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Poverty and inequality in the Philippines

The new World Bank (WB) report “Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in the Philippines: Past, Present, and Prospects for the Future” is a welcome reminder of what is needed for the country, and the government’s urgent agenda on the dual malaise of poverty and inequality. This had been a persistent challenge to the country, not only historically but also comparatively in the context of the Asean, especially its original neighbors in the region.

The WB paper is well-organized, starting with trends in the past 30 years, the present structural causes, future prospects, and policy recommendations. First, poverty rate declined from 49.2 percent in 1985 to 18.1 percent in 2021. Inequality (Gini index) at 42.4 percent in 1985, after climbing to 49.2 percent, trended back down to 42.3 percent in 2018. The shift of workers, including the poorer ones, to more productive sectors with wage income, besides expanded subsidy, largely accounted for the reduction in poverty. As well, better access to services and assets helped the downtrend in inequality to its previous level.

Nonetheless, the Philippines ranks as the 15th most unequal of 63 countries. More than half of laborers with only elementary schooling or less are in agriculture. Household heads who are college graduates have average per capita income fourfold higher than for household heads with no more than elementary education.

Inequality begins early in life and typically is sustained over the life cycle, starting with antenatal care and postnatal care which are disproportionately accessible to poorer families and mothers with lower education. Which leads to markedly higher rates of stunting, underweight, and wasting among poor families. Then children of poor households are greatly disadvantaged as regards schooling that links to future work and income opportunities. All this leads to intergenerational transmission of poverty.

Unequal distribution of hospitals, health centers, and educational institutions across subnational regions/provinces further worsens poverty and inequality. One bright note is that the Philippines is first in gender equality in Asia and 19th in the world. However, while women have generally higher education attainment than men, their labor force participation rate has been lower.

While the WB paper is an edifying read, it has a limited past perspective, thereby ignoring the population factor, which has made a crucial difference in the current state of the country vis-à-vis its Asean neighbors that used to trail it. The Philippines initiated population management-cum-family planning (PM-FP) program in 1970, along with other Asean countries. However, while the others sustained their programs over time without letup, the Philippines was constrained to jettison its own program in the late ’70s on orders of President Marcos Sr., who acceded for political expediency to the demands of the Catholic Church hierarchy.

In 1970, the Philippines’ population was 36.6 million and Thailand’s was 36.9 million. It had a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $220 close to Thailand’s $210, and both countries had identical poverty incidence at 13 percent.

Indonesia, with a very expansive land area (or resource base), had a much larger population of 115 million and also initiated its PM-FP program in 1970, but its GNI per capita was only $80. Malaysia, with a much smaller population of 11 million in 1970, started its program in 1966, and its GNI per capita was $370.

Fast forward to 2020, the foregoing indicators had dramatically diverged. Philippine population ballooned to nearly 110 million, while Thailand’s rose to slightly less than 70 million. GNI per capita was $3,430 in 2020 ($3,850 in 2019) for the Philippines, and $7,050 ($7,407 in 2019) for Thailand. On the other hand, poverty rate was estimated at 18.1 percent in 2021 (16.7 percent in 2018) for the former, and 8.8 percent in 2020 (6.2 percent in 2019) for the latter.

Indonesia’s population increased to 274 million in 2020. Its GNI per capita rose sharply to $3,870 in 2020 ($4,050 in 2019). Its poverty rate at 13 percent in 1970 was brought down to 9.8 percent by 2020. Malaysia’s population was up to 33 million in 2020, and its GNI per capita escalated exponentially to $10,580 ($11,230 in 2019), which enabled Malaysia to drastically cut its poverty rate to 8.4 percent in 2020 from a high of 49.7 percent in 1970.

The foregoing indicators show that the Philippines had the fastest growing population (threefold in 50 years) and also the largest relative to land area in all of Asean. As regards economic indicators, it has considerably lagged behind its original Asean neighbors, being the last to achieve demographic transition, thereby falling to bottom of the pile from the top in the ’60s to mid-’80s. One wonders, therefore, why the WB paper has eschewed the population factor in their analysis of poverty and inequality. It can be recalled that in the mid-1960s through to the mid-1990s, the World Bank had a major population program touted as a success in many developing countries, save the Philippines, unfortunately. So, is the program now regarded as an “elephant in the room” sleeping and not to be disturbed?

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Ernesto M. Pernia is professor emeritus of economics, University of the Philippines Diliman, and former secretary of socioeconomic planning, National Economic and Development Authority.

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Poverty, Government and Unequal Distribution of Wealth in Philippines Essay

Poverty data gathering tools, etiologies of poverty, programs to alleviate poverty.

