Gov't urged to address population growth amid crisis

Population management should not take a back seat in the government's economic policies especially in a time of crisis, private sector groups said Friday. According to University of the Philippines economist Dr. Ernesto Pernia, population growth is a crisis in itself, which can stretch to problems in education, health, environment, and employment. Given this, he said the country's ballooning population should be immediately addressed. "It's a silent crisis. And the problem of population is over-arching: it stretches to education, health, environment, and employment," he said at the sidelines of the Poverty and Hunger Symposium organized by the United Nations Population Fund, the Employers' Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and the Forum for Family Planning and Development. For his part, Forum for Family Planning and Development President Benjamin de Leon urged the government to pass the reproductive health bill to help control population growth. "We want to raise awareness that population is related to development. Resources are depleted if population is out of control and our economy suffers," he said, adding that the private sector should also do its part by investing in human development projects. Contributions to CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects have doubled over the past year, particularly in areas of health and education. According to League of Corporate Foundations President Linda Atayde, the private sector still recognizes the need to enhance social services through CSR initiatives.