Prelate: Don't blame population for rice crisis

MANILA, Philippines - The government should not blame the booming population to the impending rice crisis, a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines official said Sunday. According to Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, chair of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, the link between economic development and population is a “liturgy that promotes hate for humans." “This is a very dangerous attitude. Human resource is our main ally for progress development. Our present crisis is a crisis of management - How we could properly manage our economy (and) our resources," Aniceto told church-run Radio Veritas Sunday. Aniceto added that instead of laying the blame on the country’s population, it should be commended for being a major economic booster through labor migration. “Nations are competing to hire our workers," he said. The Philippines is one of the top 5 countries receiving remittances from migrants. The Catholic Church has been very vocal in its opposition to artificial and modern family planning methods such as the use of contraceptives. It has been actively lobbying in Congress to block the passing of reproductive health bills. - GMANews.TV