The Roman Catholic Church is not responsible for the vices seen in the Philippines. On the contrary, it may have some contributorial role in implicating demographic as well as cultural mandates in society, that is impeccably undebatable.
The Catholic Church in the Philippines, under the auspices of the Royal Spanish Crown, and the hand of the episcopacy in the Archbishipric of Madrid during the 16th century was responsible for
civilizing the Philippines, in the western definition of civility. The Church was responsible for the christianizing and baptizing of the the pagan natives, they were responsible in the creation of the barangay, the barrio, the cabecera, the poblacion, the municipalidad, the provincia, the estatuatoria, the ecomiendas. Urbanism and human social contract in such a heightened stage can be traced to the Spanish government and by the hand of the Church.
It was the Church who aided in the development of cities, and large communities so that:
1. The Visaya region and parts of Mindanao would develop a sustainable economy
2. Develop a sense of communal defense against debilitating Moro raids, which would raid and plunder hundreds of villages, and enslaving thousands (a practice that was practiced before Spanish arrival)
3. Social evolution; mass communication etc.
One needs to understand that the Church was responsible for the development of the Philippines in the local level, even to the provincial and national level. Church teachings were spread through conversions and through masses by Filipino clergymen (the majority of priests and monks in the Philippines were Filipino converts, there were only a handful of Spaniard priests due to shear distance of Las Filipinas from the Spanish Empire). Catholic teachings in the Philippines is localized form of Roman Catholicism, a "Philippinized" version, you could say. And thus Christian teachings are pronounced and proliferated to this day, since the founding of the colony in the mid 16th century to the present.
One cannot blame the Church for the overpopulation of the country, on the contrary they cooperated with the Spanish regime in developing the country from sporadic island villages to developing them into a unified, politically operational, religiously unified country. Organized into 12 major regional provinces and then subdivided into gobernadorcillistas ruled and governed by a gobernadorcillo. The Church, with parity with the Crown saw to stabilized growth of the islands: when the Philippines was under the Spanish regime , the population skyrocketed from 500,000 in the 16th century to about 8,000,000 in the 19th century. However the increase of population was due to the development of large encomienda estates, port trade, the adoption of traditional farming, the development of provinces, town governments and lower tiered organized units. Under the regime, the colony had inter-regional and inter-imperial trade with the colonies in South and Central America as well as with Spain itself. This burst of economic trade led to the population growth, as a response to the demographic and infrastructural developments implemented by the Spaniards. In actuality, what they did, racial practices aside, was positive for the good for the Philippines. It 'made' the Philippines. We cannot deny that, it provided the basis for unity. So successful was it that it led to a Filipino consciousness and revolutionary yearning.
The problems with overpopulation is due to the unchecked health planning, pre-marital sex, unprotected sex, etc. The Church functions as a moral code, a cultural code, and most of all, a beacon that preaches the Christian Truth. The original Truth. The church, in its purest sense, transcends the political, the economic, and the earthly. It is the link between Heaven to Mankind. Heaven to the Philippines, in this sense.
Overpopulation can be blamed on lack of planning, on the individual's part. Government's inability or lack of ability in providing enough jobs and economic incentives. One needs to understand the basis of economics; overpopulation is an effect of development, and being a third world. As a country moves forward and becomes developed, population will eventually decrease.
Take for example:
1. The United States during the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century; the population boomed, families were having an average 5-7 children, the country, overall was poor. After the industrial revolution as the country stabilized, family sizes also reduced, averaging to about 3-4 children, and now to the present, the average has reduced again to about 2-3 children.
2. Japan. During the Meiji Restorational period in Japan after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the country implemented a 'growth' program, family sizes were also heightened as a result. As Japan was a low tiered society and as it modernized, the family sizes were extremely high, as it modernized the family sizes decreased. And now to the present, the average children per family is rather low, ranging from 1-2.
3. Western Europe in general. Population and family growth fluctuated in according to development levels.
So therefore we should not be so pessimistic when concerning the Philippine population. It is a natural evolutionary fact. As our country moves toward a higher tiered society, population will eventually decrease. Within about 5-6 decades, the country should level out.
Cheers,
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=11149.0
Topic: Is The Church Responsible for the Over Population in the Philippines? (Read 6464 times)