The Effect of Poverty to Filipino Families

CHAPTER 1

Background of the study

Introduction

The term poverty refers to the state or condition in which people or communities
lack the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living. As such, their
basic human needs cannot be met. Poverty-stricken people and families may go without
proper housing, clean water, healthy food, and medical attention. Each nation may have its
own criteria for determining the poverty line and counting how many of its people live in
poverty. It's important to remember that poverty is a socioeconomic condition that is the
result of multiple factors—not just income. These factors include race, sexual identity, sexual
orientation, and little to no access to education, among others.

Fact’s about poverty in the Philippines

Poverty in the Philippines is caused by factors such as lack of job opportunities, low
wages, high cost of basic goods and services, and lack of access to education and healthcare.
It affects Filipinos in many ways, including long-term health problems, limited education and
future prospects, child labor, and social problems such as crime and drug abuse.

The Philippines is exposed to more natural disasters than any other nation in the world.
These disasters, which include typhoons, earthquakes and cyclones, cause horrific
devastation and contribute heavily to the high poverty rate in this country. Other causes of
poverty in the Philippines include low job creation, low economic growth and high levels of
population growth.

Various Filipino NGOs as well as some from outside of the country, have worked to
combat poverty in the Philippines. A group called Zero Extreme Poverty PH 2030 (ZEP) has
led the charge, dedicating itself to eliminating poverty in the nation by 2030 by enacting
positive change in eight areas: education, environment, health, housing and shelter,
livelihoods, peace and human security and social justice. In 2018, ZEP created a coalition of
various NGOs from both the Philippines and around the world, with the goal of helping those
living under the poverty line in the country. In the Philippines 6.1% of the population live on
less than $1.90 per day, 26% live on less than $3.20 per day and 55.1% live on less than
$5.50 per day (World Bank Data).  Widespread corruption in both Filipino politics and
business prevents any opportunities for social mobility and growth.  Power is concentrated
among influential families and connected individuals, offering the poor truly little chance of
bettering themselves.

The Rural Poverty Portal reports that half of the poor in the Philippines live in rural
areas. The poorest of the poor are the indigenous, landless laborers, fishermen, small farmers,
mountain folk and women. Deforestation, depleted fisheries, and unproductive farmland are
major problems for these people. For every 1,000 babies born in the Philippines, 28 die
before they turn 5 years old. Many of these children die of pneumonia. The Philippines is one
of the 15 countries that make up over 75% of the pneumonia deaths globally. A lower
socioeconomic status, which often leads to limited access to vaccinations and healthcare
options, contributes to this high rate of pneumonia (Chen, 2023).

Causes of Poverty

According to an article, the poorest of the poor in the Philippines suffer from a lack of
jobs in rural areas, poor quality of education, and limited resources for large families. This
has led to a widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Add to that frequent natural
disaster which takes away what little the poor have and you have a cycle of indebtedness and
poverty that affect large parts of the population. Recent COVID-19 pandemic has
compounded problems for the poor. Lack of access to quality healthcare and vaccinations and
the high cost of treatment mean the poor are further pushed into poverty and debt. Inadequate
housing for the poor is another challenge for the poor.
Consequences of Poverty:

Poverty in the Philippines

Results in many unf avorable consequences that add to the challenge of eradicating
poverty. This also weighs down on the country’s economy. The less fortunate face many
challenges that act as a consequence of poverty.

Unaffordable housing

Many Filipinos live in crowded homes or even on the streets as most cannot afford rent
on their meager incomes. Many poor survive on less than $1.25 a day, making it extremely
difficult for them to improve their standard of living and to gain access to quality education
and healthcare.

Malnutrition

With little money to buy food, many poor have inadequate diets or sleep hungry. Their
diets too have changed. People have moved from eating rice to having instant noodles, which
provides inadequate nutrition though it is cheaper.

Child Labor

Many parents force their children to work to help them provide for their families. Most of
them are taken out of school and made to work in harsh conditions. Recent statistics show
that there are about 3.6 million children between the ages of 5 to 17 who are child laborers.
This amounts to about 16 percent of the entire population.

Crime

With meager resources and many mouths to feed, many people take to crime to survive.
Without proper employment, people find stealing a better way to provide for their families.
Opportunities to reduce poverty:

The Philippine government has successfully reduced poverty using a mix of cash grants,
better educational opportunities, family planning measures, and improving livelihood
programs for the poor. However, delay in crediting cash grants and corruption at all levels
impedes the mission to reduce poverty.

The Feed the hungry organization and other like-minded institutions are working hard to help
those in need. Many of them have been working for the betterment of the poor for decades.
They have helped skill many young people to live independently with their own income,
besides providing invaluable help to the poor in any way they can. Out of the organizations
that help the poor in the Philippines, the Catholic Connect Foundation helps raise funds and
aid to distribute the same amongst like-minded organizations.

CHAPTER 1

Methodology
This research provides qualitative information on poverty in the Philippines, including
its causes and consequences. It does not present any quantitative data or analysis. To include
quantitative methods in this research, the following are some suggestions:
 Conduct a survey: A survey can be conducted to gather data on poverty in the
Philippines. The survey can ask questions related to income levels, access to basic
needs, education, healthcare, and other factors that contribute to poverty. The survey
can be administered online or in person.
 Use official data: The researcher can use official data from the government or other
sources to analyze poverty in the Philippines. For example, data on poverty rates,
unemployment rates, healthcare spending, and education spending can be analyzed to
gain insights into the factors that contribute to poverty.
 Analyze economic indicators: The researcher can analyze economic indicators such as
gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, and interest rates to understand how they
affect poverty in the Philippines.
 Conduct focus group discussions: Focus group discussions can be conducted to gain
insights into the experiences of people living in poverty in the Philippines. The
 discussions can be held with individuals or groups living in rural and urban areas to
understand the differences in their experiences.
 Use statistical analysis: Statistical analysis can be used to analyze data on poverty in
the Philippines. For example, regression analysis can be used to identify the factors
that contribute most to poverty in the country.
 Use case studies: The researcher can use case studies to gain insights into how
poverty affects specific groups or communities in the Philippines. This can help to
identify effective interventions to reduce poverty in these areas.
 By incorporating quantitative methods in the research, the findings can be more
robust and provide a clearer picture of poverty in the Philippines.

CHAPTER 3

Result
Based on the Preliminary Results of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) in
2021, poverty incidence among population, defined as the proportion of Filipinos whose per
capita income cannot sufficiently meet the individual basic food and non-food needs, was
recorded at 18.1 percent. This translates to around 19.99 million Filipinos who lived below
the poverty threshold of about    PhP 12,030 per month for a family of five. The subsistence
incidence, defined as the proportion of Filipinos whose income is not enough to meet even
just the basic food needs, slightly increased to 5.9 percent in 2021. It was estimated that a
family of five needs at least PhP 8,379 per month to meet their basic food requirements
(Figure 1, and Tables 2 and 4).
 
Among families, around 3.50 million families or 13.2 percent were considered poor in 2021.
On the other hand, the subsistence incidence among families was observed at 3.9
percent,which is equivalent to 1.04 million poor families below the food poverty line. (Tables
1, 3, 5 and 7) (PSA)