Lawmaker: Corruption not population causes poverty

• CATARMAN, Northern Samar -- Corruption and not the growing population has contributed to the worsening poverty situation in the country, said Deputy Speaker Raul Daza as he declared his stand against Reproductive Health (RH) bill.Opinion

Daza, representing Northern Samar’s first district, pointed that their province’s economic status has improved despite consistent population growth since 2001.

“I am anti-RH bill because I don’t believe that population growth is the cause of poverty because in Northern Samar when I sat as governor in 2001, we were 5th poorest in the country. We rose to the 7th and 10th place in 2006 and 2010, respectively. In 2001, our population was only 530,000. At present, we were over 600,000,” Daza said.

He claimed that their province has a 2.3-percent annual population growth rate, one of the highest in Eastern Visayas.

“If it is true that growing population is the cause of poverty, the economic situation won’t improve in our province,” he said.

He added he is not sure if the RH bill will be passed into law during this present Congress with the equal number of House members that are against and in favor of the controversial bill. According to Daza, about 60 lawmakers are still undecided.

The former three-termer governor is pointing corruption as the main cause of poverty and it is quantified through scientific studies by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Transparency International.

“We are losing billions of pesos every year that otherwise can be used by the government to improve social services and to cater to the needs of the poor. Instead of stealing money, it is better to give this money to the poor just like the present administration is doing through conditional cash transfer program,” Daza said.

He denied reports that they were convinced by Malacañang to vote for RH bill.

The RH bill aims to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. The bills have become the center of a contentious national debate. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)