Our Lady of Fatima University – Quezon City

The Contemporary World

A Case Study
(Final Requirement)

Submitted by:
Pangahin, Kristine Joy
Pucan, Jester
Reyes, Rocelle
Calata, Rafael
Abo-ol, Regine

Submitted to:
Ms. Mara Camille B. Nañez

Date of Submission:
June 6, 2021
 "Global Demography in the Philippines"
By Calata, Rafael

I. Background

Global Demographics are statistical study of characteristics of a large population

over specific time interval. Some of the demographic characteristics are age, race,
gender, ethnicity, religion, income, education, family size, health and disability status.
Some of the factors of Global demography are Crude birth rate, death rate, total fertility
rate, life expectancy, age distribution, working age population, migration and
urbanization.

In the Philippines, the last demography study is conducted is in 2015. Table 1 shows
the data gathered last 2015 census.
Table 1 2015 census

II. Major problems of the case

One of the major problem is the growth rate decline by 1.72% from 1.90%
in year 2010 in which the population is 92,337,852. Population is closely linked in
the economic development of the country. The quantity, quality, structure,
distribution, and movement of a population can help or hinder the rate of economic
development. As of 2021 economic status report the Philippines ranked 73 rd in
 economic freedom and the overall score has decreased primarily because of
decline in trade freedom.

The COVID 19 has the great impact in our population, as of May 28, 2021 the
deaths related to covid is 20,169. The trade and economic freedom is very low due to
implementation of health protocols. More business are in debt and most of them are
closed. Out of 108.1 million population in the Philippines, 2.2% are unemployed.
The inflation rate is now at 2.5%.

We need to be balance in letting the economy operate while considering health

protocols. Creation of more jobs are effective to increase the gross domestic products.
Online jobs or work from home are great way to sustain the economy while reducing
the risk of being infected.

Issues

Philippines also have high fertility rate which is 3 children are born per adult
woman. The major problem is that the more than half of children born every year are
illegitimate and the percentage of illegitimate children is rising every year is rising by
2%. Some of the females in are unwed single mothers from teenage pregnancy. One
of the reason of unwanted pregnancy is lack of sex education and inaccessibility of
contraceptive methods. More people are hesitant to modern scientific contraceptives
due to opposition of the Catholic Church. Also male machismo attitude among Filipino
many Filipino contributed ti high rates of unwanted and teenage pregnancy.
Consequently, 9% of women 15 to 19 years of age have begun childbearing and every
year there are 610 000 unsafe abortions.40% of women in reproductive age are
married and 17% are unmarried sexually active women. Only 46% of married women
so not use contraceptives and only 14% uses traditional method.
Suggested Solutions

There are many cause of high fertility rate among Filipino women and the best way
to approach the problem is solving it in the grass roots. Eliminating stigmatism is one
of the best way to encourage women to use scientific methods of stigmatism. It is
known that most of the country’s populations are catholics and their belief is against
the use of contraception. Another way of eliminating unwanted and teenage
pregnancy is sex education. Sex education should be thought to school specifically in
junior and senior high school where teenagers have high possibility of being sexually
active. The access to contraceptives methods should be increase so that more people
can be encourage and use it.

Reference

Lee, M. and Schuele, . C. Melanie (2014, October 28). Demographics. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/demographics

Bloom, D. and Canning, D. (2006). Global Demography:Fact, Force, and Future.

https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/confs/2006/bloom-canning.html

Demography of the Philippines (2021, May 11). Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Philippines

Yanjiu, R. (1984, September 29). On the Relationship between population and

Economic Development. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12159284/

2021 index of economic freedom (2021). The Heritage foundation.

https://www.heritage.org/index/country/philippines
 GLOBAL MIGRATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

By Pucan, Jester

I. Background

For over the decades, Filipinos who leave the country for temporary work is more
predominant than those who permanently reside overseas. Though there are some who
want to migrate and become temporary works but will eventually desire for permanent
residency in that country. Filipinos leaving the country to find opportunity in the middle
east is predominant in the 70s to 80s. Female OFWs were rampant in migrant deployment
since the eighties. Some sixty five to seventy percent who migrate to other countries are
women.

