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Grace Poes Platform: Marxian Perspective

For the past centuries that the Philippines has experienced economic growth, it is not noticeable how this
led to genuine modernization. This acknowledged economic growth did not lead to the thriving economic
well-being of the majority of the Filipino people. Some Filipino communities still struggle with poverty-
stricken lives caused by the violent forms of capitalism. Despite the 6.0% Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growth of the country during the third quarter of 2015, the marginal difference between the higher and
lower classes are still striking. According to the Official Gazette of the Philippines (2015), since 2010, the
Philippines has enjoyed satisfactory performance in terms of GDP, with an average growth rate of 6.3%
from 2010 to 2014. However, the continuance of these circumstances did not aid with the resolution of
class difference in the country. Because of this, poverty has become an important issue for several
administrations to resolve.
Grace Poe, one of the presidential candidates this 2016, aims to address the widespread of poverty where
economic concerns are necessary aspects to consider. In line with this, Poe raised her concerns regarding
the issue in which she added that good governance would help in alleviating poverty in the Philippines. I
believe that good governance is the key to make government an effective tool for poverty alleviation.
(Poe, 2015). Additionally, Poe considers good governance the benchmark of political and economic life.
Through the Marxian perspective in economics, capitalism posts a threat to the Philippine market and
causes instability in terms of the distribution of goods and services. Moreover, Hoaas, et. al (1988) argued
that the essence of economic value according to Marx, also concerns the impact of class and class struggle
on economic and political processes. Consequently, Poe, as highlighted in her platform, focuses her
agenda with combining political and economic processes to somehow lessen the marginal difference
between the rich and the poor; and also alleviate poverty in the country.

References:
Heilbroner, R. L. (1999). The Beautiful World of the Utopian Socialists. In The worldly philosophers: The
lives, times, and ideas of the great economic thinkers (pp. 103-133). New York: Simon &
Schuster.
Hoaas, D. J., Wolff, R. D., & Resnick, S. A. (1988). Economics: Marxian versus Neoclassical.Southern
Economic Journal, 55(2), 518. doi:10.2307/1059131