PBA 1: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOLIDARITY, AND CITIZENSHIP

NAME: John Lennard Costuna GRADE: 12 HUMSS

POVERTY AND INEQUALITY

It is undeniable that there is a high rate of poverty in the Philippines. In a statistical

survey done by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2021 dictates such numbers.
The Philippines has a 23.7% of poverty incidence among the population, meaning the
proportion of Filipinos whose income does not suffice their most basic food and non-food
needs. The recorded percentage is actually high when compared to other countries in the
South-east Asia. The numbers equate to about 26.14 million Filipinos. On the other hand,
there is the so-called subsistence incidence among the Filipinos, known as the number
of Filipinos whose income is not even enough to provide their basic food needs. The
subsistence incidence rate of the Philippines reached 9.9% or about 10.94 million
Filipinos. This just shows that although the Philippines is having a high rate of GDP, the
number of people living in the poverty just shows that there are social and income
inequality that are affiliated with it.

Social inequality is defined as the existing unequal or unfair opportunities, benefits

and rewards for different social statuses in the society. The reason why social inequality
is persistent is because of the failure to address the problem of poverty. Many people in
the Philippines believe that in order to move out of poverty, you have to work hard and
endure the sufferings for now. That’s what majority of the people were told. Furthermore,
there is this system in finding a job here in the Philippines where it is required for you to
have finished college, when majority of people cannot even afford to attend college. There
is also this reason that Filipinos are turning a blind eye to the poverty that they see. They
just ignore the problem because they are not affected by it.

Income inequality is basically defined as how the income is unevenly distributed

all throughout the population. The reason why income inequality is prevalent in the
Philippines is because of the political culture in the Philippines. The political culture of the
Philippines mainly consists of the padrino system wherein the people who helped the
elected government official during the campaign will be given great considerations and is
owed a huge favor. That is why when these politicians mainly favor huge companies it is
because of the utang ng loob that they have from the richest people in the Philippines.
Furthermore, there is another cause aside the political culture of the Philippines. And that
is the slow rate of increase of the minimum wage. Throughout the years, the minimum
wage has increased insufficiently. Rising only at a maximum rate of 2.5%, the minimum
wage fails to coincide with the inflation rate of 3-6%. Thus, every year the minimum wage
still lacks to compete with the inflation.

The drastic effects of inequality to the poor are clearly visible. The poor becomes
poorer due to the social and income inequality. The first effect that is clearly visible is the
hunger. Due to the income inequality, the poor families cannot even buy their basic food
needs. They have to live while eating only little throughout the day. The next effect is
discrimination. The poor are being discriminated because they are poor. They are not
given access to job opportunities because of their status in life. The other effects are the
visible disparity between the country’s richest and the poorest in terms of land distribution,
educational opportunities, and basic welfare programs.

During the past administrations, they tried to combat the poverty via the following:
greater access to education, greater access to healthcare, family aid, economic
improvement, and infrastructure projects. Recently in 2017, the Philippine government
had signed the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act in 2017 in order to
encourage people to attend higher education. The act subsidized the cost of the tuition
fee in state universities and colleges as well as other expenses, and granted students in
the private institutions tuition grants in order to help them in their bills. In 2019, the
Universal Healthcare Act was signed in order to enroll and provide healthcare access to
all citizens in the National Insurance Program, this will help the poor to have access to
healthcare. In 2007, the government launched the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
(4Ps), granting aids to the poor Filipino families. This program requires to meet certain
requirements such as the children must go to school, regular check-ups and attending
family development sessions. In 2019, the Rice Tariffication Law was signed in order to
prioritize local rice production and make an efficient and competitive agricultural system
in the Philippines. And lastly, the Public-Private Partnership and Build, Build, Build
programs of the past administrations proved to develop more infrastructures and give
more jobs to the Filipinos.

It is undeniable that poverty affects everyone, directly or indirectly. It indirectly

affects us as it might be the cause of violence and crime. Since the poor have no more
choice, they might resort to something that is inhumane, since they are living in such
inhumane conditions. We, the people and the youth must act in order to address and
combat poverty and its underlying problem, inequality. We must start to address the
problem by accepting the reality that it is there. We should not turn a blind eye on poverty.
We must see things as it is and by our own little ways, try to alleviate it. It is imperative
that the government and the people must work together in order to help those
impoverished people and ensure that opportunities and benefits will be readily available
to everyone, no matter your status in life is. According to the former spokesman Edwin
Lacierda, “The key to reducing inequality is better education, better healthcare, social
safety nets and higher and broader economic growth, especially in agriculture". We must
start by creating an awareness and volunteering for programs that helps alleviate poverty.
Such programs may include teaching young children and out-of-school youths, feeding
programs, teaching livelihood, and community engagement. Even though it may seem
small, it is a big thing. An act of random kindness especially to the poor can greatly help
in alleviating their sufferings. To address inequality, we must be able to empower the
people who are experiencing inequality. In our own selves, we must not aim to become
an employee, but an employer, who will be ready to provide jobs for others and inspire
them to do the same. Let us serve as an inspiration by promoting leadership and
productivity. We must provide constant efforts and make that the youth feel that they have
an important role in changing the society. WE, THE YOUTH, ARE THE FUTURE OF
THIS WORLD, WE MUST ACT ALTOGETHER IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A BETTER
TOMORROW FOR THE FUTURE GENERATION.
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