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Promote Artificial Contraceptives

The leadership of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has once again invited themselves into the political drama of Philippine politics. With the influence and politicking of Philippine Catholic hierarchy (and some parish priests as well) I am more inclined to believe that they are as guilty as the politicians in what is known as the culture of corruption and the nepotism in our weak government bureaucracy. A religious group who claims moral authority in politics and civil service is no different to a secular or political organization. While our bishops are unconditionally motivated to help the poor but they offer no concrete and realistic solution to solving our poverty problem. There couldn’t be any solution to this social illness if we don’t go deep into the real cause of poverty. Population explosion in the Philippines requires no scientific research and spiritual transformation because it runs to the very nature of man as sexual being. The problem is real and within the comprehension of the least educated person in “heaven<D>”. Hence, there is no other way to overcome this problem except by liberal spirituality (I don’t want to use liberal theology in order not to confuse my readers with liberation theology promulgated by the Vatican). It is then my position that the use of artificial contraceptives should not only be encouraged but also promoted aggressively by the government. But Filipino politicians seem to have no political will to openly carry out this population control program because of the church’s opposition to the methods used (such as condoms, pills, vasectomy, etc). CBCP’s opposition simply means millions of votes against those political candidates who advocate artificial contraceptives.
The bishops and priests don’t realize the sexual and marital problems of couples under the rhythm method or (the Church calls it) natural method because they themselves are confused about transforming their celibate life into the level of spirituality. Most of our bishops and diocesan priests could not even control their desire for material possession so how can they talk about sacrifice in the couple’s sexual life. (The call for sacrifice on worldly goods is a much easier task than sexual mortification). Most of them don’t take the LRT or jeepney to go from one place to another because they have their own luxurious cars (with drivers and sometimes they are handsome and good-looking, I don’t know why. We never knew the beatings of their heart).
Our priests need not have to worry about food, laundry and house rental or amortization because everything is available by their footsteps. Yes, they sympathize with the poor but they never knew how to live in poverty. They talk about philosophy and theology and depend their thesis with biblical orthodoxy but they never offer realistic methods on how to control the population. They talk about sacrifice in sexual life but some (or most of them) don’t even have control and discipline of their own sexuality. They want the people to carry the “ the cross of Christ<D>” but the poor (over and above the call for sexual control) has to worry about food for the next meal and house rental for the next month. While the poor have to carry three crosses, priests will only have the burden of one. It is easier said than done.
The very root cause of the Philippines’ economic malady is not political instability but poverty. The people are poor because there are no jobs available for them. There are no jobs because there is an excess of manpower. There is more manpower than jobs because there is population explosion. And the latter results in the scarcity of food in every family. Control the population in order to lessen and eradicate poverty. And the most effective way to control birth is through artificial contraceptives. Let’s do it now rather than later.
Your Eminence and Reverends, show us how to be poor and chaste so we could follow your footsteps. Don’t tell us but lead us and walk and live side by side with us so we know that the Christ we worship is not ideal but real and alive.