Why poverty persists, no matter who wins

Poverty in the Philippines is neither a mystery, nor an accident. And certainly, it is not what the poor want for themselves or their loved ones. Absolutely, not their fault in spite of some individuals who do not have the discipline and motivation to work.

I received an unusual amount of feedbacks in my email and phone when I discussed my “five wishes for 2026 that would end poverty.” Essentially, many of those asked for my view on what I believe are its causes. Hence, let’s discuss this further. One day, I would write a book about this.

For decades, our nation spoke of poverty as mere unavoidable statistics – tragic, and beyond human control. In truth, poverty in our country is the predictable outcome of a system that repeatedly rewards the powerful, neglects the vulnerable and wastes the potential of millions of Filipinos who are willing to work if given a fair chance.

One of the deepest roots of poverty is unequal access to opportunities. Where a Filipino is born hugely matters more than how hard he works. A child born in an urban center enter a world of better schools, safer roads, reliable electricity and exposure to opportunities. A child born in a remote barangay usually grows up walking long, at times dangerous, distances to an overcrowded classroom, sharing outdated and dilapidated textbooks and dropping out early to help the family survive. More often, the younger siblings give way to their kuya and ate to finish studying first. Equality’s meaning is almost forgotten. And poverty naturally persists because it is passed down, not because it is chosen.

Poverty is reinforced by a failing education system for the poor. While we boast of high enrollment rates, too many students leave school without mastering basic reading, writing or mathematics. Education, instead of lifting children out of poverty, often prepares them only for low-paying, unstable work. The system quietly separates those who can afford quality education from those who cannot.

Even when Filipinos are educated, many find the economy has no place for them. The lack of decent, quality and secured jobs is a central cause of poverty. Economic growth has mainly pushed consumption, real estate and imports. But we don’t have industries that can generate stable and enough employment. This topic requires another column. A consumption driven, import oriented and service dependent economy is unsustainable. We are lucky that we are being stabilized by the annual remittances of at least $30 billion from our overseas workers.

Millions are stuck in contractual and informal work – usually without benefits, job security and with wages that could hardly support a family. College degrees increasingly lead not to opportunities, but to frustrations or desire to leave the country. Growth without dignified jobs is growth that leaves poverty unresolved.

Rural poverty, especially in agriculture and fisheries, is another structural failure. Farmers and fishermen remain among the poorest. More than six million of them are in the shadows of hardships. Land ownership is still a contentious issue. And access to credit, irrigation, technology and direct markets remains limited. Middlemen still rake the bigger portion of the profits while producers sink deeper into debt. For example, the 22 percent drop in the global prices of rice in 2025, lowest in many years, is hardly reflected in the retail price which decreased only by six-13 percent. The middlemen still rakes it in. And the poor suffers continuously.

Governance further deepens the problem. Corruption, dynasties, patronage politics and weak institutions drain resources meant for development. Our electoral process has yet to consistently deliver the best and the brightest. Personalities, not platforms and programs, is still the basis for voting. Voter education is still rudimentary and aggravates the cycle. Thus, optics and cliches are more powerful than long-term programs to gain election victory. A few thousand pesos are more attractive than the welfare of the nation. Ironically, the poor voters themselves would rather grab the money for survival than support the ones who would free them from the poverty bondage.

We confused ourselves with short-term programs that bridge survival. But survival is not progress. Our poverty response manages suffering but does not end poverty itself. Assistance programs, when properly handled, definitely are crucial to assist poor Filipinos during these dire times. But we must ensure that effective long-term economic programs would be pursued.

Poverty in our country persists because the system allows it to. Ending it requires more than slogans or sympathy. Ending poverty requires dismantling the structures that keep opportunities out of reach for the majority. Until that happens, poverty will remain not a failure of individuals, but a failure of our nation itself.

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