‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

SDG 1
• No Poverty must be prioritized by the government.

PROOF

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity
 ‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

Reporter’s Notebook: Leftover food makes a living for poor Filipino families. Lola
Corazon’s family is just one of the Filipino families who rely daily on leftovers to satisfy
their hungry stomachs, and it also serves as their livelihood, they sell the leftovers that
they have collected.

For more information visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyInDEOo9Vk

The situation shown in the documentary serves as one of the concrete examples to
show the people the reality that the Philippines is one of the third world countries where
countless citizens lack access to basic needs such as clothing, food, and shelter, an
issue that must be taken seriously by the government and even those with means to
help as this is the root to the country’s other issues, including hunger, one of the direct
effects of poverty. In addition, the documentary first aired last January 9, 2020, the
same year when the first case of the Covid-19 virus in the Philippines was identified,
meaning they will not be able to rely on leftovers anymore due to the present
circumstances that the virus caused. This can lead us to the realization that these poor
Filipino families will not have a source of livelihood anymore, but if they continue their
act, they will either end up with the virus, or even worse, dead. Thus, the No Poverty
SDG must be prioritized by the government.

CHURCH TEACHING
Luke, Chapter 4: Verses 18-19, and 21, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce
that the time has come when the Lord will save his people...This passage of scripture
has come true today, as you heard it being read.”.

The message of this Scriptural passage is Jesus showered His favor on the poor, the
outcasts, and the oppressed because of God’s love for them, those in need were always
given priority in everything that He did. This was part of His mission in revealing God’s
love and building God’s Kingdom on earth and since we come to share in His mission
through baptismal grace, we are called to follow Him and participate in loving God and
our neighbor, especially those in need.

According to Pope Francis, during the First World Day of the Poor last November 19,
2017, “Tragically, in our own time, even as ostentatious wealth accumulates in the
hands of the privileged few, often in connection with illegal activities and the appalling
exploitation of human dignity, there is a scandalous growth of poverty in broad sectors
of society throughout our world. Faced with this scenario, we cannot remain passive,
much less resigned. . .. To all these forms of poverty we must respond with a new vision
of life and society.”.

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity
 ‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

The message of this Church teaching is very simple, no one among God’s people must
be left in need. As members of the Church, we are called to participate in the two
approaches that the Church has developed throughout its tradition of responding to the
needs of the people, namely the acts of charity and the work for structural change.

Thus, referring to the Scriptural passage and the Church teaching, if the Church is
empowered to carry out the mission that we inherited from Christ, then there is a need
to respond to the suffering of the poor in the Philippines, the No Poverty SDG must be
prioritized by the government.

https://www.povertyusa.org/words-pope-francis-poverty

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
In poor countries, one factor contributing to poverty is a lack of access to education.
Through education, individuals acquire fundamental skills and expand their work
prospects, which may aid in the fight against poverty in the Philippines. Thus, in order
to achieve the No Poverty SDG, the government can expand the access to education
by; 1) providing free tuition and other school fees in state colleges and universities, and
2) providing subsidies and student loan programs. This will reduce the college dropout
rates and promote the concept that higher education is accessible to everyone. We all
know that the Philippines lack government funds but if they stop utilizing these funds
for duplicative, inefficient, and unneeded expenditures, expanding the access to
education will be possible.

CHURCH MISSION
ACT OF CHARITY
The Church can contribute to the
government’s efforts in achieving the No
Poverty SDG by donating money through
the use of the mobile payment apps, such
as Gcash and PayPal, to the organizations
which aim to help the poor, namely the
CARE Philippines, Virlanie Foundation,
World Vision, Childhope Philippines
Foundation, Inc., Bukas Palad Foundation
of the Philippines, Inc. (BP), Association of
Locally Empowered Youth, Asset-Based
Community Development with Equity
Foundation, Project PEARLS: Peace,
Education, Aspiration, Respect, Love, and
STRUCTURAL CHANGE
The Election 2022 is approaching, with
this in mind, the Church can contribute
to the government’s efforts in achieving
the No Poverty SDG through actively
participating in fostering honest and just
local and national elections by; 1) using
the different social media platforms and
conducting virtual seminars through
Google Meet and Zoom about voters’
education, and 2) volunteering in
guarding the electoral process itself.
This will allow them to choose a
competent, reliable, and trustworthy
leader who acts, who listens, and who

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity
 ‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

Smiles, and the like. This will allow them to rules with his/her whole heart and mind
raise money in order for them to execute to create positive changes in the
their projects for poor Filipinos. government policies and practices. The
people in position are often either the
root or the solution to the poverty issue
that countless Filipino citizens are
experiencing. Thus, with the wise choice
of leaders, the roots of poverty, including
corruption within the government, will be
addressed as they have the capabilities
to make use of their power not for selfish
gains but for the betterment of their
country.

SDG 2
• Quality Education must be prioritized by the government.

PROOF
‘The rich access quality education as the poor suffer’:
Learning crisis as Filipino schools stay closed

The Philippines is
one of only five
countries that has not
started in-person
classes since the
pandemic began,
stoking inequality
fears.

Like many parents

and guardians of
young children
during pandemic
school closures,
Miriam Tuazon has
faced the stressful
job of trying to educate her ten-year-old niece at home in Bulacan, central Philippines.

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity
 ‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

UNICEF has warned that without urgent action to address the educational shortfalls for
some 27 million Filipino children, “the learning crisis could turn into a learning
catastrophe”.

