Is The Philippines Still Experiencing Extreme Poverty?

Is The Philippines Still Experiencing Extreme Poverty?

                  In an article made by Satur C. Ocampo that was published last March 16 of this year regarding the extreme poverty that dips in developing countries (read full article here). He cited the issued report of the World Bank with its surprising finding that the extreme poverty level in every developing regions declined from 2005-2008. The United Nations (UN) as well announced that the world had met already the 50 percent target to reduce the extreme poverty which is five years ahead of the said 2015 deadline. Along with this, the UN reported that there are already more than two billion people who gained access to improved drinking water. Of course this is a very good news for UN special adviser on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Jeffrey Sachs. But the real question is, how was the Philippines coped with this interesting finding?

            Still according to the published article of Ocampo, there is a data cited by Christian Monsod and by the IBON Foundation in its 2011 year-end briefing. First is that, some Filipinos (24 million) who live on less than P46 a day and not P53.59 are actually called deemed "poor" while  the 9.4 million who have P36 a day are called "food poor" I in which they cannot meet the daily minimum requirement of 2,000 calories). Second, that the Philippines' real per capital income only increased by 20 percent compared to Malaysia's 400 percent, Thailand's 500 percent, and of course China's 1,100 percent. And lastly, 26 years ago since EDSA I, the income inequality stayed the same in which the top 1 percent of the families' (185,000 people) the income equals of that of the bottom 30 percent (5.5 million).

           With this facts laid out in front us, we Filipinos shall now ask, how come that the United Nations already stated in their report that the first goal of the MDG is already achieved prior to the 2015 deadline? What are their basis from telling that it was already achieved? And lastly, if it is already achieved then how come there are still Filipinos who are living in such "poor" conditions? As a Filipino individual, we have the right to know more about our condition as citizens of our country. After reading the article that Ocampo published, I was able to question my own understanding on what really is the definition of being developed. Maybe for the UN the increased of 20 percent in the Philippines' real per capita income is already a big change rather than having no change at all. On the other hand, for us Filipinos we see the definition of being developed in another way, and that is to see how the way of life is being improved. To conclude, Philippines is still in the idea of experiencing extreme poverty, after all the definition of extreme poverty is that there are still households that cannot meet basic needs for survival and one thing that would support my argument is that there are still Filipino families who cannot meet the said daily minimum calories intake. Now, the question that needs to be addressed is that, how can we Filipinos alleviate ourselves out from the extreme poverty that the country is still experiencing? 

             

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