Poverty: The shadow of Philippine Society

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Geraldine Es

 

In almost every nook and cranny of the Philippine society, inequality – the gap between the wealthy and the needy – has been a common trend. Poverty has always been present. It is one of the biggest and most evident problems in the Philippines, which has continued from generation to generation. Nonetheless, poverty is not only the problem of the ones suffering from it, but the problem of the whole community and society. In short, it is everybody’s problem – everybody in the sense that boy or girl, young or old, even rich or poor, poverty will always be one of their problems. According to the United Nations (1990), majority of the Philippine population live below the working class and are unable to sustain for their personal and family needs. However, Philippine society keeps on putting the issue under the rug, denying the fact that they are one of the countries with the greatest number of poverty stricken families. Yes, this is reality, but how can we solve this social issue if we keep on turning our eyes away from the truth?

In an article written by Coren (2010) of CNN, she stated that almost half of the Philippine population lives below the poverty line. Majority of this group are unemployed and get their living from scavenging the mountains of trash in dumpsites, such as the “Smokey Mountain” – a dump which stands 20 meters high and contains the remains of Manila’s 50 year trash. It may be hard to imagine how these individuals scale the whole area, but because of financial scarcity, the impossible surely becomes possible.

May it be rivers of decomposed rubbish, hills of garbage, and towers of waste piled up together, tens and thousands of people still practice the livelihood of scavenging just to gain money. However, believe it or not, it’s not only the adults who do the scavenging, but also the countless children who have to work to help provide their families with extra or little money. At their very young age, these children are taught how to earn for a living, sometimes solely for themselves and mostly for their family. At their very young age, they are already prone to accidents or diseases which can kill them and their future. These children deserve to enjoy their childhood and the right to proper education, instead of wearing themselves out from working non-stop. Just as the aphorism states, “no play, no childhood, no education – no progression.”

It is true that almost all Filipinos are considered to be poor. Settling down on the outskirts of major cities, a lot of families find themselves stuck between their insufficient finances to get through the day. Unable to find a decent job to provide themselves with their basic needs, a lot of Filipinos and their families turn to illegal sources of living. Hastily concluded, poverty causes individuals to stoop to very humiliating lows just to put food in their mouths, even if the food itself is from trash. Sad to say, but this is the current reality our country is facing – a crisis which has started decades ago and continues in the present.

 

References:
Min, A. (2015, February 12). In world’s poorest slums, landfills and polluted rivers become a child’s playground. Retrieved on August 17, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/updates/in-worlds-poorest-slums-landfills-and-polluted-rivers-become-a-childs-playground

Pickles, K. (2015, July 03). Beneath the poverty line: Horrific pictures of Filipino children sifting through rivers of rubbish in desperate bid to find something to sell. Retrieved on August 17, 2017, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3148193/ Beneath-poverty-line-Children-Philippines-risk-lives-sifting-floating-rubbish-filthy-rivers-material-sell-survive.html

Coren, A. (2010, April 05). Scratching out life on Manila’s Smokey Mountain. Retrieved on August 17, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/05/philippines.smokey.mountain/index.html