The poverty problem must be solved

The suicide of 12-year old Marianeth Amper in Davao City was driven by deprivation and need. Stories related that she could not go to school and was forced to miss classes because she had no money for fare. The night before she hanged herself, she badly needed P100 for her school project. How heartbreaking that poverty deprived her of basic necessities in her life, while her after-death spurred financial help from all over that could have provided what she needed. In her life, the smallest act of sympathy could have saved her from desperation, but in her young mind only death could finally end her want.

Marianeth’s case underscores the paradox that extreme poverty abounds even in a progressing economy like the Philippines. Under the present administration, economic progress is evidenced by the 7.5 percent GDP growth last quarter — the highest in 20 years. Foreign investments increase and the peso keeps getting stronger. But all these seem to benefit only a few elite and capitalists, making them wealthier. On the other hand, those with hardly any resources keep getting poorer. This enhances the gap between the rich and the poor.

Anywhere in the world, the problem of inequality is compounded by increased globalization and trade. Asian Development Bank’s chief economist Ifzal Ali, says that “Intensifying competition, rapid adoption of new technologies and freer capital flows diminish the bargaining power of workers”. They now compete in a global arena, where the best education, job skills and connections count. This global development further worsens the plight of the less skilled and disadvantaged.

In our country, more than 50 percent of the labor force or roughly 16.1 million Filipino workers, mostly unskilled workers and agricultural laborers earn P5,000 – 8,000 (P33-53 per person per day), an income level that hovers around the 2007 poverty threshold pegged at P40 per person per day, according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). The workers’ low income, combined with high prices of goods and services, continues to fuel poverty and hunger in the country.

Through the years, our government has undertaken several steps to address the problem of hunger and poverty. A study on the economic growth of Latin America released by the Newsweek Magazine recently featured the transition of Brazil from one of the most unequal societies in the world way back in the ’70s to economic stabilization in the ’90s. Policymakers mounted massive campaigns in the 1990s to get children to study and not work at an early age. The poorest families were given stipends on the condition that their children are kept in school and taken for regular medical checkups. Now they are being rewarded with better jobs that results to a steady income stream and a better economy. Under a scheme called Chile Solidario, two-year grants are given to families who must not only keep their children in school but should also report to social workers and look for jobs. In Mexico, a sophisticated computer database is used to track down the progress of some five million families.

Like any government, there is imbalance and nothing is perfect in any country. Otherwise, some would be out of this world. Any persistent problem must be tracked down like a prey in focus, an enemy in battle. Our goal is to uplift the man at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Let us look after our neighbors in need. We may be able to help in simple, non-expensive ways. On the other hand, the poor should be men enough to uplift themselves from the quagmire. As long as people are alive and strong, there is always hope.