Monday, August 6, 2012
INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo (from the Pasugo)
A CRITIQUE OF IGLESIA NI CRISTO EXECUTIVE
MINISTER EDUARDO V. MANALO’S STATEMENT ON THE RH BILL
PART I
In a letter dated 12 October 2010,[1] Iglesia ni Cristo Executive Minister EDUARDO V. MANALO expressed the religious group’s position on
the Reproductive Health Bill (H.B. 4244) to Rep. Rogelio J. Espina, Chairman of
the House of Representatives Committee on Population and Family Relations.
As expected, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), through its Executive Minister, took a
position that is diametrically opposed to the Catholic Church. In effect, the
INC is saying “we are not for what the
Catholic Church is for.”
The Manalo dynastic succession in the the Iglesia ni Cristo
This article, and series of articles
hereafter, I shall critique the official stand of the INC. I will refer to Mr.
Eduardo V. Manalo as the responsible party as the author and signatory of the letter
dated 12 October 2010. The words of Mr. Manalo are in green
while my comments are
in black.
A birthday greeting to Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo
(torch-of-salvation.blogspot.com)
We would like to thank the Committee on
Population and Family Relations for requesting our position concerning the
Bills of Reproductive Health.
It is expected that the Committee on
Population and Family Relations (CPFR) of the House of Representatives will
request the position of Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo’s Iglesia ni Cristo because it is one of the biggest religious
sectors in the country. The INC is known to deliver command vote on election day
because of its practice of voting as a bloc. Normally, politicians kowtow to
the INC to get its endorsement during elections. This is a reality of
Philippine politics. But of course, as a large segment of the population, the
INC has the right to be heard on the burning issue of the RH Bill and the CPFR is
expected to request its position. Not to mention that Rep. Rogelio J. Espina,
CPFR Chairman, is pro-RH Bill; hence, it is but normal for politicians like him
to solicit the positions of groups that support his stand.
One of the ubiquitous posters from
politicians who greet Eduardo Manalo on his birthday (picture is from
the website of Vice Mayor Atoy Sicat)
We are all well aware of the dire situation of
our country caused by overpopulation.
Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo’s awareness is limited
and his perspective on population reflects the Malthusian way of thinking. For
Mr. Manalo, as it was for Malthus, too many people cause poverty. The
Malthusian theory adhered to by Mr. Manalo has long been a discredited theory –
debunked by Nobel laureate for economics Simin Kuznets. No clear connection between
economic growth and population growth has ever been established.
There is no correlation between population and poverty in the Philippines (source: National Statistical Coordination Board)
Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo is also not aware that
globally, overpopulation is a myth. On a worldwide scale, there is no
overpopulation to speak of. In fact, other countries are experiencing “demographic
winter.”
Full movie on Demographic Winter
Mr. Manalo’s research team in the Iglesia ni Cristo failed him. What they
failed to realize is that population must be viewed in terms of population
density, population growth rate, and total fertility rate. The Philippines,
with a population of 100, is ranked 12th in the world. But, our population
density (number of people per square kilometer) is 307, and we are ranked 45th
in the world. The most densely populated countries are Macau (18,357), Monaco
(16,923), Singapore (7,148) and Hongkong (6,349). These are among the economically
well-off countries in the world.
Philippine population growth rate is going down, down, down
What Mr. Manalo did not reckon with is the
downtrend of the population growth rate of the Philippines, from 3.01 in 1960
to a mere 1.94 in 2010 (1960-2020 Population Growth Rates, 2000-2010 NSCB
Estimate). Population growth rate of 1.94 is below the replacement rate of 2.0.
Add to this fact the downward trend in the total fertility rate.
Total fertility rate is also going down in the Philippines
If Mr. Manalo goes around the country, he
would see that the countryside are far from densely populated. Urban centers
like Metro Manila, where Mr. Manalo sees the slums and the street children, are
the ones densely populated. Hence, the problem is not overpopulation in the
Philippines but over-concentration
of population in urban areas.
The Iglesia ni Cristo at 75 (now at 98):
Where are your projects that show your concern for the poor, the street
children, the aged, the drug addicts and the prisoners among our
people? (Pasugo)
Many of society’s worsening ills—from homeless
families starving in miserable conditions and children not in school but
instead begging day and night in nearly every major street to the rapidly
spreading problems with drug abuse and rising crime rates—can be traced to
families growing so large that an increasing number of parents cannot provide
the most basic human needs to their families.
Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo shed crocodile tears for
street children who beg day and night in major thoroughfares. I wonder what his
church has done so far to alleviate this problem. Unlike the Catholic Church
which operates orphanages and other charitable institutions, I don’t know of
any INC counterpart. Mr. Manalo can be more credible in his concern for the
street children if he has done something to assuage their plight. The INC, as
far I know, is so closed in on itself that it hardly responds to social problems
the way the Catholic Church does. The INC has no orphanages, homes for the
aged, rehabilitation centers and organized prison ministry for the general
population. The INC’s contribution in these areas of social work is nil.
The Iglesia ni Cristo under the present
leadership of Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo can build grandiose projects like
this arena but not projects for social work to help the masses of our
people
(iglesianicristo100years.weebly.com)
We consider it commendable that our lawmakers
care enough for our fellow Filipinos that they are doing what they can do to
alleviate the hardships so many of our countrymen are facing.
Mr. Eduardo V. Manalo’s perspective is myopic.
If lawmakers indeed care enough for our countrymen, then they will allocate
bigger budget on education, agriculture, agrarian reform and livelihood
training. These are the fool-proof solutions to the hardships of our people and
not condoms and pills. For Mr. Manalo, government subsidy for the sexual needs
of people is “commendable” and can “alleviate the hardships” of so many of our
countrymen.
[1] http://dswporg.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/iglesia-ni-cristo-supports-the-passage-of-the-rh-bill.pdf.
Iglesia ni Cristo can buy a town in
South Dakota but not condoms and pills for its members. It supports the
RH Bill which will make the government subsidize the reproductive health
needs of its members from predominantly Catholic taxpayers
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