Causes and Effects of Poverty in the Philippines

Introduction
Poverty is the state of not having enough money to provide or to take care
of basic needs such as food, clothing and housing. Poverty remains the most
critical social problem that needs to be addressed. It is a very serious problem that
must immediately be dealt with in order to minimize its effects. Poverty takes a
great toll not only on the poor but also the country as a whole. Thus, the
Philippines, its government and its agencies must undergo major reform to fight
poverty.

Poverty in the Philippines arose from the rapid population growth in the
country. Millions of Filipinos live below the poverty line. As Philippines has limited
resources and an existing high poverty rate, the rapid increase in population has
become a problem because there are already insufficient resources to support the
population, which leaves much lesser resources to improve the economy.
In modern times, vices are common in the Philippines like playing cards,
mahjong, smoking cigarettes, drinking day or night even if there are no occasions,
and betting on a cockfight. Some people depend on these in making a living
instead of looking for a job but their chances always leads into nothing.
The government until today is still corrupted because of politicians and
persons in authority that forget their responsibility to the nation to satisfy their
personal interests. That is why we also have debts in the World Bank because of
them. It is pitiful to see educated Filipinos that don’t do what they have said during
their campaigns.
Lack of quality education can also cause poverty. Families below poverty
line cannot let their children go to school. Even the parents have no experience to
wear school uniforms and have allowance to study. They have no diplomas. They
do not wear any graduation gown in their life (Rick, 2016).
Because of lack of quality education, high unemployment rate and job
mismatching are present. In order to have a permanent and good salary job, you
must have a bachelor’s degree. You must finish a tertiary education or at least a
vocational course. Poor people are contented picking junks and garbage
everywhere, being beggars, and searching foods in every trash bins. Some have
jobs but seasonal, and even they are contractual workers with low salary (Rick,
2016).
The effects of it are very visible in nature. Poverty causes many Filipinos to
not pursue their education. Others seem to be contented of their lives as poor.
While others seem to work by labor, the economy of the country is also affected in
such a way that the economic activities are too domestic in nature, and decreasing
the country's ability to make a way to international economics. However, many
foreign investors are helping domestic laborers in terms of providing jobs locally
(Rick, 2016).
The nutrition of many children in the Philippines is greatly affected by
poverty. People living beside polluted places are affected by their improper
hygiene and urban dwellers are even more affected by their insufficient intake of
healthy foods (Rick, 2016).
Poverty also affects the daily lives of the Filipinos. As much as many
Filipinos depend on luck, it is triggered by their low-lifestyle favors and bad living
conditions. People use drugs and perform crimes as their escape to poverty. It
contributes to the high crime rate throughout the world (Rick, 2016).
There are many solutions in suppressing poverty. Government must
change and take reforms first. Government should reform its institutions to
enhance coordination, improve efficiency and lessen corruption. (Rick, 2016).

Summarizing the Outcome of Analysis

The purpose of this study is to determine the causes and effects of poverty
in the Philippines. This study also provides the possible solutions of poverty in the
Philippines.

Background of Study
Poverty in the Philippines is widespread. The Republic of the Philippines is
a country of 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is in Southeast Asia and
struggles to reduce high poverty rates. The United Nations (U.N.) reports that the
Republic of the Philippines has one of the highest poverty rates in Asia despite a
steady decline in recent years. The country is rich in natural resources and
biodiversity because of its proximity to the equator; however, it is prone to
earthquakes and storms, making it the third most disaster-prone country in the
world.
The Philippine’s poverty level is also tied to uncontrolled population growth.
According to the U.N. the Philippines “rapid population growth has exacerbated
poverty and has fueled rapid urban population growth, overseas labor migration,
and unprecedented environmental degradation.” The Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA) released its latest poverty incidence update on March 18, 2016. The
statistics, which account for the first semester of 2015, contain data collected from
the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) done in July 2015. This data
shows that: The poverty level for all Filipinos is 26.3 percent; for the same period
in 2012 it was 27.9 percent. The portion of the population who fall below the food
threshold, or are unable to meet basic food requirements, is 12.1 percent; for the
same period in 2012 it was 13.4 percent (Alexander, 2015).
The poverty incidence for families in 2015 was 21.1 percent; in 2012 it was
22.3 percent. The subsistence level, or the portion of Filipino families extreme
poverty, in 2015 was 9.2 percent; in 2012 it was 10 percent. The food threshold is
the minimum income needed to meet basic food requirements set by the Food and
Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The poverty threshold is expanded to include
basic non-food needs such as clothing, housing, transportation, health and
education expenses (Alexander, 2015).
The PSA includes these statistics in their reports and calculates how much
income would be required for a family of five at subsistence level to pull themselves
out of poverty. In the first semester of 2015 the income gap for a family living in
poverty in the Philippines is still 29 percent short of the threshold (Alexander,
2015).
The Rural Poverty Portal reports that half of the poor in the Philippines live
in rural areas. The poorest of the poor are the indigenous, landless laborers,
fishermen, small farmers, mountain folk and women. Deforestation, depleted
fisheries and unproductive farm land are major problems for these peoples.
Illiteracy and lack of educational opportunities are also critical issues. The Republic
of the Philippines made great strides in poverty reduction in recent years, but as
with most countries, they still have much to improve upon (Alexander, 2015).

