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This is my submission for The Philippine Issues Writing Project. With much thought, it becomes clear, if it’s not already, that poverty in our nation is by far the most important issue that we face today. Because it touches on so many aspects of our nation, including injustice, and the hindering of our own progress, we must address it with a resolve like we have never had before.

It is poverty, in my opinion, that has kept us in the grips of corruption, or even vice versa, it is poverty that has kept our youth from striving to become their full potential, and it is poverty that is both a symptom and a manifestation of the injustices that occurs on all levels of our society. Both cause and effect, a web of under-performance that has thrust our nation behind, always trying to catch up to the rest of the world.

Poverty, my dear friends, readers, colleagues, and fellow Filipinos, is literally the death sentence of thousands, if not millions, of our brothers and sisters.

Poverty itself becomes the spark of many debates, including population control in The Philippines, corruption in government and private sector, medical treatment for the poor, adequate health care for all, the strategy of debt reduction, capital expenditure focus, microeconomic strategies, macroeconomic strategies, crime, and even the selling of kidneys.

And as if that’s not enough of a burden, our current government touts its many accomplishments, and is yet to be candid about our worsening state of poverty. Last year, economic growth hit a 31-year high of 7.3 percent, and yet it is a fact that the number of Filipinos under the poverty level has increased. And thus, we must conclude, that even with such increases in our economy, these all become just numbers, until we maintain and sustain the economic growth necessary to implement microeconomic strategies that will alleviate the plight of our poor brethren.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a great resource to dive deep into the causes of poverty in The Philippines. The research papers, and the articles, are greatly insightful, and has given us a clearer picture of facts, not just rhetoric. For example, and the following point is important,

The Philippine empirical record demonstrates that the poverty headcount declines when the growth rate of average family income is higher than the rate of inflation. The flipside is an increase in the poverty headcount when the reverse is true, whether or not there was overall economic growth.

That is why, when we talk about economic growth, this will never suffice as something to cheer about, when we have wages that are stagnant, and when we have jobs that are non-existent. Clearly, economic growth is a number that can be influenced by so many factors that have nothing to do with the well being of poverty stricken individuals.

A great deal of analysis has also been done by World Bank, and I invite you to read their two part report on poverty in The Philippines.

Indeed, in a recent Reauters report the preceding argument of economic growth as a non-indicator is confirmed to a great degree,

The Philippines’ poor are expanding by around 1.3 million people every year, as rising food prices and sluggish wage growth mean that more families cannot afford to feed themselves, government data on Wednesday showed.

The bleak picture of 3.8 million people, nearly double the population of Slovenia, slipping below the poverty line in 2003-2006 is an embarrassment for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has paraded her government’s anti-poverty credentials amid a growing economy.

It is thus a fact that 28 Million Filipinos cannot even make the $1 a day that is necessary to get by.

This would take a hundreds of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons, to come up with this number of individuals that is dirt poor and struggling to survive. We think that Myanmar is a tyrant against its own people, what can we say about ourselves when such a tragic number of individuals, 28 million, can barely eek out a day by day lifestyle built on noodles, because maybe rice is too expensive nowadays.

It is almost too much to bear, almost enough to knock me out of my own chair as to the astonishing and astronomical number of individuals who are in suffering.

And so, the great debate ensues, as to how poverty can be alleviated, or if we are on the right track, or more specifically, if the current administration is on the right track when it comes to economic gains and the alleviation of poverty. While we debate, poverty becomes worse. While the politicians tout economic gains, poverty worsens. Surely, there is a need to take the blindfolds away from these politicians, and let them see for themselves, the result of their inequities and their policies or non-policies.

The reason a focus on poverty is so vital, is that it touches on so many social and economic issues that our nation faces. Poverty is the result of the continued result of our government’s lackluster performance as a manager of our money. In my opinion, bordering on criminal.

As I wrote a few weeks back, in response to Walden Bello’s article, “In The Shadow of Death”, while the repayment of debt becomes his main focal point in which to launch an attack, I contend that it must be a coordinated effort waged on multiple fronts, including corruption. But, yes, debt is a major stumbling block in which a vast amount of our wealth is being “siphoned off”.

And I find it encouraging, that individuals such as Mr. Bello, has had the fortitude to not only attack this issue with rhetoric, but have a clear mindset and a clear game plan as to how this is occurring, and how we may be able to get our Filipino Citizens currently living in poverty out of their despair.

I have no doubt, this is a major undertaking, because it involves so many aspects of our society, not just government. It is easy to blame government, but blaming looks into the past, instead of looking forward. We can, however, find solutions, both economic, political, and social. And indeed, all of these must be utilized, because as our issues in The Philippines is multi-dimensional, so too is the issue of poverty.

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