Moral Compass or Ignorant Institution?

Condoms, the pill, Diaphragms these are what we call instruments for artificial methods in family planning. The use of these methods are being supported by the Philippines Government to help Filipinos plan their families. Of course the government is also endorsing the natural methods of birth control like the Rhythm method or just (shudder) abstaining form sex.

The Roman Catholic Church cried foul! The church finds the use of the artificial methods of birth control to be immoral. Rumor has it that a public servant was threatened by the diocese of their place that he will not be given Holy Communion if he pursues to author the ordinance of a population management and reductive health ordinance in his city. Although the church denies the allegations, it still makes me wonder. . . Are they nuts?

Population control is I believe one of the solutions to fight poverty in the country. Take for example “Juan” a street sweeper in Manila. He has 6 children and he earns about 350 pesos a day, before taxes and other deductions that are required by the government to deduct from an individual’s salary. So Juan gets to take home about 250 ++ a day. Let’s face it my friends 250 to 300 pesos a day is not enough to provide food, clothing, shelter and education to his children. A kilo of rice cost about 19 pesos and that’s the so called “NFA” rice being sold by the government. A kilo of meat is about 160 to 190 pesos. But Juan has 6 children, so 1 kilo is not enough for all of them, for the whole day. 1 kilo of rice will not last a day for these folks. They need more. The money Juan earned only went to food. Now imagine, just imagine that one his children got sick. Where will they get the money for medicine? What if the child needs to be confined in the hospital? Where will they get the money for the hospital bills? See what I’m getting at?

The government is doing it’s best to help solve the problem. Teaching an individual how to plan his family can really help in the future. The way I see it. The government is teaching all the methods whether artificial or natural and let the individual choose. But the church says, it is immoral to teach the artificial methods. The government should only teach natural methods. For the first time in my life I’ll be supporting the government on this one.

Free choice! Let the people decide. The church can say all they want, but in the end only an individual can decide for himself.

What is more immoral? Use a condom, and prevent your wife being pregnant every year so that you can take care of your family better, send children to school and feed them enough. Or have children every year, and since you don’t earn enough you let your children grow up hungry and uneducated.

So I ask again? Is the church still the “moral compass” of our daily lives? The institution that will tell us what’s right or wrong? The institution that taps an individual on his shoulder and tells him the consequences of his actions? Or is the Church an aging, ignorant institution whose old fashion beliefs doesn’t fit the modern world? An Institution that doesn’t care if people are hungry due to lack of money to buy food, as long as they can say to themselves “At least I didn’t use a condom” An Institution that would rather have a family with a dozen hungry children, who will beg on the streets and sometimes commit crimes just so they can eat? Wouldn’t it rather have a family consisting of a father, a mother and two children? Children that the the parents can support, feed better food, send to school and as a result be a productive member of the community?

Let’s be clear about one thing. I’m not against the church. I was baptized in the Roman Catholic church since I was a baby, I grew up in a house where every Sunday is a “Family Day” where we hear mass on that day. I attended catholic school from primary to secondary levels. But I also know that the Roman Catholic’s stand on reproductive health can really be frightening. The children has the right to be fed, educated and sheltered. But if we don’t control population how can an individual who earns minimum wage provide these very basic things to his children if he counted 12 mouths to feed?

Just thinking out loud!

Up! Up and Away…..

unfortunately it’s not on a beautiful balloon.

Yesterday, the oil companies in the Philippines raised their gas prices for the umpteenth time. Diesel prices was given a 3 peso raised, gasoline 1 peso and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) had a 1 peso and 50 centavos hike. Outrageous! The price hike was initiated even though the price of crude oil recorded their biggest drop in weeks! According tho the latest issue of the Philippine Star; Some oil companies implemented a “One-time, big-time” increase to end the burden of weekly increases on the transport sector. Wow! They really are a bunch of nice guys, aren’t they? Thinking of the little people are they? Mph!

One of the main effects of this ridiculous prices is the demand of the Jeepney drivers are now asking another fare hike increase as well. They are asking a whopping 10 peso minimum fare. This is only a few weeks after the fare for Jeepneys were increased just a few weeks ago. But! I really can’t blame them. Can you? PUV’s (Public Utility Vehicles) needs fuel to service their customers, and with all the latest increases in gasoline and diesel prices their small earnings has just gotten smaller. According to the jeepney driver that I spoke to this morning. They needed the Php.2.50 increase in the minimum fare so that they can at least earn 300 pesos a day. 300 pesos and they can just get by with it. I’m earning closed to a thousand a day and my wife earns almost 600 to 700 pesos a day working in a bank, and we’re still not able to cope up with our family’s basic needs. And the jeepney drivers’ only wish is to earn 300 pesos. Man! Worst of it the four major groups of Jeepney drivers have threatening a Transport holiday if their demands are not met. The Taxi fare will have a 10 peso increased on the 25th of July. Thank God the Bus transport groups are not asking for an increase. But you can never tell.

But! What about the consumers? People who uses PUVs? Don’t they get a say in all this? In case the government approved the fare hike, food prices will go up next. And there’s an ongoing rice shortage in the Philippines.

The only thing not rising are the salaries of employed individuals. IF all prices goes up, how will the people cope? Another fare hike increase and I swear I won’t ride a jeepney anymore if I’m just going to a place that’s only a few blocks. I’ll walk instead.

But stll I can’t blame the Jeepney drivers for asking for a better price, they have families. The thins is I, we all have families too. This is a classic no win situation. The only winners are the oil companies.

And they can’t burn in hell for all I care.

WordCamp Philippines 2008

I only started blogging last month. No, I actually started blogging in Friendster, then on my Multiply page. I was never consistent on those two sites, until I heard about wordpress. I was impressed with all the blogs that I had read and I said to my self “I can do that.” So the rest is history.

But a few days ago, I discovered that I need to know more about blogging itself. How to write more interesting entries, more spice in other words. Then came WordCamp Philippines 2008! I read it’s objectives and decided to sign up. I guess it’s my simple way of saying “Thank You” to word press. For helping me overcome my fear of writing my thoughts, and help me meet new friends. WordPress is the premiere blogging site in my opinion. To see it develop to an even better website and full-featured content management system will surely bring tears to my eyes.

I know that the upcoming WordCamp to be held on September 6, 2008 at the College of St. Benilde in Taft Avenue, Manila will help me reach my goals as a blogger and as an individual.

The Wordcamp Philippines 2008 is being sponsored by the following:

• i.PH: the Domain for Individuals
• Free Online Flash Games
• Wazzup Manila Philippines
• Real Estate CRM
• Real Estate Website Designers
• Orange County Real Estate
• Auto Insurance Quotes
• Lane Systems Inc.
• RedMedia

See you there!