Conclusion/Possible Solutions
We should improve coordination between the involved agencies and key
stakeholders as this will improve efficiency between them.
We should improve poverty targeting, monitoring and evaluation. There
should also be increased funds for data collection, processing and management.
This will help us learn more about poverty and help us prepare more for it. Studying
poverty will give us a better chance of avoiding it.
It is said that we should address poverty specifically per area. So that each
place receives the care it needs. Each place is different and treating each place
special may allow us to get rid of poverty more easily by going to the cause of
poverty in those places.
The resources of the local government should be enhanced and their
coordination with the national government should be improved. This will allow them
to be able to work better and help more in poverty.
The government should increase available resources for social services,
poverty reduction, and infrastructure. They should also maintain price stability to
shield the poor from high food prices and they should lessen corruption and
develop infrastructure in order to boost investor confidence. This will enable more
money to go into the country while the poor are being shielded from high prices.
Giving more money and allowing more money into the country will allow the poor
to get more help, and the boost in the economy will give them jobs as well (Rick,
2016).
Solution to suppress poverty doesn’t show immediate result. It depends on
the people below the poverty line if they want to have an abundant life and escape
poverty. So, let’s fight poverty as one for the brighter future of our country, the
Philippines (Rick, 2016).

Personal Experience
Poverty is common amongst the students in the Philippines even the
researchers experience such struggle. Like, when their allowance came short,
delayed submission of projects due to lack of funds, etc.

Recommendation
Eliminating poverty is a both/and proposition -- reforms must occur in both
the broader society and in schools -- and schools do make a considerable
difference. We encourage educators, and particularly educational leaders, to both
become knowledgeable about issues related to eliminating poverty, joining forces
with others who advocate for social and economic reforms, and summon the
courage to do the much-needed work closer to home -- in their own schools and
communities. Successfully educating all students to high standards is critical to
ultimately eliminating poverty. If, as educators, we feel powerless to address bigger
issues such as living-wage jobs and health care reform, Gorski (2008) proposes
that we ask ourselves, "Are we willing, at the very least, to tackle the classism in
our own schools and classrooms?" provides the following ten suggestions as a
starting point: (Barr & Parrett, 2007; Education Trust, 2002; Teddlie & Stringfield,
1993).

1. Assign work requiring a computer and internet access or other costly

resources only when we can provide in-school time and materials for such
work to be completed.
2. Work with our schools to make parent involvement affordable and
convenient by providing transportation, on-site childcare, and time flexibility.
3. Give students from poverty access to the same high-level curricular and
pedagogical opportunities and high expectations as their wealthy peers.
4. Teach about classism, consumer culture, the dissolution of labor unions,
environmental pollution, and other injustices disproportionately affecting the
poor, preparing new generations of students to make a more equitable
world.
5. Keep stocks of school supplies, snacks, clothes, and other necessities
handy for students who may need them, but find quiet ways to distribute
these resources to avoid singling anyone out.
6. Develop curricula that are relevant and meaningful to our students' lives and
draw on their experiences and surroundings.
7. Fight to get our students into gifted and talented programs, to give them
other opportunities usually reserved for economically advantaged students,
and to keep them from being assigned unjustly to special education.
8. Continue to reach out to parents even when we feel they are being
unresponsive; this is one way to establish trust.
9. Challenge our colleagues when they stigmatize poor students and their
parents, reminding them of the inequitable conditions in our schools and
classrooms.
10. Challenge ourselves, our biases, and our prejudices by educating ourselves
about the cycle of poverty and classism in and out of schools.
11. The need for broader social and economic changes in our country does not
provide an excuse for maintaining the status quo in schools. Three decades
of research have demonstrated that schools can improve academic
outcomes and other measures of success for children who live in poverty
(Barr & Parrett, 2007; Education Trust, 2002; Teddlie & Stringfield, 1993).
As Horace Mann asserted, public education is the most universal of
institutions, and it can shape young minds and hearts. It is still our best
hope. Although improvements in public education alone will not eliminate
poverty, such improvements are an important part of the solution. The
question is not whether too much is being asked of public schools, but
rather, have we held up our end of the bargain?
References

https://www.scribd.com/document/329407345/Causes-and-Effects-of-Poverty-in-
the-Philippines

https://borgenproject.org/republic-of-the-philippines-poverty-facts/

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-can-schools-do-to-address-poverty-william-
parrett-kathleen-budge