Filipinos are in grave situations of poverty as of now. According to UNDP statistic last 2004; the numerical rate 36.8% is the poverty level of the entire Filipino population. Crude estimation of this count into raw rate is 70 million Filipinos are below poverty line. However, statistics do not reveal the complex nature of poverty; indeed, it is a mistake to assume that poverty can be measured in monetary definitions (Eadie 35).

The Philippines provides a concrete example of GDP growth that did not reduce poverty, although the economy recorded growth of more than 4% in 3 of the past 4 years. The 2003 FIES illustrates average family incomes to have increased by only 2.5% over the 2000 level, while the CPI shows an inflation rate of 13.9%. Judging all these data obtained, it is therefore almost certain that the poverty level has increased during this period. It most likely has increased by a greater level than from 1997–2000, when average family incomes has grown by 18%, inflation has been 22%, and the poverty incidence of the population has increased by 1% (Poverty in the Philippines 2). The author of the book Poverty And The Critical Security Agenda , Eadie (33), added:

Quantitative analyses of poverty have become more sophisticated over the years to be sure, yet remain problematic and in certain ways rooted in assumptions of rational choice behavior. For instance, poverty can be measured through simple income and expenditures or poverty line however; this does not account the expenditures on those goods and services that are variables for well-being such as food and education. Negative expenditures, such as alcohol or cigarettes, also play part in the considerations.

With this, various instrumentations are being utilized to assess the conditions of poverty. Subjective claims remain to be weak basis if it is not validated. Subjective inferences are those data obtained from the subjects but have no specific proofs or reference in any study done by trained individuals. Objectivity is a must in statistical gathering however, if this is not provided proper validation, still the data remains to be weak basis (Maglaya 176).

Poverty measurement practices for determining the numerical data partly reflect what we know – or think we know – about inequality and poverty profiles in the Philippines. According to Edmonds in his book, Reducing Poverty in Asia: Emerging Issues in Growth, Targeting, and Measurement , the phase of assessment usually involves the set poverty lines and welfare indicators. This is where statistics label an individual poor. Such considerations are dealt first before producing such claims (Eadie 198).

In terms of welfare indicators, determining the magnitude of poverty and inequality the government uses current household incomes and expenditures via national surveys. Using standard arguments in microeconomic theory, it can be concluded that since welfare level are being determined by “life-cycle” or permanent income, and since current consumption is a good approximation of this income, current consumption can be better justified as a measure of current welfare. This, however, does not suggest that income does not vary over time. It does, and sometimes these changes are largely comparable to the former (p.198-199).

Talking about setting poverty lines, this does not depend on subgroup’s conditions or to which standard of living do they belong. Poverty lines constructed for various subgroups must be fixed in terms of given standard of living. These set are said to be consistent and imply the same command over basic necessities of consumptions. It is well known that as household income rises, the consumption of cheap and low quality goods decrease and the families focus more on the quality products that they can still afford. These are some of the scenarios that indicating the dynamic characteristic that affects poverty lines (Eadie 200).

Another sophisticated data-gathering tool in quantitative diagnosis of poverty conditions is by the use of Human Development Index (HDI) that has been introduced by ul Haq in the 1990s. This involves the consideration of life expectancy, literacy rate and GDP per capita. The HDI is now being used by the United Nations Development Programme or UNDP, to rank countries in terms of their economic development status. According to the 2004 Human Development UNDP repot, the Philippines has been ranked 83 rd and considered to be a medium development country. The advantage of this tool is the test of comparison between different countries annually. However, the negative aspect that coincide in this method it its limitation towards other factors such as domestic variations that exists between different regions, rural and urban areas that exist in the household. This primarily occurs because of the generalized perspective of this intervention (Eadie.39-40).

Filipinos are usually known for their extravagant fiestas and their various tourist attractions. The proud natural resources have lured “balikbayans” or Filipinos from abroad and tourists. Adding into that are the OFW or Overseas Filipino Workers that produce additional income for the country through remittances. Aside from the macro-economical income source of Philippine government, such conditions give off pseudo-economic boost for the country’s economy. DFA or Department of Foreign Affairs has estimated that there are 5,488,167 Filipinos working overseas that are scattered to over 193 countries during 2002 (Arya 72). The question left for the public is where does this sum of money go considering that the incomes both internal and external are present? Such question triggers the public minds that usually cause demonstrations and governmental blame.

