The ship is sinking, group yourselves into poor
By Lucky Arcenas | 11/11/23
As the tides of economic hardship surge in the Philippines, around 50% of Filipino families now consider themselves poor. Yes, 13.2 million households drowning in the murky waters of their financial struggles. These poor unfortunate souls: a haunting portrait of a nation in the brink of sinking due to corruption and an underperforming government.
Poverty has always been linked to the Philippines in the recent years. I hate to say it, but it’s true. More and more families identify themselves as poor as the years go by. And I know these aren’t just statistics, I see these numbers in real life.
OCTA Research group gathered the mentioned data in a poll conducted from July 22 to 26. They said that an additional 1.9 million families identified as poor from the estimated 11.3 million families, or 43%, recorded in March. Furthermore, only 9% said they were not poor, while 41% are unsure whether they are poor or not.
As a Filipino who is barely above the poverty line, this saddens me. No, this infuriates me. I know how hard it is to keep up with inflation. To pool our meager earnings only to realize that we have just enough money to buy food like we are on a calorie-deficit diet. Frustrating, tiresome, unfair!
You know, I really commend them for having such thick skulls. With all the news about mismanaged (and confidential) funds? I doubt that the government lacks the budget to address problems that contribute to the rising poverty rate. What do they lack then? Empathy? Honesty? Education? All of the above?
I mean, come on! Addressing the root causes of poverty in the Philippines is long overdue. I am not undermining the help of cash assistance programs, but a quick fix is not a sustainable solution. Livelihood programs and community development projects offer hope, but until when? Most of these often go abandoned after a few years, with funds cut to make way for better projects.
During times of calamities and crises, politicians would always applaud their constituents for showing resilience. A trait often linked to Filipinos. A trait that is taken for granted. A trait that I don’t think we should be showing as much as we do. Taking pride in bouncing back from destruction when we shouldn’t have been destroyed in the first place, really?
Solving poverty is not just a one-time event. It needs long-term investments. They involve creating an environment that encourages economic growth, providing access to quality education, healthcare, and most importantly, social services.
The Philippines is indeed a long way from being poverty-free. But this ship is ours, and the seas around it too! The storm may be fierce, but with the right hands steering the wheel, I’m sure this ship will stay afloat.
