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Shania Davis

Mr. Phillips

AP English III (Language and Composition)

14 December 2018

Poverty in the Philippines

Poverty can be defined as the state or condition of the state or condition of having little or

no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor. Since poverty levels are high in

many developing and undeveloped countries, many Filipinos living in the Philippines are dealing

with the condition of living and being poor, "yet only half of the poverty story is being told"

(Philippines Daily Inquirer). This issue may be neglected because many developed countries

have to deal with their own problems dealing with poverty levels since this issue can be found

worldwide. There are many reasons why poverty levels can be considered to be high, but the

main conflicts in which increase poverty is the effect from natural disasters and economic crisis.

In the article .... the author .... explains how "One out of every five Filipinos are living in

poverty." Most Filipinos that are living in poverty lives in rural areas in the Philippines.

Although, poverty can be easily tamed it’s hard for the Filipinos to reduce the production of

poverty levels. The Philippine Government can assist Filipino people in rural areas of the

Philippines to decrease poverty levels even with the effects from natural disasters and an

economic crisis.

There has not been an decrease in poverty levels in the Philippines since 2015, and now

this year of 2018 poverty levels have risen back up to where they were. The economic growth

that has happened should be able to help the poor, but the past decade the economy hasn’t helped

with poverty at all. “Poverty in the Philippines is a predominantly rural phenomenon, with 75%
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of the poor residing in rural areas, according to the Human Development and Poverty Reduction

Cluster” (Mindanao Times). The government’s response to poverty being in rural areas is

basically to invest more in education, health, increase social protection and community

engagements, and coordinate more at the local level. Although, the Filipino government has

responses to poverty in the Philippines they have not done much to come and aid the people

living in this poor condition. This is due to the simple fact that the Filipino government can be

considered weak for implementing poverty reduction programs. Poverty is due to corrupt

government officials and their allies.

To help poverty levels to decrease businesses have thought about making agribusiness

which is “growing, harvesting, warehousing, trading, processing, marketing, and retailing food.”

By considering people living in poverty to invest in the production of agriculture it can increase

their income/profit. Agribusiness can improve labor force, and it also can improve better power

supply. Job opportunities are lacking since big businesses are being controlled only by a few

people. Dr. Dy concludes that “adequate incomes are key to food security, and price hikes can

increase poverty incidence” (Manila). Because poverty is mostly found in rural parts of the

Philippines, the economic gain from agriculture production rates are not that high even though

many rural areas are considered as farming villages.

Many natural disasters that occur in the Philippines can affect the levels of poverty as

well. Natural disasters like Typhoons and Earthquake hit through the Philippines and affect cities

very badly. The destruction from most of these disasters can destroy many homes and

businesses. The devastation of many homes and businesses being destroyed is a huge issue on

why poverty rates continue to increase, especially in rural areas. “The Philippines suffers around

20 typhoons yearly” (Fonbuena). Due to the massive demolition from these natural occurrences
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many people can’t recover back to their lifestyle due to the fact that they simply can not afford to

rebuild what they have which puts them into poverty.

The Philippines can be considered as a very poor country and they need national attention

for assistance. When poverty rates decline, more well-paying jobs and opportunities will be

present in the community. The author of the Philippines Daily Inquirer explains how, “poverty

should be observed with eyes open constantly, not occasionally. It should be observed with eyes

open fully, not partially” (Philippines Daily Inquirer). By putting government services in more

rural farming communities and coastal villages it can assist in agriculture development and make

a difference in the reduction of poverty rates. Also, by preparing efficiently and ahead time can

also help the destruction and occurrences from natural disasters.

It will be a critical challenge to bring down poverty in the entire country of the

Philippines, but with the assistance provided by the Philippines government and national help,

bringing down poverty can be done. By increasing the production of agribusiness in rural areas

there will be a reduction in poverty levels. The government can come to the aid with the poor

and lend them assistance in investing into agribusinesses. The production of agriculture is the

main solution in getting poverty levels to decrease. In the article "How Agribusiness can

Eradicate Poverty," Dr. Dy goes into detail about how when poverty levels decrease the most

important thing to do is to keep the levels of poverty from increasing again. When natural

disasters occur in the Philippines the aid from developed countries can help with destroyed

homes and businesses. Poverty is such a serious issue in the Philippines, and it should be reduced

and assisted.
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Works Cited

"A half-true poverty report." Philippines Daily Inquirer [Makati City, Philippines], 2 June 2018. Global
Issues in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A541324985/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=99c654d7.
Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.
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Aljibe, Ted. “Philippines: Five Years after Typhoon Haiyan.” The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/philippines+natural-disasters, 6 Nov. 2018. Web. 5 Dec.
2018.

"Editorial / Fighting poverty in rural areas." Mindanao Times [Mindanao, Philippines], 13 July 2018.
Global Issues in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A546684358/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=e9a3bd60.
Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.

Fonbuena, Carmela. “ Typhoon Yutu: Death Toll Reaches 15 after Landslides Hit Phillipines.” The
Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/01/typhoon-yutu-death-toll-rises-
landslides-phillipines, 1 Nov. 2018. Web. 5 Dec. 2018.

"How agribusiness can eradicate poverty." Manila Bulletin, 17 Aug. 2018. Global Issues in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A550538202/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=440e7ef2.
Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.

"Philippines economy: Quick View - Economic data remain mixed in July and August." Economist
Intelligence Unit: Country ViewsWire, 20 Sept. 2018. Global Issues in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A554986056/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=db2d3f75.
Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.

"Philippines,United States : Philippines: Enabling Business to Reduce Poverty in Mindanao." Mena

Report, 7 Aug. 2018. Global Issues in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A549278988/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=e168c8de.
Accessed 6 Dec. 2018.