Another factor to be considered is the Philippine international debts that primarily occurred during the time of Marcos and has progressed in the current regime. Sad to mention but as of today, Filipinos are part of the 100 most heavily indebted poor and middle-income countries that must service over 2.3 trillion American dollars in combined debt-stock yearly (Debt for Equity Eadie). According to an online data, Poverty in the Philippines , economic growth has become insufficient in order to support the population growth of the country: GNP per capita has lingered at around $1,000 for the past 20 years and has not even increased. Disasters that have occurred are one of the main reasons that tarnished the economy of the Philippines. Importantly, the crisis came at the same time as the devastating El Niño drought during mid-1990s. This evidently caused domino effect in the economy of the Philippines in which decline has been the particular evident strata. Here is the list of the chronic macroeconomic problems in the Philippines that have long been occurring:

  • Gradually diminishing revenue collection inducing fiscal deficit and heavy public sector debt
  • Low investment environment that results in particularly low foreign direct investment
  • Inactive loans in the banking firms
  • Chronic loss of international competitiveness
  • Corrupt structural governance and inefficient economic management

In the article found in the official website of the Philippine government (27) entitled, Poverty alleviation tops PGMA’s main goals in the next 3 years, proclaims the president’s own statement regarding her programs and future programs for the alleviation of poverty.

She said increased government earnings or revenues either through raising the effective collection of taxes or sale of government assets is necessary component of poverty alleviation. With the raised revenues, she said the next important thing to do in the next three years is to invest more in human resources and physical infrastructures to create jobs and upgrade the country’s competitiveness. She said social services, like making cheap medicines available, improved healthcare and anti-hunger campaign, which are already being addressed by her administration, are also important components of the poverty reduction program of her administration.

The president’s statement has been questionable to most of the public and the tarnished trust of the people’s body has greatly affected the initiations of this plan. People’s cooperation has become difficult to initiate due to the governmental corruptions that have occurred. The effectiveness of such programs being implemented by the Philippine government has seen to be effective however, only for a short time (Glatzer 124). Most of the programs regarding poverty alleviation are still ongoing as per current administration. Target outcomes of these projects are 2010. However, according to some critics, the results so far of these projects are not yet being that evident (Debt for Equity…27).

The poverty status of the Philippines has not yet been alleviated. The condition of poverty still affects more almost half of the Filipino population. The inequalities of resources partitions are not specific hence; the divisions of such are also affected. The question about the condition of poverty and inequalities in the Philippines is now answerable by the summary of the crude poverty rate 40% and 70 million poor families living in this country. These poverty claims are being validated by the use of Human Development Index (HDI) that are also being utilized by the (UNDP) United Nation development Programme in order to obtain their data. Various notes are important upon the obtaining of these data such as welfare indicators and setting of poverty lines. The probable etiologies of this poverty in terms of macro-economical scope, as addressed in the body of study, are the following gradually diminishing revenue collection inducing fiscal deficit and heavy public sector debt, low investment environment that results in particularly low foreign direct investment, inactive loans in the banking firms, chronic loss of international competitiveness and the corrupt structural governance and inefficient economic management. There are programs being initiated to combat poverty situations however, as according to the study the results seem to be not evident especially for the public’s perspective. Poverty still lingers and unequal distribution of resources are still present in the Philippine society.

Arya, Sally. Living Home: Filipino Women Surviving Migration. In M. C. Pagaduan (Ed.), Poverty, Gender and Migration (pp. 72). Sage Publications Inc, 2006.

Arya, Sally. Poverty, Gender and Migration . Sage Publications Inc, 2006.

Barcelon, Ed. Fight Philippine poverty.(Voice from the South). Manila Bulletin . 2007. Web.

Debt for Equity in MDG Projects; A Philippine Proposal for Converting 50 percent of the Debt Owed by the 100 highly indebted countries to equity investments in the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.(Opinion & Editorial) [Letter to The Editor]. Manila Bulletin .2011. Web.

Eadie, Peter. Poverty And The Critical Security Agenda . Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2005.

Edmonds, Cedric. M. Reducing Poverty in Asia: Emerging Issues in Growth, Targeting, and Measurement . Edward Elgar Publishing, 2003.

Glatzer, Walter. Rich and Poor: Disparities, Perceptions, Concomitants . Springer, 2002.

Maglaya, Allan. S. Nursing Practice in the Community . Marikina City: Argonauta Corporation, 2005.

Orbeta Jose., H. C. Family, Vulnerability and Family Size: Evidence from the Philippines. In H. Khan (Ed.), Poverty Strategies in Asia: A Growth Plus Approach (pp. 72). Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006.

Poverty-in-the-Philippines: Causes of Poverty in the Philippines . 2011. Web.

Poverty Strategies in Asia: A Growth Plus Approach . 2010. Web.

