Teyktu

These and other irrelevant subjects have already been taught in secondary school thus it should no longer be taught in tertiary education. There are already too many subjects in tertiary education curriculum that should not be there at all and now, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) is formulating a memorandum to again include  Spanish language in the curriculum. Once in effect, all college students would be required to take the subject in order to graduate.

I do not see the relevance of making the subject a mandatory requirement since it was already removed from the curriculum during the term of the late President Corazon Aquino. Not only is it an additional burden to the students, it could also be a problem for some colleges.

Not to sound bitter, but we do not have to embrace the  language of the race that colonized our country for more than 300 years. It is time that we forget the Spanish colonization. I do not know what President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was thinking when she signed that directive for the CHEd to require all colleges to again offer Spanish.

The government should have just pursued efforts to again heighten the English competency of Filipinos. English is by far the language of trade, science and technology. Almost every country in the world speaks English and with good communication skills we can build better relations with other countries and this we can use to our benefit.

I’ve heard that the “growing demand from the business process outsourcing sector for Spanish-speaking call center agents” was the reason the Administration wanted Spanish back in the college curriculum. That is just ridiculous. You cannot deny the fact that call center agents are greatly in demand but students are studying to be professionals. Not everyone wants to be call center agents.

If Spanish-speaking call center agents are what  the government  wants, it can hold  short-courses in Spanish for aspiring call center agents.

Another thing, the Philippines would not prosper if we continue to focus on providing the needs of other countries instead of focusing on what our country needs. The only reason why call centers keep popping like mushrooms is because manpower is cheap in the Philippines. Ain’t that degrading.

During her state visit in Madrid, Spain, Arroyo even noted that “the Philippines has the deepest European roots” in Asia because of the Spanish colonization. This is not something to be proud of. It is just like again succumbing to Spanish rule.

Let us not give students another burden by forcing them to learn Spanish. Learning another language may have its benefits but it does not apply to all.

The Philippines is in shambles and no quick step can bring the Philippines back on track. In terms of development, no matter how proud Filipinos are and no matter how we just laugh it off, it is very evident that we are now being left behind compared to other southeast Asian countries that were once considered less progressive than the Philippines.

The Philippines cannot become a productive nation overnight, however, I believe that our leaders must only work on two aspects that would assure the Philippines’ success. The first one is that our leaders should make ways to stop the baby boomers. Overpopulation must be solved a solution because overpopulation is the root of almost all problems in the Philippines.

Overpopulation leads to unemployment. Existing businesses in the countries can no longer give jobs to all the workforce in the country. Even the popular call center industry cannot provide jobs to all Filipinos because not all Filipinos are well-versed in English. Reports indicate that the Philippine population is estimated at 91 million. With a high unemployment rate, the government does not have good income and consequently, the government needs more money to attend to the needs of the unemployed.

On one end, unemployment in the country still had a positive outcome because of the dollar remittances coming from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). But is this really a good thing? It is still better if no one had to migrate just to earn a decent living.

If overpopulation could only be solved, the government could allot more of the national budget to much needed infrastructure projects rather than shelling out huge funds for housing projects, feeding programs and other projects aimed at alleviating poverty. Overpopulation will not increase the collection of taxes if the country could not give jobs to its population.

Consequently, because the country could no longer provide good-paying jobs to a good percentage of the workforce, poverty and hunger rises. It is also much easier to solve unemployment, poverty, and hunger if the number of victims are at a minimal level.

For starters, the congress must pass a law that would limit the number of children that a couple may have. Some countries are already doing this. Having a limit of two children would be enough just to maintain the country’s population. It is even ironic that those who cannot support a family and those that do not have stable or well-paying jobs are the ones that have more  children.

An easier way is to hold family planning campaigns and disseminating proper information on contraceptives. The church should stop blabbering against contraception. The young folk should be educated about sex and its consequences. The country needs contraception. The government could give out free condoms to high schools and college student. This will really help in the long run.

In time, the Philippines can hold its ground if the proper steps would be taken.

The second important step to prosper is stamping out corruption. If there is no corruption, the annual budget can be maximized. However, ending corruption will not be easy. Even though President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo claims that more government officials are being investigated and are being found guilty of corruption, there are still many officials being identified as having anomalous dealings. The government must really be sincere in its effort to stand a chance against corrupt officials.

If overpopulation is stopped in its tracks and corruption is stamped out clean, the Philippines will be a first world country in no time. The economy may have improved based on the numbers but most Filipinos  still claim that life is not getting any better.

If population growth is controlled, other big problems will also disappear. Education is also a sector that is being neglected in the Philippines. Education would be delivered much easier if only our public schools are not accommodating more than fifty students per classroom, if there are even enough classrooms.

Moreover, the medical needs of the people would be surely delivered if more budget would be alloted for this sector and this would be possible if overpopulation is solved so the government can allot the needed budget allocations not just in health care but in other neglected sectors as well.

Overpopulation not only creates a big deal of trouble for the country; it is also a bother in everyday life. From the moment you leave for school or for work, you might find it hard to get a ride because of overpopulation. People scramble to ride jeepneys or buses especially during rush hour. Traffic would not also be much of a problem if the city is not so overcrowded. You would even find it hard traversing small alleys and narrow streets in the city because of the number of people especially in Metro Manila where many people from the province flock to thinking that life is easier in the big, polluted city.

Crime is yet another threat that plagues the country. To analyze, the root of many crimes is poverty and poverty is caused by overpopulation. Simple logic will tell that crime is an end result of overpopulation. If overpopulation is solved, poverty will follow and so will crime.

And again, because of overpopulation, the country’s endless supply of garbage is still increaing at a fast pace.

The conclusion, overpopulation is the root of unemployment, poverty, hunger, housing problems, heath problems, crime, traffic, education problems, lack of infrastructure, waste disposal, etc. So, solving overpopulation would be the most notable way for the Philippines to be a recognized developed country.

Solving overpopulation, I believe, is the best first step to pursue so that our country can move forward. It may not be the best solution for some people but I believe it is definitely worth a shot. However, everything I mentioned here are only “ifs.” These may be quite simple to explain but getting it done is a different thing.