ARTICLE REPORT

Poverty in the Philippines

Introduction

In 2021, the Philippines had an official poverty rate of 18.1% (or roughly 19.99
million Filipinos), which was significantly lower than the 49.2 percent recorded in 1985
thanks to years of government efforts to combat poverty. An estimated 2.3 million Filipinos
are thought to have fallen into poverty between 2018 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-
19 pandemic's economic downturn.

Most likely, Filipinos who are poor are independent farmers, fishermen, or other
agricultural workers. The majority of these people 75% dwell in remote, disaster-prone
areas. In 2015, there were more than six people living in 58 percent of poor households.
In 2015, more than 75% of people aged 15 to 24 had completed secondary education or
higher. However, in poor households specifically, more than 60% of families only had
access to elementary education.

Economic growth has gone through boom and bust cycles, and recent episodes of
moderate economic expansion have had limited impact on the poor. Great inequality
across income brackets, regions, and sectors, as well as unmanaged population growth,
are considered some of the key factors constraining poverty reduction efforts.

Summary of the Article

The World Bank noted the Philippines' recent robust economic growth in a
statement it released on the nation in August 2014. However, despite this strong
economic performance, extreme poverty is still a major issue.

According to the same report, there are still nearly 25 million Filipinos living in
poverty, and children's health and wellbeing are most severely impacted. The fight against
child poverty has made some progress, but there are still many obstacles to overcome.
 In the Philippines, millions of children lack access to even the most basic
necessities like clean toilets, safe drinking water, and home electricity. Children with low
incomes make up three out of every four, but the number of poor children moving to cities
is rising.

Millions of people in the Philippines are negatively impacted by the country's high
rates of inequality and rapid population growth. The nation is still mired in a cycle of debt
repayments, which prevents the government from investing in its own human and material
resources. Seriously underfunded are vital public services like health and education. The
poor are also disproportionately affected by rising food and energy prices, particularly the
price of rice.

Climate change, as well as the strength and frequency of natural disasters, are
aggravating this cycle. The Philippines is hit by 20 typhoons or other major storms
annually on average.

The Philippines must figure out how to convert their recent strong growth into more
inclusive growth in order to reduce this chronic poverty and maintain the high level of daily
suffering that is currently present.

Analysis of the Article

According to The Catholic Connect Foundation (2022) “Eradicating poverty is a

challenge that sees no means of ebbing. Governments across the world do whatever they
can to improve people’s lives. In the Philippines, the government had set a target of
reducing poverty to 16 percent from the 33 percent of Filipinos living in poverty in 1991.”
I think they are right for what I have read in the article. Philippines getting worse and not
better. It was so sad to think that most of us Filipino didn’t have the choice to make in our
life. Most of us born poor and will die poor.

The Global Hunger Index of 2022 placed the Philippines at position 69 out of 121
nations, with a "moderate" level of hunger. In the Philippines, almost all households can
afford to eat food that gives them enough energy, but only one-third of the population can
afford food that gives them enough nutrients, according to a 2018 study by the United
Nations World Food Programme. A study by the Social Weather Stations found that 2.9
million Filipino families went hungry in the third quarter of 2022.

Poor leadership, corruption, and a political system dominated by political dynasties

have all been linked to poverty in the Philippines. The political dynasties that control the
nation's poorest provinces.

The Philippines' poorest citizens struggle with a lack of employment opportunities

in rural areas, inadequate educational opportunities, and scarce resources for large
families. The gap between the wealthy and the poor has widened as a result. The frequent
natural disasters that rob the poor of their meager possessions and add to the cycle of
debt and poverty that affects large segments of the population.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has made things worse for the underprivileged.
The poor are further driven into poverty and debt due to a lack of access to high-quality
healthcare and immunizations as well as the high cost of treatment. Another issue facing
the poor is insufficient housing.