Son, John.Philippines: For Growth to Continue, Poverty Rate Must Come Down. Inter Press Service English News Wire , 1997, pp. F3.

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IvyPanda. (2022, January 9). Poverty, Government and Unequal Distribution of Wealth in Philippines. https://ivypanda.com/essays/poverty-government-and-unequal-distribution-of-wealth-in-philippines/

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informative essay about poverty in the philippines

Essay about Poverty in the Philippines for Students

Poverty in the Philippines Essay

The Philippines is a string of over 7100 islands in Southeast Asia. The country lies between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Only one-third of the islands are inhabited.  Based on statistics given by World Bank the poverty rates reduced to 21.6% in 2015 from 26.6% in 2006.

Essay about Poverty in the Philippines for Students in English

Essay about Poverty in the Philippines for Students

Even if the poverty rate decreases every 1 out of 5 people in the Philippines are still below the poverty line. The people who cannot fulfill their basic needs like food, water, clothing, shelter, and education are said to be below the poverty line.

Causes of Poverty in the Philippines

Poverty is a very big problem in the Philippines. There are multiple causes of poverty in the Philippines and poverty affects life in the Philippines in a very adverse way.

One of the main reasons for poverty in the Philippines is corrupt politicians. The greedy people in power only think of themselves. They use their power and utilize government funds for self-interest. They make millions and billions of dollars and poor people who voted for them starve to death. Corruption is also a major reason for poverty in the Philippines.

Citizens of the Philippines are also responsible for poverty in their country. The Philippines is an overpopulated country there is a lack of family planning and no sex education at all. Which results in a tremendous population explosion. It is difficult for any government to satisfy the need of such a large population with limited resources.

Consequently, Poverty increases in the country. The numbers of jobs are constant and the population of the country is increasing day by day which results in more unemployed educated youth this also adds to the poverty of the country.

Reasons for Poverty in the Philippines

On the one hand, the government in the Philippines is not able to create enough government jobs and the standard of education is decreasing rapidly. When a person does not meet the standard required for a government job. He does private jobs here and there and earns less amount of money.

Eventually, the Philippines is a country prone to natural disasters and climate change. Due to sudden climate change or natural disasters the agrarian society of the Philippines has to suffer a lot. Farmers have to face great loss due to climate change if Famer does earn enough money he cannot provide his family basic facilities which add even more trouble to his life and the cycle of poverty continue.

Poverty is the problem of not just one person but the whole country. It slows down the economic progress of the country. It also increases the crime rate when people don’t have their aspirations fulfill they try to steal things. This results in increasing the rate of crime. Poor areas have poor sanitation facilities due to which disease spread easily.

Solutions to Poverty in the Philippines

Poverty is the problem of the whole country, not just one person hence government must take some essential steps to eradicate poverty. Not just government but the citizens of the country should come forward and vote for the right candidate. The leaders of the people should be servants of people, not their boss.

Corruption must be curb by electing an educated and responsible political leader. Who will work with transparency and think of national interest before self?  Citizens of the country must be well educated about family planning and disaster management. If we have to annihilate poverty from Philippine society then good governance and proper education are the two major steps that we have to take.

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Opening remarks at the launch of the report, "Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in the Philippines"

Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand Philippines

As Prepared for Delivery

Let me start by extending our warmest greetings to Secretary Arsi Balisacan, NEDA Secretary; to our distinguished panelists, to the Representatives from the private sector, civil society, the academe and to colleagues from the World Bank; Good morning!

It’s a real pleasure to welcome you all to this event today, to share and discuss the findings of a new report on inequality “Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in the Philippines: Past, present and prospects for the future.”

It is not news to any of you that inequality is a problem for both developing and developed nations across the world. High inequality slow s economic growth… and undermine s poverty reduction effort s .  During the COVID-19 pandemic, large and unequal job and income losses were reported in many countries, contributing to concerns about rising inequality and reduced shared prosperity.  In the Philippines, reducing inequality and promoting inclusion are central to the national development plan and the AmBisyon Natin 2040 vision. Reducing inequality is also integral to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The report we are discussing today examine s the pattern s of poverty and inequality in the Philippines and how the pandemic may affect their trends. The report aims to answer three questions: how did poverty and inequality change over the past three decades and what drove these changes? What drives the persistence of inequality? And how may the COVID-19 crisis affect poverty and inequality trends?

To the first question , the report finds that the Philippines has made notable progress in human development and poverty reduction. Between 1985 and 2018, the national poverty rate declined from almost 50 percent to less than 17 percent; the middle class—defined as those whose per capita daily income is above US$15 (in purchasing power parity)—had expanded by almost 11 million and the Human Development Index rose by over 20 percent, pushing the country’s rank into the High Human Development group.