The Philippines is apparently experiencing a whirlpool of socio economic and political

crisis for decades. The country is basically still suffering from devastating poverty levels,
rapid population growth, high unemployment rates and jobs with low wages. In fact, if we
compare the Philippines to other countries in eastern Asian nations, analysis point out
that the Philippines has one of the least performing economies. Filipino migrants save the
economy through the system of remittances, as the country still continue to suffer due to
lack of foreign exchange. Even though the remittances only represent a little amount in
our GDP, the Philippine economy’s performance still depends critically on remittances
and exports. The government acknowledges the positive effect of overseas employment
on the welfare of its citizens. The funds that these overseas Filipino workers transfer from
the other countries to the Philippines is called remittances and it plays a vital role in the
economy of the Philippines. Filipino workers abroad sent home $7 million in 1999 alone.
A large contributor of these remittances came from female OFWs.

An economist pointed out that this country has been suffering boom and bust cycles
or the episodes of recurring economic drop, that has a great impact to the economy.
Additionally, these are the problems the Filipinos are facing that cause them to migrate to
other countries to look for jobs:

A. Slow growth and lack of economic opportunities

 Scarcity in job opening remains the major issue that the Filipinos confront in this
country. Lack of job opportunities has been one of the greatest factors why many Filipinos
consider migrating to the other countries for a job. According to some sources, the
country’s unemployment rate was up by 1% to 20.7% that equivalents to estimated 9
million of Filipinos who don’t have a job.

Indeed, unemployment is the biggest problem that this country is continuing to face.
Scarcity in job opportunities here has forced many Filipinos to seek a brighter future
abroad. Additionally, high employment is also high in the youth sector because companies
are hesitant in hiring young individuals who have no job experience or formal training.

B. Income inequality and assets

In March 2017 report, the Asian development bank has concluded that the income
inequality is increasing in the Philippines and other Asian countries. The Philippines is
definitely not seeing the equality rise when it comes to employment. Causes of income
inequality includes the rising proportion of urban households, age distribution changed,
increasing number of educated households and wage rate inquality. The distribution of
income in urban populations is somewhat greater than in rural places. As the economy
develops, urban populations rises. Age distribution changes affects the income inequality
in a way that elderly people’s income is lower than the young, and the increasing number
of elderly people can lead to the increased number of households with low income.

C. High population growth

High population can lead to unemployment because there will be a wider distribution
of jobs to individuals respectively. Compared with other south east Asian countries, the
Philippines has been facing the rapid population growth. According to POPCOM, an
estimated 10% of country’s populations or nearly 8 million Filipinos are working abroad.
Of course there are some benefits the overpopulation bring, more people means more
workforce, it can lead to productions of many things. However, the population should be
similar to the food supply, so overpopulation will lead to lack of resources and that include
employments. When the population increases faster than the average, it will absorb more
foods and other resources, and it can reduce the number of jobs that is available.
D. Low growth of productivity

Productivity refers to the efficacy of a company or country transform its resources into
functional products. By improving productivity, we can set greater employment
opportunities. A competent productivity enhances the ability of a country by increasing
the economic growth that helps us to b provided more human resources with the same
amount of resources.

E. Low salary

I can say that this is the major reason why Filipinos leave the country. They seek jobs
in other countries that have the higher wages. The Philippines’ average salary of P15,000
is ranked as among the lowest in 110 countries surveyed by Picordi.com. This is probably
because of several reasons:

First, the Philippines is lacking in broad industrial base. We have an agricultural

economy and our farmers are not paid regular daily wages.

Second, the economy of the Philippines is very limited by the exploitation of our natural
resources, which needs technology and capital, two factors that can be only achieved
abroad.

Third, our educational curriculum is not science oriented, although science is offered
but in doses that;s enough to create technology. Most of our technologies came from the
other countries.

Last but not the least, our government is incompentent in many instances, it is corrupt.
Corruption hinders the growth of our economy, it deprives the people the resources they
deserve since people pay taxes.

II. Major problems of the case

Slow growth or lack of economic opportunities that leave many Filipinos no choice but
to go overseas to seek for jobs. Additionally, high population growth that causes a wider
distribution of opportunities to Filipino individuals and causes the scarcity in our
resources. Lastly, the minimum wages in the Philippines.
III. Suggest solutions to these major problems

Lack of job opportunities is one of the major culprits why many Filipinos reside to other
countries rather than their home country. Underemployment may be one of the struggles
many Filipinos face through the year because of some reasons, may it be political,
personal or social. However, this doesn’t mean that this won’t be solved since many
Filipinos are known for their hardwork and drive to pursue their dreams, the government
just have to support them in every step of the way. These are few of my suggested
solutions on how we are going to give this problem a resolution:

Education and Job Training. The goal is to give the long term unemployed individuals
new skills which will make it easier for them to find jobs in certain companies. However
this will probably take several years to decrease the unemployment since some of
unemployed individuals might be hesitant or unwilling in learning new skills. The
government must also provide the people technical and vocational colleges and manual
labor should be required. Large companies should have connections to these colleges to
be implemented.

