MANY OF OUR NATION?S LEADers and opinion-makers bewail our country?s numerous problems but only seemingly refer to population growth as a concern that is not so urgent, if not already answered by pro-life arguments.

Thailand?s and the Philippines? populations were on equal level in the 1970s, but now, Thailand, with a population of some 60 million, is more than three times wealthier than the Philippines, which now has a population of 90 million.

Here are some very explicit consequences of our population explosion:

1. The incidence of poverty continues to rise with the poor getting poorer.

2. The health problem, affecting the poor most, is broadcast daily in media but measures designed to remedy it are nil.

3. The problems of educating Filipino children are getting worse.

4. Hunger, nutrition and personal intelligence problems naturally follow.

5. Population problems also lead to graft and corruption.

6. Excessive population growth causes expensive elections.

7. The problem leads to housing and squatting problems.

8. Urban pollution is spreading rapidly even as the deforestation of our mountains continues, leading to floods and landslides.

9. The problem also leads to moral decline and the proliferation of pedophilia, pornography, japayukis and a ?blind eye? to immoralities.

10. Crimes, threats to personal safety and the deterioration of the justice system harshly affect our personal lives?regardless of whether we are rich or poor, but most especially if we are poor.

11. Separated families, without a father and/or mother, wreak havoc on the lives of the children.

12. The already heavy national debt continues to balloon due to budget deficits, with the government subsidizing the poor to prevent anarchy. Thirty-five percent of the budget is used for debt service.

13. The poor economic growth, further weighed down by population explosion, naturally results in ineffective governance.

14. The worldwide collapse of communism in the early 1990s got Filipino communists to maintain that their campaign is home-grown and is designed to liberate the poor.

15. We cannot resolve the various insurgency problems due to poverty, injustice and ineffective governance which are the results of population explosion.

16. This last consequence is controversial but with the affluent marrying the good-looking while the ordinary-looking ones are left to choose from the ranks of the proliferating poor, the result is a decline of pulchritude among Filipinos.

It is encouraging to note that many national leaders and opinion makers especially Finance Secretary Gary Teves now admit that economic benefits do not trickle down to the poor because of the country?s population growth. We pray that the nation would be able to avoid anarchy and totalitarianism that could arise from ineffective governance and widespread dissatisfaction.

?FLORENCIO F. MAGSINO, brigadier general, AFP (Ret.) MNSA, 68 Edsa cor. Pinatubo St.,

Mandaluyong City