Four key factors drove this decline in poverty : Sustained high economic growth, increased education enrollment, gradual movement of workers to more productive jobs in services, industry and wage employment, and an expansion of social protection programs all of which helped increase household income and reduce poverty.

Inequality also decreased in the Philippines but only in recent years pre-pandemic. The sharpest decline was in the period 2010-2018, during which the income of the poorer HH increased on average at a faster rate than for richer HH. The shared prosperity premium, which measures how much the incomes of those in the bottom 40 grow relative to the average population, peaked at 3.1 points in 2012–2018 in the Philippines, compared to 2 points or less in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

However, inequality is still very high: with an income Gini coefficient of 42.3 percent in 2018, the Philippines ranks as the 15th most unequal out of 63 countries for which income Gini coefficients are available and is second only to Thailand in East Asia.

Several structural factors contribute to the persistence of inequality:

  • First, unequal opportunities . Part of any country’s income inequality is due to differences in ability, skills, hard work and luck. But another part of is driven by inequality of opportunity. This is the inequality due to your parent’s education, your gender or your circumstances at birth such as being born in a poor area. Inequality of opportunity unfortunately starts early in life and limits the potential for upward mobility. While there has been considerable progress in expanding access to basic services, large disparities continue to persist between geographic regions and income groups, limiting the development of human capital in lagging areas.
  • Second, schooling. While schooling is widely accessible, its quality and attainment vary by income group . Children from poorer households are less likely to reach age-appropriate grade levels and to transition to tertiary education, which severely constrains their earning potential and their prospects for upward mobility.
  • Third, the shortage of skilled workers which has kept the premium for college education high . Essentially, with an increasing emphasis on skills in the modern economy, the rewards for those who have skills is high, and those without skills are trapped in informal or low productivity jobs. Additionally, tertiary education tends to deliver much higher returns for rich than poor households, possibly due to differences in school quality or fields of study and employment.
  • Fourth, gendered social norms and childcare which contribute to large gaps in the labor market . While comparatively speaking the Philippines is a high performer in gender equality globally, women's participation in the country’s labor force (at about 50 percent) was one of the lowest in East Asia. This was clearly a missed opportunity for economic growth and heightened prosperity. Women have higher education achievement than men, but social norms, which place responsibility for family care on women, seem to prevent their participation to economic activity and their engagement in more productive jobs.

Of course, COVID-19 and climate shocks such as frequent typhoons threaten worsen the problem and even reverse decades-long gains in reducing poverty and inequality . Recently released national poverty rates for 2021 show an increase in poverty from 16.7 percent in 2018 to 18.1 percent in 2021 despite large government assistance.

While the economy has begun to rebound strongly, signs are emerging that the recovery may be uneven . The shock from the COVID-19 pandemic led to a shift in the workforce to less productive sectors and occupations. Employment in wage work has notably decreased and employment in agriculture has risen. These trends have been concentrated among the youth and the least educated.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have long-term negative impacts on development of human capital. To manage the pandemic shock, a considerable number of poor households have relied on such adverse coping mechanisms as reducing food consumption, which may aggravate already prevalent child malnutrition and stunting. The challenges associated with distance learning during the pandemic could also have an adverse effect on the educational attainment and learning outcomes of youth. Children from poorer households are placed at even greater disadvantage because they had less access to resources that could help support remote learning.

The report brings up important policy areas for consideration – from healing the pandemic’s scars and building resilience of vulnerable population groups; to setting the stage for a vibrant and inclusive recovery through education and skilling; and to promoting equal opportunities. But of course, this is a vast topic, and it will be good to hear the insights from speakers today… in particular on how to effectively remedy the reversals from the pandemic and how to build a stronger foundation for future inclusive growth by reducing inequality of opportunity.

Thank you so much for joining this discussion. We are honored that Secretary Balisacan, an academic authority in the area of poverty and inequality is able to deliver a keynote speech. We also have an exciting line-up of panelists, all playing a lead role in helping the Philippines address poverty and inequality. On the Bank side, I am delighted that my colleague Hassan Zaman, Regional Director who oversees our programs in Economic Management, Finance and Institutions in the East Asia region will deliver remarks before the detailed presentation that will be given by the team.  I look forward to hearing from all of you during the discussion.

Maraming Salamat Po. 