The main causes of poverty in the country include the following:

• low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years;

• low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
• weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated;
• failure to fully develop the agriculture sector;
• high inflation during crisis periods;
• high levels of population growth;
• high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen the
positive impacts of economic expansion; and
• recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts, natural
disasters,and "environmental poverty."

The report offers recommendations on how to hasten the reduction of poverty and
achieve more inclusive growth after thoroughly examining the causes of poverty.
Immediate and short-term improvements to the government's poverty-reduction strategy
are required, as well as the involvement of important sectors for a coordinated and
collective response to the issue. For sustained and inclusive growth over the long term,
the government should keep pursuing important economic reforms.

Even there’s a lot of negativities that happening in the Philippines, there’s also a positive
that they are doing to not solve but at least to lessen.

With a combination of cash grants, improved educational opportunities, family

planning strategies, and improved livelihood programs for the poor, the Philippine
government has successfully reduced poverty. However, the mission to end poverty is
hampered by the slow crediting of cash grants and corruption at all levels.

To assist those in need, the Feed the Hungry organization and other organizations
with similar goals are working hard. Many of them have spent years promoting the welfare
of the poor. In addition to offering priceless assistance to the poor in any way they can,
they have helped train many young people to live independently with their own income.
The Catholic Connect Foundation assists in raising money and providing aid to distribute
among organizations that support the poor in the Philippines.

There’s also a key findings for overcoming poverty and inequality in the Philippines.

There are several structural reasons why inequality persists. Since the middle of
the 2000s, government social assistance, increased secondary education, mobility to
better-paying jobs, citizen ownership of more assets and access to essential services
have all contributed to a decrease in inequality. Inequality is maintained, however, by
unequal opportunities, a lack of access to tertiary education, a lack of skills, unequal
returns on college education, gender-based social norms and childcare, and spatial
disparities.

Although education is widely available, there are differences in quality and

achievement by income level. Children from lower-income families are less likely to enroll
in school and, if they do, to progress to grade levels appropriate for their age. Because of
this, they are less likely to complete tertiary education, severely limiting their ability to earn
money and their chances of moving up the social ladder. The premium for a college
education has remained high due to the relatively small share of workers with tertiary
education. In addition, tertiary education tends to benefit wealthy households much more
than poor households, possibly as a result of variations in educational quality or career
options.

The polarization of the workforce may worsen as the nature of the workforce
changes. Between 2016 and 2021, wage workers experienced a shift in the employment
of low- and high-skilled jobs, while employment in middle-skilled jobs decreased. With the
changing nature of employment following COVID-19, this pattern may become more
pronounced, which would exacerbate existing income disparities.

By promoting inclusive rural development, enhancing access to and the quality of

education, bolstering social protection systems, and addressing opportunity inequality,
policy can reduce inequality.

Conclusion

Lack of resources to meet necessities like food, clothing, and shelter constitutes
poverty. But poverty goes far beyond simply not having enough money.

Hunger is poverty. Absence of shelter is poverty. Being sick and unable to visit a
doctor is poverty. Being illiterate and lacking access to education are both aspects of
poverty. Living day by day and not having a job are all signs of poverty.

Poverty has been characterized in a variety of ways and takes on various forms
that vary from place to place and over time. Most of the time, people want to get out of
poverty. Therefore, poverty is a call to action for both the wealthy and the poor. It is a call
to change the world so that more people can have access to food, shelter, health care,
education, and a voice in their communities.

Because of this, there is a never-ending cycle of poverty that forces parents to give
up their kids in the hopes that they will find better lives elsewhere. There is no question
that poverty fosters a culture where orphans are created. Because they cannot afford to
provide their children with food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, or an education, many
parents who live in poverty are unable to raise them. Some of them resort to giving their
kids away to orphanages in the hopes that they will have better lives because they are
unable to adequately care for them.

Reference

https://www.ruelfoundation.com/blog/28

https://catholicconnect.care/poverty-in-the-philippines-getting-better-or-
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qfQqgvrBYbjVMpABoCoFY