A tale of two populous cities

GOTCHA, Published in The Philippine Star, Monday, December 10, 2007

So embarrassing was the Europe junket of 34 congressmen and three senators that their leaders had to disown them. In identifying his frolicking colleagues, Speaker Joe de Venecia said he didn’t sign their travel; meaning, they flew off on Malacañang, not House, expense. Senate President Manny Villar was peeved that his associates departed when they were to deliberate on the 2008 national budget. Told that most of the footloose deputies were from his party, Kampi head and Interior Sec. Ronnie Puno claimed no part in the trip.

Told about the furor over their needless touring with Gloria Arroyo in Spain, France and Britain, the 37 felt need to somehow justify. Lofty aims belatedly were concocted for the trip, and six or seven of them stammered that they had “used my own funds.”

The pretense was they were there heroically toiling for poor Filipinos — on their own accounts. But half-truths are whole lies. They were partying at public expense — with spouses, offspring and special companions at that, which was why their entourage totaled 184. Using “own funds” only meant juggling for the three-country fling what had already been given them for other public purposes.

Most of the junketeers were the same politicos who got P500,000 each from Malacañang in Oct. Now the Palace is wasting P200,000 each for plane tickets, P300,000 for hotel and food, and P135,000 for shopping. That’s P635,000 per head — or P116,840,000 in one blow for 184 freeloaders.

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Local officials ape the example of the top. Because Malacañang gave out P500,000 each to 190 congressmen and several dozen governors, local politicos too are doling cash to their wards. As in Malacañang, no receipts are issued. But the money is slyly taken from public coffers.

Last week Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Autonomous Region Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan took a step further and handed out cash to total strangers. The father was seeing off the son at the Manila airport when their aides told security personnel to line up for Christmas gifts. About 300 quickly did, and the Ampatuans gaily distributed to each P1,000 that reportedly came from a government agency in charge of the son’s huge entourage to Saudi Arabia.

Let’s hope it wasn’t a ploy to divert the attention of immigration agents looking out for human smugglers.

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Time was when Quezon City’s population was running wild. From 1996 to 2000 it had 35 live births for every 1,000 population. By consequence there were many deaths of women getting pregnant too often, too young or too sick. Maternal morality in the same period was 13 per 100,000 folk.

Coming into office mid-2001, Mayor Sonny Belmonte immediately put funds into family planning. Teaching of reproductive health and use of safe contraceptives gestated for two years. By 2003 live births dropped to 20 per 1,000, and onto only three by 2006. Dramatically maternal deaths also declined: only six per 100,000 in 2003, onto a better three in 2006. Belmonte saved many productive lives for an investment of P10 million per year.

Dr. Jonathan Flavier compared the 1996-2006 figures of Quezon City with Manila, where Lito Atienza was mayor for nine years. Before Atienza began his term in 1998, there were 25 live births per 1,000 population. Maternal deaths were seven per 100,000 people.

Atienza by religious zeal put a stop to children-spacing seminars and artificial birth control. From 1998 to 2006, live births held steady at 20 per 1,000. Mothers felt the toll. Deprived of means to avoid pregnancy, more of them died at a rate of 11 per 100,000.

Flavier’s tale of the two populous cities “gives us basis to decide what policy is better for women, couples and their children.” Child spacing cuts the deaths of women from sickness due to frequent, early or late — because unplanned — pregnancies. Fewer husbands become despondent and fewer children become wayward from being orphaned.

Councilor Joseph Juico uses the study, among others, as basis for his planned Quezon City policy for population checks and reproductive health. Saving women’s lives makes them and their spouses more productive, and their children better supervised. People know it, in spite of what bishops say against family planning in this country with 85 percent Catholics. Nine of every ten adults think family planning important, and the same number want government to provide the means for it. Celibate bishops tell couples to master abstinence, or else have sex only during the wife’s infertile period, which requires the same self-discipline as abstinence. But couples know their bodies better.

Only Catholic bishops, by the way, oppose Juico’s bill. He says he has won the support of the Iglesia ni Cristo, and heads of mainstream and Born-Again Protestant churches.