Download Full Report  |  Report Key Findings  |  Report Launch Event

Press Release , "PHILIPPINES: Reducing Inequality Key to Becoming a Middle-Class Society Free of Poverty"

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informative essay about poverty in the philippines

Poverty in the Philippines Essay – 1040 words – Essay On Poverty in the Philippines

poverty in philippine essay

Poverty is perhaps the most major burning issue in Philippines. The present scenario of poverty isn’t comfortable here. Corresponding to its temperament, destitution in the Philippines emerged from the fast populace development in the country. Poverty is the burning issue in philippines.

The impacts of it are truly noticeable in nature. Neediness makes numerous Filipinos not seek after their schooling. Others appear to be satisfied with their lives as poor. Numerous guardians can’t bear to send their kids to class in light of the fact that, of the monetary issue. The greater part who are influenced by this issue is the individuals who are living in the mountain regions. Some of them live miles from schools.

This is on the grounds that it is simpler for them to take than to go through finding or discovering a line of work. Destitution and wrongdoing have an exceptionally “private” relationship that has been portrayed by specialists from all fields, from sociologists to business analysts. The UN and the World Bank both divisions have a position high off the wrongdoings on the rundown of obstructions to a nation’s turn of events.

This implies that legislatures attempting to manage destitution regularly likewise need to confront the issue of wrongdoing as they attempt to foster their nation’s economy and society overall, the additional time you spend at school the less vicious you will turn into. Schools don’t simply show you history or math, they show you how to live in the public arena. In any case, the genuine issue is kids in poor metropolitan regions in any event, going to class by any stretch of the imagination? Are they acquiring any friendly abilities while being methodically segregated?

Individuals living alongside contaminated spots are influenced by their ill-advised cleanliness and metropolitan tenants are considerably more influenced by their lacking admission of quality food sources. The absence of admittance to exceptionally nutritious food varieties, particularly in the current setting of rising food costs, is a typical reason for ailing health. Helpless taking care of practices, for example, deficient breastfeeding, offering some unacceptable food varieties, and not guaranteeing that the youngster gets sufficient nutritious food, add to ailing health. This is the motivation behind why numerous youngsters kicked the bucket, it is a regional youngster every year.

Table of Contents

Essay On Poverty In The Philippines

Contrasted and kids whose families had salaries of essentially double the neediness line during their youth, helpless kids finished two less long stretches of tutoring, acquired not exactly half so much, worked 451 fewer hours out of each year, gotten $826 each year more in food stamps as grown-ups, and are almost multiple times as prone to report helpless by and large wellbeing. Helpless guys are more than twice as liable to be captured.

For females, destitution is related with a more than fivefold improvement in the probability of bearing a youngster without any father present before age 21″ (Duncan, 93). Without a doubt, youngsters experiencing childhood in neediness come from single-parent families. The impacts of destitution take an instrument since no one needs to be poor so individuals take the necessary steps to take care of their families whether it be selling drugs or burglarizing individuals will take the necessary steps to remain alive. The Causes and Effects of Poverty

Currently, destitution is perhaps the most shocking issue on the planet. There is a colossal number of individuals that bite the dust each year because of the absence of good guidelines for living like schooling, occupations, food, and medical services. Numerous nations all throughout the planet have an assortment of individuals who need assistance to live in troublesome conditions. Be that as it may, very few individuals from created nations help these sorts of individuals who are out of luck. Destitution has an assortment of causes, and it additionally has many adverse consequences.

Poverty in the Philippines Essay

A few factors that brought about the drop in neediness are the extension of occupations outside the farming area, government moves and getting qualified Filipinos to help through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. This specific program which is an administration cash-present venture has diminished neediness by 25%.

 A large portion of the Philippines is hit with huge tropical storms and still have a furnished clash. These situations are a genuine battle to the regular specialist who, even following a monotonous day, actually returns home poor. Because of these elements, numerous residents wind up leaving behind ranch work and go get work in assembling centres in the metropolitan spaces of the country. These positions outside the horticultural vault have represented 66% of the advancement in lessening neediness in the Philippines.

One of the critical procedures to help cut down neediness in the Philippines is giving conception prevention to poor people. In an extreme move for the intensely populated Catholic country, the President made promptly accessible anti-conception medication to almost 6 million ladies who can’t bear the cost of it.

Giving contraception is a useful asset for families who currently have full command over family arranging. The expectation is by giving the ladies and nuclear families more control, they will have fewer youngsters. This, thus, will imply that families can give all the more mindfully. This new approach will help the public authority arrive at its objective of lessening destitution by 13% by 2022.

The current Filipino populace is at 104 million and keeps on increasing at a disturbing pace of 1.7 % every year. This new law will empower families to control the number of kids they need. It will likewise ideally bring down the populace rate to 1.4 per cent every year once the government completely execute the law.

