A CRITICAL ANALYSIS PAPER

Infrastructure advancement is one of the critical factors of economic development.

Transport infrastructure such as airports, roads, and railways are critically essential in providing
a better and efficient way of moving goods and services across borders. In fact, one of the most
significant factors that entice investors to open-up businesses in a specific area is the
accessibility of which infrastructure plays an important role. However, even though the
Philippine economy ranks among the best performers in Asia in recent years, the economy still
faces constraints from outdated and insufficient infrastructure. This underdevelopment problem
and inadequate infrastructure systems in the Philippines, specifically in the Mindanao region, are
multi-dimensional.
Rebekah M. Alawi's story talked about her personal experiences during her journey and
unveiled the poor state infrastructure problem in Mindanao's region. In her journey, Rebekah
describes how grueling and exhausting the travel was because of the rough road with potholes as
big as craters of the moon and rocks nearly as big as boulders as she describes. Added to the
struggles and torture they have encountered along the way is the depressing and heartbreaking
sight of extreme poverty—these experiences of Rebekah exhibit inadequate infrastructure
systems and underdevelopment in isolated areas of Mindanao.
The first reason why such problem happen is that there is inefficiency in the
government's initiative and programs in the remote and isolated provinces of the region (Lacorte
et al., 2019). This inefficiency and failure of government development efforts navigate the
neglect of Mindanao's infrastructure needs, as told in the story that the author gives utterance on
how their travel went on and the travails they have encountered along the way.
The second reason is the low and unjust allocation of funds, which negatively contributes
to the region's economic status quo and impacts the lives of Filipinos. Further, the setting
described in the story may well fall in this category since the author was able to emphasize the
ways and standards of living in barrios and far-flung places, which denotes that these
communities have a low standard of living. In addition to that, the author also underscores the
low level of infrastructure and poor transportation in the area. Having such problems does
influence the status of the region.
 Lastly, the threat to security and peace stability. Adriano and Parks (2013) assert that
Mindanao has shown highly uneven and unjust development, with the conflict-affected regions
having the lowest levels of growth. Conflict-affected Mindanao areas have the highest poverty
levels and the lowest level of human development in the Philippines. And this holds true
especially when the NPA-infested regions, such as Surigao del Sur (of which Aras-Arasan is
located), are considered and the sight of extreme poverty mentioned by the story.
To conclude, Rebekah Alawi's odyssey depicts the truest situation in the Philippines,
especially in secluded and remote areas of Mindanao, where government support could hardly be
felt. Also, improvement of rural infrastructure seems to be a clear means by which many people
might acquire the opportunity to participate in the market economy and thereby raise themselves
out of poverty (Oraboune, 2008). Furthermore, to resolve the said issue, the struggle with budget
allocation, armed conflict, and injustices must first be addressed as political development and
economic growth are closely interrelated with each other.