National wealth thru industrialization should be increased. If there are more

industries, there will be more spaces for employment available for the unemployed
individuals.

The government must improve the geographical mobility. Often there are many
unemployed individuals in rural areas. To solve this problem, the government should
distribute the tax breaks to LGU in depressed areas. This will give financial assistance to
unemployed individuals.

The second major problem, overpopulation on the other hand is one of the factors
why resources are very limited in this country. The Philippines is literally a small country,
and its resources are limited. We can’t afford to divide these resources just so we can
provide every person’s needs.

We should focus on empowering women, family planning, be open to educational

training, government incentives and one child legislation. The Philippines is a very
conservative country which is why we’re facing the consequences in terms of population.
 Third major problem is the low income salary in the Philippines that has been included
in the OFWs reasons why they leave the country. It has become a burden to us all,
because who wouldn’t be burdened by the salary that could barely get your through the
day? The problem with the minimum wage being kept at poverty levels is that the
struggling individuals are not able to buy things. Properous working class is the backbone
of our economy. There are millions of working class people in the country. Large
proportion of them work for wages that force them to live below the poverty lines. Let’s
think about it, if you’re going to build a business, what is the first you will be requiring? Of
course the customers for your product. You will definitely find these customers where the
economy is prosperous. The way to solve the minimum wage problem is to first solve the
poverty by mandating the minimum wage be a living wage. High salary and great benefits
force Filipinos to migrate to other countries.

IV. The best solution to be implemented.

Alleviating the poverty. Poverty is the reason why many Filipinos are forced to migrate
to other countries, they want a better and more comfortable life where their efforts are
always recognized.

V. Detail how this solution should be implemented.

First, we must create adequate paying jobs that can support individuals and families
above poverty line. In ways that we could advice people to take initiative such as raising
the minimum wage to living wage. Second, it is necessary to increase the accessibility of
public good. This includes proper educations, health benefits and affordable shelter and
child care. Third, we have to guide policies that support and encourage the building of
industries. This will provide resources to lower income communities which is very
fundamental. Finally, we have to choose our right leaders. The government plays a big
role to our economy and resources. A strong and effective government that is critical in
addressing the poverty in national level.
References.

Panay News (2019) Lack of Job Opportunities https://www.panaynews.net/lack-of-job-

opportunities/ World Bank (2019) Philippine Economic update

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/philippines/publication/philippines-

economicupdate-october-

2019edition#:~:text=The%20Philippines'%20growth%20outlook%20is,2020%20and%20

6.2% 25%20in%202021.

ADB (2009) Poverty in the Philippines: Causes, Constraints and Opportunities

https://www.adb.org/publications/poverty-philippines-causes-constraints-

andopportunities

MPRA (2014) Overseas Filipino Workers Remittances, Inequality and Quality of Life

in the Philippines https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/56070/1/MPRA_paper_56070.pdf

Betsy Gallup (2019) Can Overpopulation Decrease Jobs?

https://work.chron.com/can-overpopulation-decrease-jobs-26855.html

Ernie Cecilia (2020) How productive is Philippine labor?

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/01/30/campus-press/how-productive-is-
philippinelabor/678240/

BusinessWorld (2019) Agriculture: low productivity and high production costs

https://www.bworldonline.com/agriculture-low-productivity-and-high-production-costs/
 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

By Reyes, Rocelle

I. Background

The world is currently facing extreme challenges to sustainable development. The

food crisis, energy crisis, financial crisis, a global recession and of course, the looming
climate crisis are all interconnected and the only way of addressing them effectively is
through integrated solution.

The difficulties of access to the labor market remains in the post-crisis period,
particularly for younger people and for those countries more affected by the crisis. The
economic conditions with the precariousness of the labor market and higher
unemployment taxes for youth, draws a scenario where the risk of poverty and social
exclusion could influence young people and discourage them from social and economic
participation, and thus the number of young people not in employment, education, or
training (NEETs) will increase.

Global climate change will challenge sustainable development in the 21st century.
Recent evidence indicates that human-induced global warming is already occurring. In
particular, changes in atmospheric temperature, sea levels, and precipitation patterns will
impact the natural environment, agricultural, human settlement and health.

