Poverty as a Fundamental Pressing Problem
by: Perpecto Yasay
I believe that the fundamental and critical problem that plagues the country is poverty. I say fundamental because once we have eradicated the principal causes of poverty we would have removed the formidable impediment to our development and progress, paving the way to improving the quality of life of our people, strengthening their hope and confidence in the future, and nurturing and unleashing their potentials for nation building. Critical because, unless we are able to eradicate the causes of our poverty, the continued sufferings and uneasiness of our people can further fan the flames of violence leading to the dismemberment and demise of our Republic as we know it.
The good news is that the elimination of poverty and the amelioration of the living conditions of people is an endeavor that the Church is familiar with because it is an inherent part of its secular responsibilities.
I believe that the fundamental and critical problem that plagues the country is poverty. I say fundamental because once we have eradicated the principal causes of poverty we would have removed the formidable impediment to our development and progress, paving the way to improving the quality of life of our people, strengthening their hope and confidence in the future, and nurturing and unleashing their potentials for nation building. Critical because, unless we are able to eradicate the causes of our poverty, the continued sufferings and uneasiness of our people can further fan the flames of violence leading to the dismemberment and demise of our Republic as we know it.
The good news is that the elimination of poverty and the amelioration of the living conditions of people is an endeavor that the Church is familiar with because it is an inherent part of its secular responsibilities.
At the turn of the millennium, the Philippine Government committed to eradicate the causes of poverty in 15 years. Today, that herculean challenge rest on the shoulders of President Noynoy Aquino, which he must surpass in 5 years: a phenomenal responsibility indeed! Perhaps, to borrow from the lyrics of one of his father’s favorite song, it is like “dreaming an impossible dream or fighting an unbeatable foe”. And yet, if we are to survive as a nation, we must do it and P-Noy needs every help and support we can offer in order to succeed.
Poverty in its absolute form is the inability of a human being to afford the minimum food nutrients, clothing and shelter needed for survival, which has resulted in unacceptable deaths due to hunger and disease.
We have millions of poverty stricken families who survive by the day and do not see any hope for the future. In the Philippines, their number continues to rise as the population grows at a very high 2.36% per year. More than 5000 babies are born every day with the number of poor people also swelling. Statistics show that out of 1000 infants born 23 die before reaching 1 year old and 4900 mothers die each year due to pregnancy-related complications.
The largest mass of the country’s poor are concentrated in the countryside, and the poorest of our poor are the landless farmers and the fisher folks. Nevertheless, the incidence of urban poverty continues to grow, which now constitute more than one-half of the urban population.
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