“It’s really a struggle for the children to cope academically since they tend to fall asleep
during online class when not attended to. They find it hard to concentrate on
participating since they are at home,” said Ms. Tuazon. She is not alone in fearing her
niece is falling behind in education skills.

In a survey carried out by the United Nation’s children’s agency in May, 84 percent of
parents observed that, despite spending more time helping them, their children were
learning less in distance learning than in traditional in-person learning.

In one of the starkest warnings yet, the National Economic Development Authority
(NEDA) estimated in September that prolonged school closures could result in a
productivity loss in the Philippines equivalent to £159 billion over the next 40 years.

Raymond Basilio, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT),

which is campaigning for classrooms to be reopened, said the current situation was
widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

“The rich are accessing quality education and the poor have to suffer with this
problematic education program.”, he said.

One of the major challenges was internet connectivity and the lack of access to
electronic devices, he explained.

According to government statistics, only about 18 percent of households in the

Philippines have an internet connection at home and internet availability is even weaker
in rural areas.

“As reported by teachers, in their classes they are supposed to have 30 to 40 students
but only around 8 to 10 students are actually attending every day,” Mr. Basilio said.
Families were struggling economically, he added. “So, what will you prioritize –
purchasing internet data connection or will you prioritize food?”

For more information visit:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/rich-access-quality-
education-poor-suffer-filipino-schools-close/

Based on international learning assessments, we have to take into account that even
before the pandemic, learning outcomes in the Philippines were already pretty low. As
this pandemic began, this issue became so much worse when the privileged have more

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity
 ‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

access to more effective learning due to their affordability of a stable internet provider
and virtual learning gadgets; as stated in the article, children are having difficulty
concentrating in virtual classes and few are attending; if this situation continues, it will
have a significant impact on children's learning, particularly given the wide digital divide.
This demonstrates unequivocally that Quality Education SDG must be prioritized by the
government to ensure effective learning for both rich and disadvantaged students.

CHURCH TEACHING
Proverbs Chapter 16: Verse 16, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get
insight rather than silver!”. One of Jesus' roles was a teacher; while He was still on
earth, He taught us many things regardless of one's socioeconomic status; rich or poor,
He taught them all how to be good and how to love others unconditionally. He is frantic
for all of us to be educated, regardless of our social status; He wants us to be equal in
terms of education. Even if you are the wealthiest person on the planet but badly
educated, you will remain empty-headed; this is why quality education is essential. He
showed us that education is undoubtedly one of the most priceless blessings one can
receive. It is not conditional on one's degree of living; it is universal.

According to Pope Francis, “Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or

negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it
lessens, even corrupts him. The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of
what is good and beautiful. And this occurs through a rich path made up of many
ingredients. This is why there are so many subjects-because development is the result
of different elements that act together and stimulate intelligence, knowledge, the
emotions, the body, and so on…If something is true, it is good and beautiful; if it is
beautiful; it is good and true; if it is good, it is true and it is beautiful. And together, these
elements enable us to grow and help us to love life, even when we are not well, even
in the midst of many problems. True education enables us to love life and opens us to
the fullness of life.”

The message of this Church teaching is educating people can assist to decrease
inequalities and achieve universal equality, and it is critical in the promotion of tolerance
and the construction of a more harmonious society. The goal of high-education is to
develop all of their qualities and skills, allowing students to realize their full potential as
human beings and as productive members of society. Quality education is essential in
the pursuit of social fairness, it sets the foundation for reaching this goal. Thus, high-
quality education, without a doubt, must be prioritized by the government.

https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/francis-chronicles/pope-s-quotes-education-important

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity
 ‘No Poverty & Quality Education SDGs Must Be Prioritized’

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Alongside the work for structural change, which is to vote for a wise leader, the
government should establish a strict implementation of Face-to-Face classes.
According to the proof article above, many students are failing to learn in this new mode
of learning, which is modular and virtual learning. Furthermore, they frequently struggle
to answer their modules due to the teachers' lack of explanation. To carry out the
government's implementation, each school must establish a schedule for when each
grade level may attend their classes in order for the teacher to effectively communicate
with the students, but they must also comply with the Covid-19 pandemic rules and
guidelines, including the always wearing of masks, staying six feet apart, and avoiding
crowded places. This is for the benefit of the students; if they simply answer their
modules carelessly without learning anything, what would become of our country's
future?

CHURCH MISSION
STRUCTURAL CHANGE

To stop the pandemic, one of the reasons why the quality of education in the
Philippines has waned, the Church should help the public to elect a responsible and
honest leader by; 1) using the different social media platforms and conducting virtual
seminars through Google Meet and Zoom about voters’ education, and 2)
volunteering in guarding the electoral process itself. Most especially that the 2022
elections are just around the corner. We can overcome this pandemic immediately if
we have a suitable leader who hears all the concerns of his/her people; once this
crisis passes, we can resume our normal lives and attend our regular in-person
meetings to assure the students’ spiritual, social, emotional, mental, physical, and
cognitive development, to develop their God-given characteristics, abilities, and
interests in order to prepare them for a life of meaningful service and participation in
work, family, and community life, and to attain the Quality Education goal, which the
country yearns the most alongside the No Poverty goal.

Prepared by Ashley Sl. Cleofe (No Poverty) and,

Allysa France H. Tagomata (Quality Education)
Grade 10 Charity