Despite the fact that the Philippines have buckled down in the past to lessen their neediness and stay aware of their neighbours China, Vietnam and Indonesia, they actually have far to go. Marak K. Warwick of The World Bank accepts that with a strong establishment there is motivation to be hopeful that the Philippines can accomplish their objective.

The objective for the Philippine government is to make more positions, further develop efficiency, put resources into wellbeing and sustenance while zeroing in on diminishing neediness. On the off chance that the public authority can execute its arrangements effectively, it is fit for decreasing destitution in the Philippines by 13 to 15 per cent by 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions?

What is Poverty?

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Short Essays About Poverty – Examples And More

Examples of short essays about poverty.

POVERTY – It is one of the most prevalent problems throughout the world. In this article, we are going to give examples of short essays about poverty.

Short Essays About Poverty - Examples And More

Poverty is but a byproduct of several inadequacies of a government. People might argue that being poor should not be a reason to remain in poverty. Some might even argue that all a person truly needs is hard work and determination.

Although there are several rags to riches stories already, the majority of the time, that is not the case. As such, the question we should be asking is why?

The answer is simple – a lack of opportunity. Because of the large gap between the poor and the middle class and the rich, there is a gross lack of opportunities for those in the poorest sectors.

This is due to several factors as well. However, the primary reason for this is a lack of education. Or rather, a lack of an educational system that serves as a platform for students to excel in life rather than just academics.

Today’s educational system highly rewards those who are “hardworking” when studying. Tests are mostly done as a measure of how much a student “remembers” rather than how much they “understand”.

Governments cut the budget for their educational plans and as a result, better programs are set aside. Thus, in order to start addressing the problems of poverty, me must first address the problems with the educational system.

Thanks for reading. We aim to provide our readers with the freshest and most in-demand content. Come back next time for the latest news here on Philnews.

Like this article? READ ALSO: The Man With The Hoe – Full Text Of The Poem By Edwin Markham

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Guest Essay

Pandemic Pantries in the Streets? You Communist!

informative essay about poverty in the philippines

By Glenn Diaz

Mr. Diaz is a writer based in Manila. His second novel, “Yñiga,” about the spate of political killings in the Philippines in the 2000s, was shortlisted for the 2020 Novel Prize.

MANILA — The day the city went back into a hard lockdown in late March, I started a ritual: Trapped again, I took to counting the ambulance sirens I’d hear from my place in Quezon City, the most populous area of this sprawling capital. At one point, blare after dystopian blare came every 20 minutes or so.

The confirmed Covid-19 case total in the Philippines breached the one million mark in late April. New daily cases were averaging about 7,700 this week, down from a peak of about 10,800 in mid-April, but that’s still considerably more than the previous high of about 4,400 in late August. And the Department of Health warned recently that the situation could quickly worsen again and the Philippines could face the “big possibility” of an “India-like” catastrophe.

Dire superlatives limn the costs of the state’s neglect. Figures for infections and deaths per capita in the Philippines are now the worst in Southeast Asia. The economic downturn here has been the steepest in the region . The country faces the most sluggish economic recovery .

I started counting sirens out of helplessness and rage; it was a desperate attempt to get a handle on what is really happening on the ground, given competing accounts and confounding official policies.

At the height of the recent surge, the government claimed that around 14 percent of beds in intensive care units in Metro Manila were still available , even as social media feeds were flooded with calls for help and stories of patients being taken to facilities four or five hours away because of long waiting lists.

The health care system is buckling after decades of austerity and privatization . But more than anything, the culprit is the Duterte administration’s penchant for solutions anchored in brute force and draconian control rather than science and concern for the public’s welfare.

Led by a Covid task force filled with military officials , the government’s pandemic response is bannered by a militarized approach to containment, exceedingly strict lockdowns and punitive measures against supposed violators. One man accused of breaking quarantine reportedly died after being forced by police officers to do squat-like exercises as punishment.

In late March, a journalist succumbed to the virus after isolating himself in his car : He had stocked it with food and water, terrified of infecting his family and only too aware of the dire state of health facilities. Around that time, Mr. Duterte vanished from the public eye for a couple of weeks, fueling rumors about his failing health. (#PatayNaBa — Is he dead? — trended on Twitter.)

Still, the government insisted that it had done an “ excellent job ” of containing the virus. “ We did not fall short ,” Mr. Duterte intoned in his trademark drawl after he reappeared.

His spokesman, Harry Roque — who tested positive for the virus in early April and miraculously found an empty bed at the top government hospital — has placed the blame for the recent surge in cases squarely on new virus variants. Not on reopening up too quickly after an earlier lockdown, not on a virtually nonexistent contact-tracing system, not on a botched vaccination deal that may have delayed the beginning of inoculations by months. As of Friday, just 0.3 percent of the population had been fully vaccinated, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.

