"Poverty in the Philippines" by Chearelle Dinkelman

The Philippines is a third world country, which is full of beauty yet still has its flaws. The wealth of the Philippines has not been distributed evenly and because of that many lives are in poverty. Millions of people live in urban slums or in rural areas where the lack of sanitation is out of control. I was a victim of starvation in the Philippines, and this was a very difficult experience. If I were to go back, I would not want to see the same system that we had before. However, I believe that the situation I came from is still going on as it was before, or it may have even gotten worse. The government is primarily at fault for this problem. Poverty is one of the largest reasons that communities in the Philippines are suffering. The government needs to do something about this problem, such as adding more jobs or changing the requirements for getting a job, providing lower education costs, or offering more services in financial aid or job training. The Philippines needs to reduce poverty in light of a fast growing population.

Due to lack of opportunities of getting a job in urban cities, many families move to other cities to find better resources to provide for their family. Most families in the Philippines are impoverished and children at very young aged are forced to find jobs. These jobs could vary from selling cigarettes, flowers, plastic bags, newspapers, hauling, car washing, and other tasks. According to CNC World, “about a third of the country’s 90 million populace are still subsisting on below two US dollars per day. Economic growth hardly dents the country’s high unemployment and underemployment rate. The national statistics office reported early this week that unemployment rate in the Philippines in 2010 was at 7.3 percent, slightly lower than the 7.5 percent rate in 2009. About 2.9 million Filipinos were unemployed in 2010.” The government should try to invest more money to rise up wages.

Many say that education is the way to pursue your dream or to find success in life. Lack of education in the Philippines is very high; many families can’t afford to pay for their children’s tuition. So the question is “How can children go to school if they have no financial income?” It is easy for people who have money to say that education is the way to survive in this bad economy. However, for those people who have a lower level of education and a lack of skills, education is not easily accessible. Many of these people therefore have no way out of poverty because most employees won’t accept unskilled workers. Families often end up living in a damaged area or even on the streets. They build their houses out of cardboard, plastic, cloth, or boxes. The living conditions are very poor throughout the Philippines.
The government or the senate of the Philippines should also offer more services such as financial aid, healthcare or job training for those who have graduated college. The Philippines have money to fix roads and make the islands look beautiful, but when it comes to helping the poor, the government is not so eager to spend. Many graduates from college have degrees but they can’t even find a job. Everyone tells them to go to school and get your degree and get a good job, but now that they have gone to school, most of them can’t even get a retail job in the Philippines. Many strive to migrate to other countries to better their lives. Some of them have degrees, but once they come to America, that degree becomes worthless.

There are some people who criticize the numerous teenagers in the Philippines wandering around doing drugs, and joining street gangs. Many of these youth have not even finished high school. People wonder, if they have the time to do all those things, how come they can’t find a way to better themselves? That’s what most people would say who have finished their education. My counterargument is, however, that these teenagers do those things because they can’t go to school, and they have no money to get into school to better their lives. They have to find a way to survive and cope with the life that they have. Children didn’t choose this kind of life for themselves, and because it is all they have ever known, many of them have no hope on furthering their lives.

In conclusion, the government should help the people in the Philippines make their lives a little easier so that they can provide for their families. Also, this would prevent many people from migrating to other cities or even to other countries such as the United States. It is embarrassing for the government that people have to move to another country to find a better employment to provide for their families back home. Many are far from their loved ones because they sacrifice themselves for their families. The government could also lower tax breaks or even provide better opportunities to people with less education. If possible, the government of the Philippines could also ask the governments of other countries to help Filipinos, perhaps by fundraising to help the poor. There are so many options that the Philippines can take steps to better not only their country, but their fellow countrymen. The Philippines needs to reduce poverty in light of a fast growing population.

List of sources (Work Cited):
-CNCWorld, “Philippines jobless and poverty”, News Report, February 13, 2011, cncworld.tv/news/v_show/12473_Philippines_jobless_and_poverty.shtml.web