MANILA (Reuters) -
Overwhelmed by the number of children at a crowded
subsidized housing project, President Joseph Estrada told
Filipinos they should suppress their urges.
"Frankly, perhaps we are having some difficulty making houses
because we're too preoccupied making babies,'' Estrada said when
he visited beneficiaries of a housing project for squatters in
Kalookan City, a suburb of Manila.
"There are too many children here, maybe we should suppress our
urges a little bit,'' he added.
Estrada's nation of 74 million people is swelled by 195 births
every hour. Its population grows 2.3 percent each year.
Estrada urged families in the area to seek a livelihood to
improve their lives.
"There is a saying that goes 'Do your best and God will do the
rest', but I think that didn't mean do your best in making
children, but in seeking livelihood opportunities,'' he said.
It was the closest Estrada has yet come to endorsing family
planning, a controversial topic in the mainly Roman Catholic
nation because of strong disapproval by the powerful church.
The father of 10 and himself one of 10 siblings, Estrada has
expressed concern about the rapid growth in the country's
population, but has said any population control program must
have the approval of the church.
