The National Terrorist

“Pag binisita niyo ang community, don’t condemn. Isipin niyo, ‘paano ko kaya sila matutulungan?’” the fat coordinator  from Gawad Kalinga told our Economics 151 class last Wednesday. It was a very humid day and we arrived at Onyx St. San Andres after a 40-minute jeep ride. Once seated, we were given a talk on what Gawad Kalinga is and what it does. I actually appreciated their goals, which smack so much of common sense: unity, not agitation; help the poor by giving them not only decent housing but also education, employment, health services, and a sense of community (among others); and provide spiritual guidance for the community. Gawad Kalinga used to be the social arm of the Couples For Christ here in the Philippines until recently because of a schism regarding one very crucial point.

After the hour-long talk and a warning to keep our bags near our chest and our cellphones out of sight, we were given a short tour around the compound. It was lunch time so a lot of people were on their doorsteps cooking food along the dirty canal, as most living spaces were too cramped and windowless. There were at least three groups of swarthy men in their 20s and 40s hanging out in nooks just talking and laughing. It seems to be a flourishing community, but not in the positive sense, since the most noticable thing during our tour was the number of children in the compound. Most of the children I saw were not older than five years and almost each house has a young child playing near it. Some women had babies to their breasts as well. 

I don’t want to make a lengthy sermon here, so I’ll make this quick: give them a home (hole) to live in and give them minimum wage, but if you refuse to give them condoms it will still fuck up. I appreciate the intent and efforts of Gawad Kalinga but they seem to be overlooking population control as an instrument to combat poverty in the country. They may be accepting funds from companies or organizations promoting contraceptive products but (please correct me if I am wrong) they do not openly advocate birth control as part of their program. This may be because Gawad Kalinga is essentially a religious organization—their core values are founded upon the teachings of the Church. Church says birth control is evil, so, no pills for you even if you’ve given birth to six children within a record time of four years.

I believe that all Filipinos should be given the right to plan their family according to the healthiest and most fulfilling way possible. I doubt that abstinence is fulfilling. Withdrawal cannot stop anyone from getting common STDs or worse, AIDS. The rhythm method has a high failure rate, considering how not all menstruation cycles are regular (for the rhythm method to work, a woman’s period must tick like clockwork). Natural birth control measures are not healthy or fulfilling so why force them on hapless and, more often than not, ignorant people?

When I saw the Gawad Kalinga community, I cannot help but condemn—not the people steeped in poverty but the national terrorist known simply as the Church. The Philippines is still backward because its moral infrastructure is composed of outdated dogmas which should have died a long time ago. However, they still live on even in well-intentioned acts of charity.