Several challenges threaten progress towards sustainable development goals. The

spike in food and energy prices in 2008 led to severe food crisis. The subsequent fail of
energy has eased some of the pressure on energy importing countries. Yet, food prices
remain high. The global financial and economic crisis in 2009 has exacerbated the
situation: growth rates are falling, unemployment is rising, poverty is deepening, hunger
and malnutrition are on increase, and the achievement of the Millennium Development is
in jeopardy.
 II. Major problems of the case

ECOSOC operates at the center of the UN system's work on all three pillars of
sustainable development—economic, social and environmental. Without these pillar a
country cannot be said to be sustainable developed.

1. Poverty

Poverty often causes people to put relatively more pressure on environment which
result in larger families (due to high death rates and insecurity), improper human waste
disposal leading to unhealthy conditions, more pressure on fragile land to meet their
needs, overexploitation of natural resources and more deforestation. Insufficient
knowledge about agricultural practices can also lead to a decline in crop yield and
productivity etc.

2. Unemployment

This is reflected in high levels of unemployment and underemployment. These

problems are particularly severe among young people, with youth unemployment rates
exceeding 50% in many SIDS. This is compounded by the poor quality of jobs that are
available to young people. Due to a number of factors, including demography, the
situation of young people is not expected to improve in the decades ahead. High rates of
unemployment and under-employment, particularly among young men, are often
associated with anti-social behaviors, including crime and drug use. This constitutes a
threat to political stability and sustainable development.

3. Climate change

The consequences and cost of climate change on our world will define the 21 st
century. Even if nations across the planet were to take immediate steps to curb carbon
emission- a warmer climate is inevitable. As the recent report by the U.N.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted, human-created warming will persist
for centuries to millennia and will continue to cause further long –term changes in the
climate system, such as sea level rise. As these effects progress they will have serious
impacts on human society. In the coming decades climate change will have increasingly
threaten human security in many parts of the worlds, disproportionately affecting the least
developed countries. Climate change will pose economic, social and political
predicaments that will challenge the successful implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).

4. Suggested solution

The sustainable development is now facing is the Poverty, Unemployment and

climate change. The government need to support the generation of development

opportunities through inclusive education and decent work. The sustainable development
in general and the social sustainability in particular needs to solve this important issue to
get a balanced and fair social and economic scenario. Here are the suggested possible
solutions to this problem that can be steps to eradicate unsustainable development in the
country.

1. Increase access to Education

Greater spending on education and training can enable higher-skilled

workforce. Increased access to education can contribute to reduced
poverty. Acquired basic skills such as reading, writing and numeracy, have
a documented positive effect on marginalized populations incomes.
It increases the rate of the return on the economy.

2. Reducing occupational immobility

Is one of the possible solution can be applied in the Philippines.

There is an oversupply of workers and a good amount of graduates every
year who fall into unemployment. By enlisting them in retraining courses,
they can gain new skills that are necessary to garner them a place in the
workforce.
 3. Mitigate climate change

Some of the most promising ways to mitigate climate change are

what we call “natural climate solution”, to conversation, restoration, and
improved management of land, in order to increase carbon storage or avoid
greenhouse-gas in landscapes worldwide.

5. The best solution to be implemented

Use Your Voice – End Poverty

Eradicate poverty and hunger, guaranteeing a healthy life. Universalize access to

basic services such as water, sanitation and sustainable energy. Support the generation
of development opportunities through inclusive education and decent work. Current
conservative estimates have more than poverty. Right now there are 30 million children
growing up poor in developed nations, in the world’s richest countries. The best way to
help end poverty once and for all, is to use your voice and active engagement to petition
policy makers and private industry to prioritize addressing extreme poverty.
Extreme poverty ends when the world’s poorest countries are given access to tool such
as meaningful jobs, equality education and affordable healthcare.

6. Detail how this solution should be implemented

First, includes proper educations to find a decent job. Second, we must create
adequate paying jobs having a salary which is above the minimum wage. Third, we have
to guide policies that support and encourage the building of industries and we need to
protect our planet and it starts with you. Finally, we need to be wise in choosing our
leaders because, government plays an important role in solving poverty. Political
instability, poor governance and corruption are a major phenomenon affecting poverty in
the world today.
References:

