Underdevelopment and Politicians

First, the message that was delivered by a certain Msgr. Celestino Migliore, on the occasion of the 64th UN General Assembly in New York City on 15-30 September 2009, was meant to put forward the usual Vatican line of contention against the Cairo Conference in 1994, where many saw the population explosion as the cause of all global evils, including global pollution and underdevelopment.  Thus, the conference wanted to promote campaigns against procreation.  It was also in favor of abortion and sterilization.

Fifteen years after Cairo Conference, the Vatican representative clearly says underdevelopment is not a result of overpopulation, but by irresponsible politicians.

Said Msgr. Migliore: “The great challenge to development is not the demographic explosion, but from irresponsible global and local economic policies… For nearly a century, there have been attempts to tie (the problem of) the global population with food, energy, natural resources and environmental crisis.  Instead, by contrast, it is not sufficiently demonstrated that human persons are the greatest resource in the world with their brilliance and ability to work together.”

Further, he recalled: “When states gathered in Cairo in 1994, many of them were under the impression that a population explosion was going to occur and hamper the ability to achieve adequate global economic development.  Now fifteen years later, we see that this perception was unfounded.  In many developed countries, population demographics have declined to the point where some national legislators are now encouraging an increase in birth rates to assure economic growth.  Similarly, in many parts of the developing world, development has been occurring at previously unachieved rates and the greatest threat to development results not from a population explosion but from irresponsible world and local economic management.”

Very substantial, indeed, notwithstanding the ideological line that the good Monsignor follows especially along the issue of reproductive health, the Vatican representative’s categorical showing of link between underdevelopment and the political leaders brings to my mind a more recent transpiration right at the heart of the Vatican City.

I am referring to the occasion when the new Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican, Mercedes Tuazon presented her credentials to the Pontiff on 2 October 2009.  As observed by the CBCP media office, the presentation of credentials by an Ambassador is laden with protocols as it is normally an occasion for affirmation of friendship and goodwill between states or nations.  However, as it was reported by the media, Benedict XVI went beyond the bounds of diplomacy after he told the Philippine official that “(the) struggle against poverty in the Philippines calls for honesty, integrity and an unwavering fidelity to the principles of justice, especially on the part of those entrusted with positions of governance and public administration.”

The Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church in the world, similarly told in the said function that (Filipino) public officials need to rediscover the real ethical foundation of their political authority.

With the Pope himself now telling the Filipinos that they need honest leaders, he must have been very well briefed about how Filipino politicians are bringing the country to the drain all these years.