Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

302 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

While we must admit for the present, then, that the menace
from China may seem inevitable, it is unfair and very fatalistic
for us to assume that China will never be able to solve her
own population problem. Present adverse conditions, may
be improved in the future, after China has passed through her
present chaotic condition. Let us hope, then, that this temporary menace will have disappeared.
In the meantime, therefore, the population problem of the
Philippines must be considered in its local aspect. There are
those who claim that the present population, if evenly distributed, would be just the ideal number; but there are others
who maintain that the extent and abundance of our resources
can fully accommodate a population of fifty millions, which
would be just enough to make the struggle for existence keener
and would result in the acceleration of our economic development, which heretofore has been delayed because of the indolence of the people.
If we take the view that we will need a population of 50
millions to develop and utilize our natural resources fully,
the present natural growth of our population of 2.4 per cent
can be depended upon. At the present rate of increase, sixty
years from now we will have a population of from 45 to 50
millions; but, if we take labor's view, that what we need is
proper redistribution and not an increase of population, we
should be confronted by the problem of limiting the growth
of our population. During the last twenty-five years our death
rate has been cut 50 per cent, without a corresponding decrease
in the birth rate, which means that, with greater application
of science to health problems in the Philippines, our natural
increase will continue, and sixty years from now we shall have
a larger population than we may really need. The problems
of limitation, I must admit, cannot be solved by preaching
birth control. Education, the rise in the standard of living,
a change in the social valuation and ideals of our people would
contribute more to the voluntary limitation of our population
than will all the preaching in favor of birth control.
Our immediate problem is the proper redistribution of our
unevenly distributed population. We must encourage the