In good and bad times, let us remember to help and share

The latest survey of the Social Weather Station released early this month showed that the living conditions of Filipino families have improved, based on the decreased rate of self-assessed poverty from 59 percent in June to 52 percent in September. We are happy to note that there is a close monitoring of the poverty and hunger problem. These kinds of reports on the efforts from advocates and various sectors actually help spread awareness from the public in general. But we are worried that more and more contract workers abroad have lost their jobs as a result of the global financial crisis that has spread from USA and Europe to the Asian region. Before this, the Philippines was listed as one of the 33 countries with a serious hunger problem along with troubled economies such as Myanmar, Timor Leste, and others located in Africa. Latest data from the National Statistical Coordination Board from mid-year reports brings the alarming news that more than 11 million Filipinos, or about 12 percent of the population are food-poor and live below the subsistence level and that hunger is prevalent in the southern part of the country. Furthermore, 18 percent of our population is considered undernourished. A survey report released by the Social Weather Station (SWS) about four months ago showed that some 3.3 million families experienced not having anything to eat during that period. We certainly want to know if this figure has already improved.

One concrete solution that the government has undertaken to directly provide a solution to this problem is a program called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (PPP). Under the program, a household-beneficiary can receive as much as P1,400 for a maximum of three children that includes P500 per month for nutrition and health expenses and P300 per month per child, for a maximum of three children per household for educational expenses. The program is similar to the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program mentioned by this columnist in previous articles, which became popular in Latin America and other poor countries as a poverty reduction measure due to its direct positive impact and the way that it provides immediate relief to the needy. We have also mentioned that the program is a key factor behind the socio-economic transformation of a once-poor Brazil, where 11 million families were enrolled in the program. We are positive that the same measure adopted by our government for a total of 320,000 initial families can produce positive and real results towards the improvement of the living conditions of all the poor households in our country, especially if it is replicated for the other identified poor families in different provinces. In the same token, the program enables poor households to cope with poverty; at the same time allows them to maintain household assets from which they earn their living; and to help them nourish and educate their children despite poverty. The program ensures this by strictly requiring children of beneficiary-families to attend school at least 85 percent of the time, receive vaccinations and health care. This is a good program if only all the resources allocated will be accounted for and utilized well.

Another thing that warms my heart is the volunteerism of business executives like Ayala’s Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and Alaska’s Wilfred Steven Uytengsu who early this week, spearheaded a fundraising event for “Children’s Hour”, a benefit lunch to help poor children. If all CEOs and presidents of big companies in the country would share their time and talents to generate funds to uplift the conditions of the poor families in the country and help mitigate poverty, then surely a big mark would be made, giving life to what is called “corporate social responsibility”.

Now that it’s Christmas season, let me exhort all individuals, groups and agencies to exert extra effort in reaching out to the needy families around them. The government should not allow any family’s table to be without food or simple meal. We are a nation rich with natural resources and so much land to till. Government only has to take a serious lead and allocate the available resources well. If only everyone will do their share, we will all together make a difference. Let us put to reality the ending phrase of a famous Tagalog Christmas carol “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit”, which goes (in English), “…and from now on, even if it’s not Christmas, let us give to one another !”