Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, there are five goals that should prioritize by the

Philippine government. These are the following: No poverty, Zero Hunger, Good health and well-being,
Quality Education, and Decent work and economic growth.

The Philippines is known to be part of the Global South or third-world countries, which is less developed
and often poorer as compared with countries belonging to the Global North which are more prosperous
and developed (MODULE 10). This problem in the Philippines as one of the third-world countries may
be solved by putting these 5 Sustainable Development Goals in the foreground, in which the
government would allocate enough funds on them.

To begin with No poverty, poverty has been a vast dilemma worldwide and even worsened as Covid-19
emerged. In fact, World Bank projected a global hunger, expecting to have 198 million extremely poor
during 2022. In the Philippines, the poverty rate increased to 18% in the first semester of 2021 as
reported by Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This is caused by a lack of stable and decent work and
economic problems. In a modern world system, the global economy favors those countries that are in a
better position for international trade since they are well-developed having the right technology and
natural resources (MODULE 6). In the case of the Philippines, resources are limited in use since it has
lots of natural resources yet it can’t go along with the demands and trends of technology.

Aside from that, quality education should be given to all. We always hear that education is the passport
out of poverty, and it is indeed true. The Philippine government should invest more in proving quality
education for we are not only eradicating poverty but also preparing for the future ahead of us. As the
country becomes globalized, so does education. Educational technology and communication systems
utilized in a classroom setting should be altered from traditional to information-based (MODULE 3).
According to the Department of Information and Communication Technology, the Philippines’ Global
Competitive Index score (GCI) in terms of education increased from 37 in 2019 to 38 in 2020. With that
being said, the system of education should also be realigned and globalized, getting along with countries
whose educational system is competitive (MODULE 1).
Decent work and economic growth. According to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the
unemployment rate is 6.4% as of February 2022. Several Filipinos became jobless as the pandemic
struck and some businesses had forcedly to close. This was due to the decline of the economy of the
Philippines, having GDP contracted by 9.6% year-on-year in 2020, which is known to be the sharpest
decline since 1946 (Philippine Statistical Agency (PSA)). Trade among countries had to stop to slow the
spread of the virus. Hence, instead of more jobs being offered to people, no jobs were established
(MODULE 6). If a country is actively participating in the trade as being part of the modern world system,
the economy will grow as it would benefit as economies are interconnected to each other ( MODULE 6).
With that, as the economy grows, there would be more jobs available.

Climate action. As globalization takes effect, the environment is also affected. Global warming is one of
the translational issues that need to be addressed (MODULE 9). It is primarily caused by emissions from
fossil fuels, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 89% of the world's CO2
emissions in 2018 were produced by industry and fossil fuels. Under Environmental Governance and
Managing the Planet, environmental issues like global warming should be solved by regulating CO2
emissions and shifting to renewable energy. With that, economic success will be achieved without
risking the environment.

Partnership for the Goals. A partnership is vital to aiding a country’s success. It helps to lessen global
poverty, and support sustainable economic, social, and institutional development (MODULE 7). The
Philippines has been a partner of the World Bank for more than 7 decades (World Bank). According to
World Bank, the Philippines’ debt did reach over 13 trillion by the end of 2022 to aid the country’s
combat against Covid-19. Indeed, a partnership is crucial especially when the country faces an epidemic
and pandemic.