Poverty is a large and persistent problem in the Philippines, affecting deeply about one in four Filipinos, exposing vulnerability to almost all walks of life. The income level set by the government, regardless of how it is calculated, is set too low on approximately P12,000 a year. If my calculations are right, a person earning P32.87 a day is enough to feed himself and is not considered poor. I can hardly imagine. A meal in LB usually costs P40. Now how proportionate is that, considering that we have to eat at least three times a day. If I’m also correct, a minimum wage earner in the NCR can even support a family of six. The reality of seeing slums we along our roads is clearly not a mirror of these figures.
From the grave situation we are in, we can probably deduce that there remains no hope for our country. However, if we look at all angles, we can see that what we have to do is just dig deeper. Then maybe, hope is still possible.


Family Planning
Okay maybe it’s a little weird why there’s an image of a couple in the picture above but come on, we have to admit it. Overpopulation is a very serious problem in our country. PGMA wouldn’t have to propose a two-child policy if she wasn’t desperate enough for an ultimate solution to the alarming head counts. It doesn’t take a genius to notice that the rich bears just two or three children and the poor on the other hand takes liberty and happiness on seeing their household brooding with what seemed to be a dozen of children. The parents don’t have jobs because they are illiterate thus it also follows they can’t sustain even food for themselves. These same poor people blame the government for their miserable state, but they don’t realize they are the ones who impose their misery upon themselves. That’s why the government on the other hand should take seriously family planning or sex education. Though it may not eradicate completely overpopulation, it may gradually decrease its incidence.

Local Government
Philippines’ poor include individuals of all ages, races, religions and regions but poverty is more prevalent among some groups than others like ARMM, Caraga and Central Luzon. Why have to blame everything to the president and yadayada whereas the problem is actually localized? Therefore, the local government units play a key role in bringing development and uplifting poverty. A concrete example is my hometown, Naga City. Several years ago, it was considered a very poor and a mere third class municipality. Now? It is the premiere city of the Bicol Region and was even awarded as one of Asia’s fastest developing cities. I have experienced the great leadership of our Mayor Jesse Robredo, who has translated good governance to the values of cooperation in a community, thereby mobilizing us to be good citizens. If we elect this kind of leaders, who knows, for the next few years we can go from local to national progress.

Social welfare programs
Our population is constantly growing and therefore the demand for services also increases. It has been recently reported that the administration has itself junked the idea of Charter Change and is now focusing on social-welfare programs in order to alleviate poverty. Yes of course we know those poverty reduction programs attempt for a long term difference. However, this topic is pretty vague, and we have to tackle some of its aspects – education programs, jobs and job training, feeding programs.

Feeding programs
There is nothing wrong with conducting feeding programs once in a while. We have even experienced this in high school wherein we had gift-giving activities and afterwards we have to write reaction papers about it. However, I believe that this isn’t what will be the solution to a problem that big. Moreover, being conscious of programs like this, they tend to just sit and wait for the freebies to come in, not wanting to carry on their lives themselves. That’s why it is advisable for organizations and concerned individuals not to focus on this kind of activity.

Education
A child from a very poor family program doesn’t hold any high hopes for an intensive education, let alone graduating even in elementary. Poverty, social exclusion, long distance and poor health are, likewise, factors that weigh heavily on children and dampen their interest to pursue schooling. Therefore, a great challenge is in stored for every school in a locality, especially the subsidized ones. They have to have a clear mission and vision, making them be accommodating rather than intimidating. The experience and instruction that they should impart with the students should be meaningful and values-based. Likewise, I always believe in the power of a barangay day care center. As a free service to the community, this center should provide teachers and curriculum that would encourage children not to skip class and actively participate.

Jobs and Job Training
I came across a saying from Confucius: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. This is the foremost reason why I said feeding programs aren’t enough. Poor families, having limited access to formal education, should be equipped with the means to start and sustain livelihood enterprise. PGMA herself stated that entrepreneurship in basic education system is the ultimate solution to poverty, and that land, labor and capital would be of no use if not properly managed by an inventive and innovative entrepreneur. Therefore, it is expected that the government itself would provide job training programs that would stimulate the less unfortunate to work for themselves.
Once again, I would like to emphasize a challenge for local government units. Being the smallest society next to family, the barangay should provide poverty solution to its constituents by providing livelihood programs that are fit in the natural resources they are endowed upon. For example, in Camarines Sur where pili is everywhere, officials can assemble their residents in the barangay hall and conduct workshops that can teach them how to fully utilize the crop.


It is quite obvious that I’m handing out solutions that concerns mostly local government units. In the Philippines, most local governments depend on their share of the national tax collections. Less than one-fourth of the municipalities earn enough revenues to pursue development projects. This is one of the downsides of a centralized form of government.
With enough funding and resources, local governments can address the problems of their constituents with more concentration and urgency than the extra bureaucratic processes of the national government. Furthermore, through an effective and transparent leadership, citizens of the local community would all battle for the final obliteration of the harsh condition they are most determined to escape from.

----- A Photo Blog submitted by Faye dR. Levina, Posc E1 ------