Santos Miguel Ruesga-Benito & Fernando González-Laxe & Xose Picatoste, (2018)
"Sustainable Development, Poverty, and Risk of Exclusion for Young People in
the European Union: The Case of NEETs," Sustainability, MDPI, Open Access
Journal, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, December retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-4-431-55078-5_12
Post 2015:” Measuring the (real) scope of ambition”; Social Watch, (April 2015) retrieved

from

https://www.economicsonline.co.uk/Managing_the_economy/Sustainable_growth.html

“Sustainable development through decent jobs for youth” - United Nations Partnerships

for SDGs platform retrieved from

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=7891

“SDO_BP_Koubi.pdf” (un.org) retrieved from

https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wpcontent/uploads/sites/45/publication/SDO
_BP_Koubi.pdf

Solutions – “Unemployment in the Philippines” (weebly.com) retrieved from

http://econsilp2014.weebly.com/solutions.html

“3 Ways You Can Help Advance Sustainable Development Goals Today”(bard.edu)

retrieved from

https://leadthechange.bard.edu/blog/3-ways-you-can-help-advance-un-
sustainabledevelopment-goals

“Challenges to Sustainable Development | UN DESA | United Nations Department of

Economic and Social Affairs retrieved from

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/financial-crisis/sustainable-development.html
Sustainable Development: “Critical Issues “- free overview of the report - OECD
retrieved from
https://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/sustainabledevelopmentcriticalissuesfreeoverviewoft
hereport.htm#
 Food Security in the Philippines

By Pangahin, Kristine Joy

I. Background

In recent years, the Philippines has recorded the highest number of people
experiencing food insecurity in South East Asia from 2017 to 2019. Apart from this, 59
million people here are experiencing food insecurity according to the United Nations’
Food and Agriculture Organization. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, food
insecurity is a state in which people do not have reliable access to adequate need for
nutritious food. Food security, on the other hand, means that everyone has physical,
economic and social access to an adequate quantity of nutritious food. It has four
essential components: food availability, accessibility and stability and utilization.
Unfortunately, the Philippines does not fully fulfill the four aspects mentioned.
Furthermore, people in a country have the right to have food on the dining table.

The Philippines is one of the developing countries in South-East Asia and the main
cause of poverty here is poverty and the uncontrollable increase in population in the
country. In 2019, it was recorded that the Philippines was ranked 13th in the largest
population in the world. It has an estimated 108 million people in the country and 25% of
them are on the verge of poverty. As a result, the increase in population and the declining
productivity of agriculture and food manufacture caused hunger and food inadequacy in
the country even before the arrival of the COVID 19 pandemic

At the beginning of March year 2020, the whole world went through a severe health
crisis, this infectious disease COVID-19 was denounced and it even caused a pandemic.
More than 100 million Filipinos have experienced extreme hardship in any aspect of life
physically, socially, spiritually and economically. From last year to the present, many
people have lost their jobs in their respective companies, others have closed due to the
enforcement of community quarantine in order to thereby protect and prevent this
contagious disease in the particular area. One of those affected here is the agricultural
sector, due to the enforcement of the community lockdown in some parts of the region.

The agricultural sector was one of the most affected by the pandemic. Due to the
reinforcement of the rural community lockdown, farmers and animal keepers stopped
working, the result of which was a decrease in the number of harvests per day and the
number of meat stocks in the market. As business workers respond to this, they raise
the price of commodities. For instance, the price of pork in metro manila rose 77% 5
months ago, which added to 17.1% of inflation rate in the meat category. In the
meantime, vegetables rose by 21.2%. Besides, the country's food inflation rate has risen
by 6.2% and more than two out of ten Filipinos are not eating what the Food and Drug
administration has provided. This has doubled now compared to previous years (Social
Weather Stations, 2020). Consequently, the Department of Agriculture has allocated a
fund of 28,729,200,000 Philippine pesos aimed at meeting food adequacy and 25% of
the said fund will be used to repay debts and subsidies in producing rice crops. In
contrast, many farmers objected to this because they could no longer afford the weight of
the debt and another of their problems, the rice tariffication law signed by President
Duterte in February, 2019, which aims to remove quantitative restrictions of rice
importation in this way farmers have the freedom to import rice without limits (The New
Humanitarian. Org, 2021)

The decline in the country’s food availability rate could affect the food accessibility
of people within the economy. The government's restriction on the protocols to be
implemented in every part of the country is a factor why the importation of food or goods
is small and slow and the price increase in the markets so people experience insufficient
supply of nutritious foods. Moreover, people who have lost their jobs cannot afford priced
foods such as meat, vegetables, fruits and so on, because they have no income.

