Some of the obvious problems in the Philippines today include heavy traffic, air and water pollution, frequent flooding, poverty, poor educational system, over abundance of politics, corruption in government, high crime rates, illegal drugs, alcoholism, prostitution, women and child abuse, irresponsible family planning, terrorism by religious extremists, and bad foreign policy.

The current Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, has chosen to focus primarily on the crime problem, and to imprison, and or kill, most of the criminals within his first six months in office.

Filipino Socioligist Randy David recently stated that the war's focus is primarily on criminals living in poor urban communities.

Most of these poor criminals, being frequently visible hanging out on the streets, are, as Mr. David stated, 'easy pickings' for police and vigilantes.

Mr. David further states that such arrests and killings are rarily, if ever, occuring in middle class areas and gated communities.

How many poor people are there in the Philippines?

Back in 2009, a report from the Child Protection Network Foundation showed that close to a third of all Filipinos live in impoverished slums, with nearly a third of all Filipino children growing up subjected to poverty.

Among the impoverished children, nearly 2 million of them are abandoned, left to live on the streets and open squatter areas.

With orphanages scarce, and with an inept and uncaring adoption bureaucracy, most of the children are left alone to raise themselves.

Why would the Philippines make it so incredibly difficult for aspiring adoptive parents?

Why leave the children vulnerable to prostitution rings and those in illegal substance trade?

Why, so you can one day imprison or kill them?

One might also wonder where the Catholic Church is in all this?

Yes, of course, clear the homeless children off the streets to make way for the Pope's arrival.

Catholic Fr. Catalino Arevalo, citing a 2000 study, said that the Philippines would no longer be a Catholic country within the next 40 years at the current rate that the Church is losing members.

The study is actually reflecting the fact that young people are not being reached today, rather than that followers are leaving the Church.

So, continue not reaching the youth, if you so chose, and let the children of the Philippines grow up relating to the Pope merely as Lolo Kiko, the grandpa that can't really change much for us, just like our country.

What has been the plan all along?

Don't address the real problems nor provide responsible solutions, for so long a time, that it now makes sense to throw out the baby with the bath water.