14. How can we end poverty?

It does not take a genius to grasp the thought that the Philippines is, indeed, a poverty-stricken country. The evidence lies on the significant number of children who are not functionally literate, teachers who have no choice but to accept the truth behind being underpaid and overworked and parents who use their children as “props” to get more money as they beg in our polluted streets. These are just some tragic realities faced by the country. As a mere spectator of such, I can not help but wonder if things would actually change. Is the government to blame for the fate of such stakeholders? Does the stagnant economy have a lot to do with the situation we are in? Must there be an alliance and sense of positive interdependence with other international institutions or just remain as a nation considered as forever accepting donations? These questions are still left unanswered by the elders we refer to as politicians. What has been established on this line of thought is that, through the years, we have only proven that we deserve to be categorized as a third world country. All I can say is, to a certain extent, this has worked well for us. Truth is poverty has been synonymous to Philippines.

Do not get me wrong. I am proud of my roots as a Filipina because of the values that the culture upholds. However, I have seen in a practical sense that we do have to acknowledge certain truths as to the real situation we are in. Sugarcoating is not necessary. It is as simple as we are poor due to lack of development amongst the people from different sectors, wherein this problem is brought about by fellow Filipinos. We see this in the idea that “the rich become richer and the poor become poorer”. The obvious demarcation of the two contrasting sides has a lot to do with the notion that, “despite attempts to end poverty, the poor refuse to disappear from the global scene”. The great truth is revealed in the fact that the poor may actually be keeping us alive. I believe this is so because had we not been suffering financially, no other country would care to reach out to us and lend billions of dollars for our advantage. It is quite logical. It must have been brought up that there will always be people challenged financially, regardless of the status of the country in general. They select the Philippines because they can get something from us as well. You see, it can come as a business strategy. We have the manpower. They have the money. Let us face it. Genuine concern for others is taboo in today’s vocabulary just as the actualization of equality for all is. On a lighter note, we need not blame who sets the boundaries of power and wealth, which is usually done such as attributing it to capitalists. I am not political expert. All I know is that, if there is a factor that contributes to the problem, then the solution can be searched for and most likely attainable. We often speak of corruption as an ultimate cause of poverty. But I do not believe that it is just that alone. We each take part on this failure to rise above this phase. In one way or another, we each have not fulfilled the duties we have to the country. So, how can we end poverty? I can only take this on a personal note to be more specific. I am an education major and I believe the solution to poverty is education. An educated nation signifies responsible citizens, with those who actually participate in development of the country.

By aspiring for the success universal projects including Education For All (EFA) and supporting the implementation of the Dakar Framework, maybe (just maybe) we can start to make things happen for us. Some may say the EFA does not fit the needs of the country and would just be an avenue for globalization. This means more advantage to the developed countries. However, I think that we to keep up with others in terms of being knowledgeable of the world beyond ours. Taking such knowledge and using it to our advantage.