Although the government is making great efforts to fill the food shortages of
Filipinos, such as cash assistance or ayuda in their call. It is also not enough to constantly
supply the daily needs of those affected by the pandemic and often the food supplies
provided by the government are canned goods, instant noodles and others with excessive
preservatives and high sodium content that can be detrimental to the human body.

II. Major Problems of the case

The major problems that have caused food security in the Philippines in the midst
of the pandemic are the lack of food availability, accessibility, and utilization. These are
pillars of food security without it a country cannot be said to be food secured.

Food unavailability

It involves production, import capability, holding stock and secured aid. The
Philippines is a developing country whose main source of food depends on agriculture.
As a result of this pandemic, the livelihoods of Filipinos, such as farming, fishing, and
animal husbandry, have completely collapsed.

Because the Philippines is located in the central part of the Pacific. Climate
change, typhoons and droughts in the country are often experienced during pandemic
and have a major impact on the cultivation of vegetables or rice. For instance, the rise in
temperature can cause drying of rice and crops and it can also cause widespread death
of fish due to the lack of oxygen in the sea caused by the heating of the ocean water.
The African swine fever outbreak is also one of the causes of the shortage of pork sold
in wet markets. So, its price went up and as a result there were almost no buyers so
other pork sellers closed the store.

Furthermore, the people of the Philippines are experiencing an inadequate supply

of meat, fruits and rice during this pandemic. Due to the closure of wet markets and the
halting of their transportation to their destinations, including the government's restriction
on travel bans here and abroad as well as the export and import of products. So, there
was a massive disruption of the supply chain in the country.
Food inaccessibility

The big problem facing the country today is the lack of income of those working in
the industry, at the same time the collapse of the Philippine economy during the pandemic
of 2020. As stated in the Asian Development Bank, the GDP of the Philippines has shrunk
by 2.0% compared to this year with a 6.5% GDP rate due to the implementation of
enhanced Community quarantine. 8.8 % of Filipinos are unemployed this year, lower
than last year’s 17.1 % percentage. The Unemployment of Filipinos is the reason for not
having enough food at the dinner table.

Additionally, food access depends on the country’s economy. Famine in the

country is a symbol of poverty. Low and unequal wage payments affect the acquisition
or purchase of food. As Filipinos are experiencing today, they earn only half of their
wages compared to last year even before the pandemic because of this the traders in the
country decided to increase the retail price of their products especially the price of
vegetables and meat that people often consume every day so there is very little chance
of them being able to afford the amount imposed.

Improper food utilization

Because people have no income. They cannot afford foods with high nutritional
value, so they just buy cheaper foods, such as canned goods, instant noodles, junk foods
etc. in the store. And proper food storage is also involved here, sometimes people have
no knowledge on how to store goods to last them so often it is spoiled or perishable.
Another, sanitation in food preparation. Many people get sick here because the food that
is infested with bacteria is not clean, so many people get sick and in fact it can add to the
cost of hospitalization.
 Human food consumption also has a huge impact on health. Filipinos consume a
lot of salt in food and cheap food is almost high in sodium and sugar content, so many
get sick from it. In the Philippines, there are many underweight, especially age range
children who are 5 years old and below who are not getting enough nutrition needed in a
day because of poverty as well. Others who have a job and earn well are over consuming
food so some buyers can no longer buy food because it is out of stock so the distribution
of food does not become even.

III. Suggested Solutions

The food insecurity facing our country at the moment is the lack of food availability,
not immediately accessing them and the improper utilization of food to get more benefit
from it. Here are the suggested possible solutions to this problem that can be steps to
eradicate food insecurity in the country.

Food availability

• Improve the existing infrastructure program and make it long term. In order for the
exchange of goods in the market to be fast and efficient, farmers need more
equipment for crop processing and production to adapt to changes before the
climate changes.

• It is also important to build adequate storage facilities to store stocks.

• Building the alternate market system through mobile apps or e-commerce because
the use of smartphones is now trendy.
 When this is enhanced, there will be an adequate supply of food in the country
and the flow of the economy in the country will be easier. As a result, food insecurity
factors can be reduced

Food accessibility

• Job opening for unemployed workers in the Philippines

• Construction of income-generating projects or job-generating projects in various

fields of industry and agriculture.
• Conducting online seminars and job fairs for job seekers.

• Stopping Endo contractualization and raising the minimum wage

• The household can become resilient through urban gardening. People at home
can also be farmers and consumers. No need to spend money to buy vegetables
at the grocery store.

