Overpopulation in Manila.Channel 4 tonight (15-10-01)

[dontpushme]

Won't say any more, as I wouldn't want to upset the Catholic members.

I'm Catholic and I'm all for contraception. I know that's unpopular among Catholics, but I'd rather have people using contraception than have them killing babies or bringing them up in a world of suffering and poverty.

Is it not the same the world over Arthur. But even though these people were living in such poor conditions, did you hear any of them complaining? I wish the less fortunate spongers in our country acted with the same dignity.

That's something I'd blame your welfare system for. It's the same here in the US. Way too many people sit around on their lazy asses. In the Philippines, if you don't work, you don't eat. Simple as that. And the sense of community makes people happy. When my bf visited Manila last December, he looked so depressed looking out the car's window and seeing whole families living out of 3'x6' pushcarts. I told him to look again and try to identify the unhappy ones. He couldn't find a single one of those people who didn't look happy. Being a part of a larger community where everyone cares for everyone else helps. It's something I learned while working as a catechist in the slums in Manila.

He said that it was advantageous for the R.P to have a large population which is the reason why the Philippines has fared so well during this latest world depression. He was speaking of the huge mass of OFW`s that are keeping the countries economy afloat..The thing is a large proportion of the massa believe him.

Whether the masa (masses) believe him or not, they've always had the attitude of "every child is another pair of hands to help with the work," not "every child is another mouth to feed." Many of the domestic helpers we had while I was growing up came from big families and when I asked them why they had such large families, the answers were usually because they had more hands that way or because they were so poor that the parents didn't have anything fun to do other than have sex.

she was shocked when i told her the primary school i went to had 25 students intotal (primary 1 to primary 7) she has around 60 students in her class. cant see many teachers coping with that numbers of students to teach.

I went to a private school with shifts. There were always so many children there, but the reason there were shifts was that the owners were greedy and just wanted more money. It was a stupid system and I have no idea why my parents put me in that place. But I can't imagine a school with just 25 students in seven year levels. How in blue blazes do the kids have anyone to do homework with or to play school yard games with?

i dont think its right bringing kids into a place that you know you cant afford to keep them, yes thats my opinion and each to there own, good luck to them all and god bless them too

I'm sure a lot of the people in the RP with big families would rather have fewer kids, but even if they did accept contraceptives as a good alternative, how would you expect them to be able to afford condoms when they probably can't even buy food? And good luck to whomever tries to make them stop having sex. It's practically the last free bit of fun they have anyway.

Sad to say the obvious (to those in the west) solutions to this do not follow an easy path in Phils (and many other countries).

We don't have a lot of the free stuff the rest of the world has. Free healthcare? Pfft! Welfare checks? Forget about it! Those things are not gonna happen in the Philippines.

the easy answer for anyone to say here , is dont have any more kids , but as we know its not as easy as that,i am just so glad that my emma is here with me

Again, who's gonna pay for that? Did you know a lot of prostitutes in the Philippines wash and reuse condoms? Things that are free or cheap in the Western world are pretty expensive if you consider the amount that people earn in the Philippines and similar countries.

My wife was involved as a health worker in Rizal (15 miles from Manila). She and her colleagues were trying to educate people about health issues and family planning. They used to hand out free condoms in the hope it might help. The problem though is the Church. The priests threaten hell for those who use contraception, so what chance do poorly educated people have ?

The thing I find difficult to understand (I was brought up as a Catholic) is that to practice the rhythm method (better regarded as Russian Roulette) is allowed, but that is birth control, so how does that in reality differ from using a condom? It's not like abortion (which I am against) which takes the life of a child. Contraception, as the name implies, prevents conception.

Mystified.

The sad thing is, part of the reason these people are happy is their faith. If that gets someone through a life of hardships, would you really wanna take it away? Then again, that one topic (contraception) has to be discussed and people need to be enlightened. The Philippines looks more and more like a sinking ship with that birth rate.

People living alongside the dead in a cemetary, where literally a whole shanty town has been built on stilts above it, with nothing but garbage below, and the same in Smokey Mountain. I met a lady who'd had 12 children, only 4 had survived, and her baby had just died the day before. She seemed to take it in her stride with no emotion. I would love for everyone to see this, to realise how people live.

It's horrible how she could just shrug that off, and I still haven't been able to accept it (read your post a few times now). But after eight of her children have died, I can understand how she's numb to it.

I didn't think the shanties in the cemeteries were a big issue until I read this topic and daw it from the eyes of an outsider. Maybe Filipinos just need a push to see things the way they should be seen. We might be a little too used to hardships to see them as such anymore.

we was eating out in china town and we did not finish what we was eating, rather then leave it emma asked to take it out , the once out emma gave it to a very young child,this happened on many occasions, that made me realize just how kind some people are , me i would give a few pesos here and there , but emma says thats wrong better to give food and give it to the children too, just so sad sometimes what we see but to those it is a everyday thing

Giving to the poor is something we're all used to in the RP. When Burger King first opened on Katipunan Ave., they offered free drink refills. I think they stopped doing that because of all the people refilling their drinks and giving the full cups to the children selling sampaguita garlands outside.

Also, Emma's right. Give food, not money. When I lived in Makati, my walk from the office to the house took me past the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. That intersection had a triangle of shrubs where grown men hid while the children they were with begged or sold flowers (same intersection where vice girls/gays stood around looking for prospects). These men usually took the children's earnings. I never gave those children money and some of them refused the food because they wanted the money (I've had food thrown at me a few times in different parts of Manila). But when they did appreciate the food, you could see so much gratitude in their eyes.

manila over population has got worse in the slums of manila, since mayor lim has cleaned up roxas blvd and other places in manila from the street vendors, to bring in more tourists from other countries, were are all those poor people ment to go and more importantly how are they going to make a living to support ther familys. the rp goverment dont care about the poor in rp, and they never will,the goverment is corupt and always will be, as they are greedy and are living in ther mansions.

Agreed. I'm wondering how long the slum in front of my high school will last. :( I hope they leave it alone. Those people were really nice to me when I went there to buy sodas (which had been banned from the cafeteria) or wood for my woodworking class.

Honestly, I like slums. This is not because the people are poor or the place is dirty, but because some of the wisest and kindest people I know live/lived in slums. I grew up in Bel-Air (Makati), a gated community where our neighbors included diplomats and politicians, but I've always had an affinity to the people in the slums.