The Dutertes defy Catholic bishops

AMADO P. MACASAET

‘There is no law that stops local politicians like Duterte and his daughter from implementing a population program.’

FOR the first time in my life, I have heard of father-and-daughter politicians who dare defy the Catholic bishops on the critical question of slowing down the birth rate in the Philippines.

Rodrigo Duterte who has served out three terms as Davao City mayor term and was succeeded by his own daughter (he is now the vice mayor) valiantly declared that the City of Davao has enough funds to buy contraceptives to be given to those who are willing to use them but not informing them about the advantages (or disadvantages, unrelated to scarcity of food, rising criminality, ignorance, and the pressure exerted on scare resources by a bloated population).

Duterte and his daughter know whereof they speak. Davao is a prosperous city but is home to the homeless, starving poor many of whom are forced to criminality, including drug pushing and petty and grand theft.

Father and daughter correctly believe that while the province of Davao, not only Davao City, is rich in resources – rich soil, good climate and industrious people who make the city prosper – the rising number of people will blunt the efforts at making the city more prosperous.

A place such as Davao and many others in the Philippines threatened by a bloated population can never have enough resources and investments to provide jobs, food and education to its poor people.

The only solution, as Duterte and his daughter acknowledge as a fact of life is to educate child-bearing women on the necessity of slowing down the "manufacture" of babies which, at the present time, is more than two million a year.

Knowing that a national program for family planning such as the Reproductive Health bill, may not be enforced as the politicians are so scared of the threats of the Catholic Church, Duterte and his daughter are doing it on their own.

There is no law that bans the use of contraceptives. There is no law that stops local politicians like Duterte and his daughter from implementing a population program to ensure a better future for their people in Davao.

The Catholic Church opposes family planning and describes the use of contraceptives as an act of abortion. The Catholic bishops deny the poor Filipinos the right to choose the size of the family they want to raise.

The Catholic Church talks of dogma about the use of contraceptives but has not said a word about the fact that Italy where the Vatican is located legally allows abortion. If the place where the Holy See sits finds no wrong in abortion why should a small country with a population of over 90 million people be herded by the Catholics bishops into believing that the use of contraceptives is a sin against God?

The Catholic bishops believe – and they say their words are drawn straight from the Holy Bible – that the rhythm method is the only way they will allow to avoid pregnancy when the woman is not fertile and therefore cannot conceive a child.

This does not sit with logic. The Catholic bishops maintain that any and all forms of contraception cannot be allowed because it is abortion.

Any method that prevents contraception is unacceptable. Following this logic, the rhythm method is also abortion because it prevents pregnancy.

It would take the likes of former Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter to risk the ire of the Catholiic bishops in the pursuit of seeing a country with healthy educated people living in their own homes and not under the bridges of urban centers.

This country is not too far from India where beggars – many are pretty women in their early or late teens – roam the streets pan in hand begging for money to buy food.

The Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines has not said one word about the lot of the people in squatter colonies in Baseco, Payatas and many other places.

The Church has its own charity program called Caritas Manila. But it will never have enough money to give food to the poor. The money the Catholic Church uses for charity may be smaller than what it regularly sends to Rome or the Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church.

It cannot build enough orphanages to house the unwanted waifs abandoned by their parents.

Not properly guided to correct values in life, these waifs are potential criminals – drug pushers, prostitutes, pickpockets, and the like. Such would not be the case if there were fewer people than what the state and the economy can take care of.

Rodrigo Duterte and his mayor-daughter must have known these facts staring all of us in the face. That, I guess, is the principal reason they decided to appropriate funds for contraceptives such as condoms.

Bishop Odchimar practically said that Duterte and his daughter are practically sending their souls to hell by defying the Catholic Church in the matter of family planning.

The bishop warned the Dutertes that the Catholic Church will mobilize all the resources at its command – and there are plenty of such resources like idle lands of the friars – to make sure that population program of the Dutertes does not succeed.

Let them try and see who will win in the end.

The sad fact is even without an enabling law, the state can mount an information campaign about maternal health. It does not do so because state and its politicians are so scared of the threats of boycott by the Catholic Church.

Two politicians who happen to be father and daughter summoned the courage to implement a family program. I do not personally know either of them but I guess they are of the belief that in reality the Catholic Church and its bishops and priests do not really have that much influence over the voters.

Precisely because of gripping poverty largely caused by a rising number of people, the voters pick their candidates based on the immediate, small benefits they get can during the campaign period and the promise of the politicians of a better life if they get elected.

There is a Catholic vote in this country only because the population is predominantly Catholic. But the voters do not pick their candidates based on what the Catholic leaders tell them. The reason is simple. Duterte and his mayor daughter know it.

If the population had not been this big, more than 90 million in a 300-square kilometer area, a large part of which is mountains, the number of the poor will be fewer.

The point is the Catholic Church is slowly losing its grip on its brethren. Why does Mike Velarde’s El Shaddai have followers in many millions when the man himself may not exactly be considered as a man of God.

Duterte and daughter know all these facts that very few people appreciate. The Dutertes know the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church.

He and his daughter would rather fight for the lot of the poor than pay obeisance to the Catholic bishops.

My personal hope – and I will do my share – is other local officials will have the courage that Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter summoned for the sake of the people.

Helping the people by stopping the multiplication of the poor is itself godliness. For wasn’t it Jesus Christ who said it in this wise "if you have done it for the least of thee, you have done it for me." That is what Duterte and his daughter are doing.