Proper food utilization

• Oplan Timbang extension and its expansion to make it even more reliable they
provide data on the state of food utilization in the particular community as well as
on what is the state of human foods within the community.
• Encourage upgrading the formulation of processed foods. Improve the nutritional
content of commonly consumed goods and reduce preservatives in canned goods,
noodles, and other processed foods.

• Reduction of food waste. Many Filipinos throw away food when there is no
container. Food storage facilities need to be enhanced so that the food is not
wasted and can last and be consumed for several days.
IV. Recommended Solution

Of all the above suggested possible solutions. The recommended best solution
among the options is “Construction of income-generating projects or jobgenerating
projects in various fields of industry and agriculture”.

The real problem of the Philippines is poverty because people do not finish school
so they do not get good jobs and the income alone is not enough to buy food. To increase
the food accessibility of the country it is necessary for people to have money to buy
enough and nutritious food. According to Simon (2019) in the article Nutrition quality of
food purchases varies by household income: The Shopper study, when a person has a
low income there is a greater chance that the food, he will consume is cheap and
unhealthy. If many people have a small income the greater the percentage that they have
a poor healthy diet and this has a huge impact on the economy especially if many people
get sick and spend a lot on hospitalization.

In addition, if job generating projects are promoted in the agricultural sector, many will
support and assist in farming as agriculture is the main source of rice, vegetables and
fruits that people eat on a daily basis. Its supply can be increased and the Philippines
will have enough food stocks to maintain food security in the country.

V. Implementation

In order to build income generating projects in the country, one must first find out
who has the capacity and ability for the specific task. For the agricultural sector it requires
people who are capable of planting, have knowledge of processing and distribution of
harvested grains, vegetables or fruits in the main markets, for those with industry
knowledge. The applicant must have communication skills and good social skills because
this is often seen in the sale of materials or products if the person has a practical mind
set it can save money. In order to better develop knowledge and get in their workplace
quickly, seminars or training programs are needed to inform what should be done and
what are the rules and guidelines for doing the right things. Moreover, online networking
is now popular as it can be incorporated into activities undertaken to generate income for
workers. Through e-commerce, the process of selling products will speed up and it will
even grow in different parts of the country.

The target of these jobs or income generating projects are people who are
unemployed or do not have enough income to meet basic needs such as food. Its project
is not only for food security but also for the Philippine economy to lower the country’s
unemployment rate.
References:

Futurelearn (2014). "Focus on the Global South-Philippines" retrived from

https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/food-systems-southeast-asia/0/steps/83785

French (2019). "Nutrition quality of food purchases varies by household income: The
SHoPPER study" retrieved from
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-6546-2

The New Humanitarian (2021). "As hunger rises, Philippine authorities take aim at
farmers and rural activists" retrieved from
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2021/4/20/food-hunger-and-covid-19-
inthephilippines

FAO (2016). "Improving food and nutrition security in the Philippines" retrieved from
http://www.fao.org/in-action/improving-food-and-nutrition-security-in-the-philippines/en/

ACIAR (2020). "COVID-19 and food systems in the Philippines" retrieved from
https://aciar.gov.au/publication/covid19/7-covid-19-and-food-systems-philippines

Borgen (2017). " What Causes Food Insecurity in the Philippines?" retrieved from
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/causes-food-insecurity-in-the-philippines/

IPC (2015). " Philippines: Chronic Food Insecurity Situation 2015-2020" retrieved from
www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1044577/?iso3=PHL
 Citizenship in the Philippines

By Abo-ol, Regine

I. Background

For centuries of invasion, the colonial experiences of the Philippines have

greatly influenced us in so many ways. Since 1990, the Philippines has been the
third most common country of birth for its foreign-born population (Kandel, 2011,
p.6), while the National Household Survey results in Canada revealed that the
Philippines is the most common country of birth among its immigrant population,
accounting for 13.1% of all newcomers (Statistics Canada, 2011). Filipinos build
paternal families even in the Middle East, such as in Saudi Arabia.

Citizenship is a legal status that signifies a person has the right to remain in
a state and cannot be rejected or deported by that state. This legal status can be
conferred at birth or obtained through a procedure known as "naturalisation" in
some states. According to Renato Constantino (1976), a well-known and critical
Filipino historian, contends that the formation of the notion of “nationhood”
coincided with the formation of the notion of “Filipino”, which when traced has
intriguing, ironic, and exclusionary aspects.

