knows.