Inane, insane arguments for overpopulation

ON THE Second Front Page of the Dec. 29, 2012 issue of the INQUIRER, an item was written about Bishop Gilbert Garcera of Daet, Camarines Norte, who pontificated about the evils of the reproductive health bill (now a law). He raised some talking points:

One, controlling population growth, which is the principal purpose of the law, is no good. Overpopulation is really the best thing that has happened to our country. It has given us the upper hand in the global competition. The more people we spawn, the bigger our opportunities for overseas deployment. And the more overseas Filipino workers we can export, the more foreign exchange it generates for our government!

Two, overpopulation also produces more sponge-bathers and ass-wipers among us to be positioned around the globe. That is “part of God’s plan for Filipinos to be caregivers to nations whose population had become stagnant,” like Germany and the United States which are groaning under the weight of their old and inutile citizens! The bishop went on to say that Filipinos have “a duty to take care of them”—this is their “mission” (and perhaps, one day to rule the world and spread the faith by the “rear route”?).

We don’t know whether we should laugh or cry. India with a bursting population of about 1.3 billion should by now be a model of some sort, but as far as we know, it can boast of not much else but an army of motorcycle-riding “5-6ers” around the world! But seriously, if that is how the princes or satraps of the Catholic Church actually argue their case against the RH Law, it is truly pathetic! We can only hope Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez does not use any of those inane and insane arguments if or when he makes good his threat to storm the gates of the Supreme Court with a vigorous petition to snooker the RH Law from taking effect in 2013.