Without a doubt, the Philippines has individuals who were not born in the
country but have Filipino blood and are currently residing in the country, or who
have a parent of a different nationality but were born in the Philippines, or who
have both foreign parents but were born or raised in the Philippines. According to
the CSC Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 23, s. 2016, Filipinos with dual
citizenship and permanent presence outside the nation are regarded eligible to run
for public office or work for the government. Senator Grace Poe, the living example
of this torturous process of getting Filipino citizenship, presented her 107-page
 document certifying her citizenship to the Senate Electoral Tribunal on September
1, 2015, in response to the disqualification case brought against her for being a
senator. To be eligible to run for office, they must meet the requirements set out in
Section 3 of Republic Act No. 9139, give up their foreign citizenship, and take an
oath of loyalty.

II. Major Problems of the case

Foreign visitors to the Philippines have a variety of motivations for visiting

or remaining in the nation. According to the most recent survey done by the
Philippine Statistical Association, foreign citizens made up 0.2 percent of the total
household population in the Philippines. Citizenship, as a status and practice,
allows citizens to challenge existing political settlements and their bounds. At the
same time, citizenship serves as a route for authorities to limit citizens' scope of
social and political participation, as well as their attempts to challenge these
bounds. Citizenship manifests in many struggles and political changes occurring
throughout cultures, as well as in quests for civil, social, cultural, political, and basic
human rights, due to its dual purpose.

Aside from Senator Poe, these are the candidates that have been asked
about their citizenship. The first is Edu Manzano, whose proclamation was delayed
during the 1998 elections owing to a complaint brought against him, alleging he
was an American citizen, but the Commission on Elections subsequently agreed
with him, stating that he did not swear an oath of loyalty in the United States.
Former Mayor Alfredo Lim is also facing citizenship issues; petitioners claimed that
his parents were Chinese Mestizo and Chinese Mestiza based on his 1929 birth
certificate; nevertheless, Comelec dismissed the case once more, stating that a
birth certificate is insufficient to prove one's citizenship. Next is Sen. Grace Poe's
father, Fernando Poe Jr., whose destiny is similar to hers. He run presidential
candidacy but then disqualification case was filed against him claiming that he is
a American citizen, two months before the election Supreme Court favored his
 candidacy but unfortunately he lost with just a small margin against Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo is the President of the Republic of the Republic of the Republic
of the Republic of

III. Suggested Solutions

In regards to this matter, as well as issues relating to the candidacy of non-

full Filipino citizens, the various departments of the Philippines will be fully
responsible for devising a method to further evaluate the individuals registering to
them, particularly if they are well-known figures in the Philippines.

• They must provide comprehensive data on the criteria for candidacy

• They must examine further whether an individual has foreign blood
• They must inform the public, particularly the community of non-Filipino
citizens, of their limits in the Philippines.
• If non-Filipino citizens or dual citizens aspire to become Filipino citizens,
authorities must instruct them on the dos and don'ts, rather than allowing
them to accept whatever is stated or offered to them.

Furthermore, individuals who wish to be a part of the community of Filipino

Citizenship must:
• Comply with the said guidelines provided by the government and must
be responsible individuals in fulfilling them.
• Educate themselves about the various principles and aspects that they
may encounter in the near future.

IV. Implementation

If a dual citizen enters the Philippines using a travel document (TD), the dual
citizen must submit a valid Philippine passport to immigration officials upon
 departure from the Philippines in order to avoid immigration fines, as is the case
with overstaying foreign citizens.

• When leaving the Philippines, the same document(s) must be shown to

immigration officials. Valid Philippine passport;
• Identification Certificate (IC); or
• Certificate of Reacquisition of Philippine Citizenship (CRPC)

References:

Elizer Jay De Los Reyes (2014). “THE FILIPINO IN OBSOLESCENCE: CITIZENSHIP

AND EDUCATIONAL POLICY REFORM IN THE PHILIPPINES”
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20442473.pdf

CSC (2016). “Policy on Employment in the Government Service of Filipino Citizen with
Dual Citizenship” mc no. 23 s.
2016.pdf (csc.gov.ph)

Pamela Kim Anderson (2011). “The State and the Legalization of Dual Citizenship/Dual
Nationality: A Case Study of Mexico and the Philippines”
https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4181&context=etd
Camille Elemia (2015). “TIMELINE: Grace Poe's citizenship, residency”
TIMELINE: Grace Poe's citizenship, residency (rappler.com)

Reynaldo Santos Jr.(2015). “FAST FACTS: Poll candidates who faced disqualification
due to citizenship issues”
FAST FACTS: Poll candidates who faced disqualification due to citizenship issues
(rappler.com)