EDITORIAL – The face of Philippine poverty

Mang Pandoy, the face of Philippine poverty, has died of complications from a disease that is common among the poor: tuberculosis. He was 63. Yesterday, a day after his death, relatives of the man whose true name was Felipe Natanio still could not put together enough money for a decent burial or even to obtain his death certificate.

A vegetable vendor, Mang Pandoy struggled to raise eight children on daily earnings that averaged P50. He attracted national attention after he disclosed that for P100,000, he was willing to be shot for target practice by thrill seekers so his family could have the money. This was during the administration of Fidel Ramos, who during his State of the Nation Address cited Mang Pandoy’s plight and promised to give the poor man a better life.

Mang Pandoy was given his own show on government-run Channel 4. But “Tambayan ni Mang Pandoy” proved to be short-lived, and Mang Pandoy was unable to parlay his 15 minutes of fame into a better life. He eventually went back to his hand-to-mouth existence as a vegetable vendor and died still a pauper, with his daughter seeking help from kind-hearted souls.

His life dramatizes the difficulties of rising out of poverty in this country. Education, free from primary to high school, is supposed to open opportunities for liberation from poverty. But many Filipino families cannot afford even the other expenses that go with sending a child to public school — the daily transport fare, money for snacks and minor miscellaneous expenses. The quality of public education has also deteriorated so much that many of those who manage to finish high school cannot compete with their counterparts from private schools.

Job-generating investments can lift communities from poverty, but the country is increasingly being bypassed by investors for better business destinations. Microfinan-cing combined with assistance in making entrepreneurship work can also boost development. Better support for agricultural production can make even vegetable vendors earn enough for a decent life.

Some or all of Mang Pandoy’s children may yet get the necessary formal education or obtain certain skills to deliver the family from poverty. But their achievements will be too late for their father, who lived and died poor, of complications from a disease that can be treated if one has enough money.