The Economics of Child-Bearing and Raising

 

WANTED: Sons and Daughters

By Ivy Razel B. Ventura

 

"Maaaring ako’y mali ngunit sinasabi kong ang pinakawalang-halagang pamumuhunan ng isang tao ay ang pag-aanak, pagpapaaral at pagpapalaki ng bata, sapagkat bihira sa mga anak, kung mayroon man, ang nagbabalik ng utang sa pagpapakasakit ng magulang…"

-La Loba Negra

Maynila, 18 Hulyo 1869

Jose A. Burgos

("I may be wrong, but I tell you, the most worthless investment of a person is to have, educate, and raise a child, for it’s seldom for a child, if any, to return his parents’ sacrifices…

-La Loba Negra (The Black Dog)

Manila, 18 July 1869

Jose A. Burgos

When a child reaches the legal age, 18, independence is the game—he is his own responsibility—or for Western countries at least. Here in the Philippines, "18 years old" has a different definition. It’s the start of ultimate freedom. Freedom for alcohol, cigarettes, clubs, cabarette bars, marriage, and prison accommodation among many other things.

Independence is quite an alien household term in our country. No matter how old someone is, he is still welcome to live in the house of his parents. Married couples living with an intermediate family is also not an unusual event. These things have something to do with the Filipinos’ concept of family.

We, Filipinos, value family more than anything else. That’s why even if we’ve adapted a lot of Western customs, the independence-at-18 issue was never absorbed by most of us.

Another difference between the Western ways and Pinoy culture is the mindset on raising a child. For most Filipino parents, having children is a personal investment. Theoretically speaking, more children means more income generation and more people expected to take care of you when you grow old. If this must be the case, then neither homes for the aged nor the home shopping network would be progressive.

However, this is not the general case. In addition, the unemployment rate here in our country continues to rise as the literacy rate falls. More and more children are becoming uneducated. Consequently, there is a big accumulation of unemployed people here in our country, and the great poverty reigns the atmosphere.

Though the government must play the main role in solving this recurring problem, the citizens are also to blame. Well, for one, since time immemorial, the government can’t be trusted for initiating progress in our country, and we all know this for sure. As much as possible, the initiative must come from the citizens, since there’s nobody else expected to care for this country save its inhabitants.

More and more babies are born everyday, but the question is what can they do for this country. On a personal point of view, it’s annoying that many couples keep on producing offspring they cannot support anymore. I don’t have a problem with parents with a dozen of kids as long as each of them are fed, and educated. But just to contribute to the unmanageable overpopulation in the Philippines is a different case. Many children’s lives are wasted because of poverty. Is this the government’s fault? Yes. But this, as well, is the full responsibility of the parents.

Raising and educating a child may not be that efficient, since you cannot instill life-long values in them overnight. It takes years of hard labor before the fruit starts to grow. But is this a worthy investment? After giving much thought to this question, the best answer I can get is, "It depends". Depends on what? The parents’ point of view.

For the nth time, effectivity is meeting your set goals regardless of time. The main focus is the product, not the time nor money investments. Contrary to Father Burgos’ account, the welfare of the majority must be kept in mind instead of returning the parents’ sacrifices. The parents’ must seek to raise a child that will eventually be a functional citizen and asset of the country. Considering the country’s current situation, if most of the parents would care to think this way, then having, educating, and raising a child may not be a worthless investment after all.#

[This is an Econ (SocSci4) requirement under Sir Vlad.Para ito sa aming magazine.Woohoo.And,personally,this is one of my favorite essays.Ü]