Pimentel also cautioned President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo against pursuing a "fragmented and vague" population policy which does not help in providing the right national family planning guidance.
In a related development, Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. is backing a measure giving tax incentives to spouses with only two children since this would "raise the consciousness of our citizens on the urgent need for family planning and allow them to consider its benefits."
Magsaysay said couples should be afforded the freedom of choice as regards family planning methods suitable to them, whether natural or artificial.
"This campaign will fare well with the support of the churches and peoples’ organizations in promoting responsible parenthood."
Pimentel, for his part, said a national population policy should be defined by the Filipino families themselves and not by foreign agencies.
He then called for a meeting between representatives of families and government agencies, as soon as possible, to define the population policy based on the mandates of the 1977 Constitution.
The Catholic Church, which had steadfastly stood against any family control method, should be represented in that meeting, Pimentel added.
Arroyo had reaffirmed her policy of responsible parenthood while respecting the prerogatives of local government executives to endorse either family planning methods.
Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson, however, said the government usually skirts around the issue of population control because it does not want to antagonize the Church.
El Shaddai on policy
El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde yesterday strongly opposed the proposed two- child policy aired by some senators.
In a statement, Velarde said the proposal is a policy of desperation which is tantamount to admitting that the country’s leaders could no longer solve the economic problems of the country and instead would rather resort to eliminating its population.
Such a policy, he said, would do no good, citing other countries where the decline in population only threatened their very survival because its aging citizens can no longer be supported by the younger workforce.
"The root of our problems is not population but corruption and mismanagement of our resources, be it natural and financial."
Velarde added that whenever the country’s leaders run out of solutions or simply lack the knowledge and ability to provide for the needs of the people, they point to population or the people as the problems.
But the irony of it all, he said, is that while there are efforts by the government to conserve its dwindling wildlife, it espouses the reduction of their own kind.
"Curtailing population growth should not be a concern of the government. Its main concern should be to provide opportunities to its people." (Leslie Anne Aquino)
Birth control not a priority
Despite fears that the predominantly Roman Catholic country is sitting on the edge of a population volcano, birth control is not about to make it into the list of primary concerns of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The President yesterday said she would rather focus on the implementation of her economic reforms package, but encouraged "lively discussions" on the other issue.
"My priority now is not to deal with overpopulation to overcome the challenges we face in social justice and economic development, but to go directly to the social and macroeconomic issues that strike at the root of these challenges," she said in a statement.
"I am open to debates on the population issue but I appeal for an agenda of priorities that will deal with foremost issues first, as contained in my SONA."
Arroyo, a devout Catholic, stood firm in the policy advocating "responsible parenthood, enlightened by birth spacing and free choice."
"We have a moral stake in this but we respect the wisdom of Congress and the views of our local leaders."
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon has pushed for family planning while Sen. Panfilo Lacson advocated a two-children policy to effectively check the alarming population boom in the country.
Unless population growth was addressed now, the two legislators warned that it would have a major impact on the social and economic development of the entire nation that could see its population reach 100 million by 2011.
But the Catholic Church advocates natural family planning methods and considers the growing population as healthy.
