Reproductive Rights and the Crisis of Overpopulation: The Case of the City of Manila

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the policy of the local government of Manila in solving the crisis of overpopulation in the city. The research discussed the significance of reproductive health as rights in solving the problem of overpopulation. However, as the result of the study, it showed that the local government has no policy at all in solving the problem of overpopulation. The mayor of the City, as an advocate of Prolife policy believed that there is no problem with the population. For him, the more population the city has, the better the industry and economy because he believed that these people would contribute to labor productivity. This research had come up with effective and significant solutions to solve the problem of overpopulation. Unlike, the belief of the city officials the researcher believed that there is a problem in overpopulation. The researcher showed that overpopulation can link to more problems such as scarcity in housing, unemployment and insufficient education for children. This research used first and secondhand information in gathering data to complete the study. The researcher also tried to use the survey method in acquiring information from residents of the city of Manila. However, the results of the survey are not reliable since out of 50 questionnaires only 14 respondents answered the survey. From all the information and data acquired from print out documents and interviews, the, researcher proved that there is no efficient policy regarding overpopulation in the city of Manila. Moreover, reproductive health as rights of every individual has not been properly implemented.