Look at Germany, look at France, the government says; rich countries are also suffering. A memo from the presidential communications office was leaked recently: It directed state media to emphasize the global picture “to convey to the public that the Philippines is faring better than many other countries in addressing the pandemic.”

Mr. Duterte, the archetypal strongman, is adamant about controlling the narrative. His government has remained popular despite a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people , the shutdown of the country’s biggest media network and the jailing of a senator in the opposition. Mr. Duterte is supposed to leave office next year, and his daughter Sara leads opinion polls as the choice for the next president.

It was amid the mounting anguish and collective grief that in mid-April, Ana Patricia Non, who goes by Patreng, placed a rickety bamboo cart on the side of Maginhawa Street , in the mostly well-to-do neighborhood of Quezon City near the campus of the University of the Philippines.

Ms. Non, 26, loaded the cart with the simplest of food items: canned goods, rice and pieces of hardy chayote, a local gourd. Taped on a nearby lamppost were two cardboard signs. One said “Maginhawa Community Pantry.” The other stated the pantry’s operating principle: “Give what you can. Take what you need.”

Among the first photos that spread on social media, one showed an older woman holding open her reusable bag while Ms. Non put bundles of leafy vegetables inside. In another , Ms. Non was crouched next to the pantry, which she replenished with greens from the baskets around her.

As word got around, more people — including a few, no doubt, among the millions who have lost their jobs in the pandemic — made a beeline to Maginhawa.

Rising to the challenge, people sent bagfuls of groceries . The owners of nearby stores where supplies were being bought matched those donations. Farmers from tens of miles north sent sacks of sweet potatoes ; fishermen to the south, kilos of tilapia .

The idea behind the pantries was inviting in its simplicity; the exchange, at its heart, instinctive and mutually gratifying. It linked people and communities torn apart by the lockdown.

Most important, it fed those in need: As of late March, some 3.2 million people in Metro Manila, or almost one in four residents, were thought to be going hungry . Ms. Non’s pantry was like the first drop of rain landing on parched earth.

Within two weeks, more than 400 pantries reportedly had sprouted across the country.

In my neighborhood, not far from Maginhawa, a call for donations went out on Twitter. The following morning, there was a plastic table on the side of a quiet road and on it a bag brimming with garlic, onions and tomatoes — the critical starter ingredients for most Filipino dishes. There were signs bearing the name of our area and Ms. Non’s mantra, “Give what you can. Take what you need.”

With no prodding, someone made better-looking signs. People volunteered for grocery runs. Donations continued to pour in, all accounted for in a public spreadsheet. In a group chat, there were conversations about setting up a soup kitchen or community gardens next.

The pantries exposed the granular suffering that the most vulnerable among us experience daily, the quiet scraping-by. They reminded people of the government’s paltry aid . “ Tayo-tayo na lang ,” went a common refrain on social media; we’re on our own. Like the ambulances I track, the pantries are a coping mechanism that also upends any illusion of normalcy.

Which is why the government’s storytellers promptly went to work. The communists were using the pantries to recruit rebels , they warned. The pantries’ slogan was Marx-adjacent.

Among the most virulent critics is Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. , the garrulous spokesman for the government’s anti-communist task force, which ostensibly was created to end Asia’s longest-running insurgency . In a televised interview on April 20, General Parlade compared Ms. Non with Satan : Both may seem to operate on their own, he said, but in reality they are propped up by a massive, concerted operation — in this case, the vile communist network.

Vice President Leni Robredo , several senators and lawyers’ groups have denounced this red-tagging of pantry organizers and have called for their protection.

The pop-up food banks are an affront to the state’s legitimacy, evidence of the failure of its pandemic response. As a spontaneous expression of a community’s caring, they also expose the violent and self-serving drives that animate this government and subordinate the people’s welfare to political gain.

In July, Congress railroaded an antiterrorism law that critics warned would pave the way for a brazen crackdown on perceived enemies of the state . The nongovernmental organization Karapatan reported more than 50 extrajudicial killings between the law’s passing and the end of 2020; among the victims were community organizers, activists and farmers who had been denounced by state officials.

On March 7, just days after Mr. Duterte ordered security forces to “ kill them all ,” in reference to communist rebels, nine people died in a raid against left-leaning community organizers and activists.

“Give what you can. Take what you need.” How much has the government given, considering what it has taken?

Glenn Diaz ( @glennndiaz ) is the author of the novels “The Quiet Ones” and “Yñiga.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram .

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