Poverty

Poverty: The Common Yet Crucial Societal Issue
Countries around the world experience a variety of societal issues that reflect their
lives, status, and even their government system. There are numerous factors that
contribute to this, but we believe that the latter is the primary root of all these issues – as
they are the ones who are responsible to work on it and resolve it. Poverty is one of the
most prevalent among the long list of social problems, and sadly, the Philippines is
afflicted by it. As a young citizens who are suffering in our country, we chose to tackle
poverty because it plays a role and has a big part in the many underlying societal issues
that the majority of people are experiencing; including lack of education access,
unemployment, inequality and discrimination, crimes and corruption, and hunger.
We are always presumed that failure to buy the things you want and inadequate
wealth to sustain your needs in living life is poverty. We only came to the realization that
this definition and context were extremely limited because this issue goes beyond poverty
itself. As we have said, poverty touches the concern of other societal issues, which is why
it has been one of the hardest and most crucial to be solved, not only here in our country,
but also globally. This problem had existed for the longest time in our past, but we are still
living with it in the present, and might even possibly hinder our future.
There are many faces of poverty in our country which has already been part of the
daily lives of Filipinos. In our perspective, aside from the whole government system, one
of the main sources of poverty is the lack of education access and unemployment. We
are lucky enough to get the chance to attend school and have education access. If only
everyone could afford to study and achieve proper education, then they could find a better
means to sustain their living. Continuing from education, the means that we have in our
mind is a job. Yet our hope is a pipe dream because even literate, graduates, and degree
holders are not free from poverty. There are many unemployed because the country
doesn’t have enough opportunities. Poverty is complex like that – as if it has no solution
and it would exist no matter what.
Socially, people who experience poverty are classified as poor. The variable of
inequality and discrimination enters when it comes to social class. We are leaning towards
the idea that this condition reflects the system and actions made by the leaders of our
country who holds the power to change and control the rate of poverty. If we had an
effective system, we could have the possibility of equality – access to resources and
opportunities, and freedom from discrimination. Unfortunately, this societal issue has not
been suppressed, but only worsened over time. Based on our research, it was recorded
that more than 3.9 million Filipinos are experiencing a life of poverty, but its rate rose to
a total of 20 million which is 18.1% of the Philippine population when the pandemic struck.
Poverty was clear as day, but it became more obvious in that hopeless situation. It made
us become aware that as a society, we have not placed high importance on things that
actually matter, such as mental and environmental health. It wasn’t only the government
that was not ready, but the country and the people themselves had difficulty coping during
the whole circumstance. Everyone was affected, but the poor suffered the most.
Poverty is indeed hard to resolve, especially when the appointed leaders are not
even alarmed by the situation. The Philippines are rich in our resources, but the
government tends to neglect the needs of its people and prioritize its own gains. The
country will go down when the corruption became out of control, and all that would be left
are crimes, dependence on other countries, and a huge amount of debt. These
assumptions are not far from reality. Currently, the significant identifier of the Philippines
becoming poorer is shown through the value of the Peso downgrading and the inflation
rate constantly increasing. The prices of basic necessities and commodities have been
increasing fast, but people are having a hard time managing the sudden changes in the
cost of living, much more for the poor who could not afford it. Our country and its people,
in the worst case of poverty, could end up facing countrywide hunger and malnutrition.
In a sense, poverty is the most common but also the most crucial societal issue in
a country. It is still evidently happening and the majority are still having a hard time
surviving. This societal issue can be reduced by the implementation of programs that will
ensure security, food assistance, work opportunities, provision of the needs as well as
clothing, food, and shelter to the poor, and the right allocation of resources. There were
never enough solutions to this problem, but there was a lot we can do. This is possible
when there is movement and cooperation, which will start with appointing the right and
worthy leaders who have the initiative and willingness for change. The leaders have the
power and authority to make things happen but of course, are only effective when they
have the cooperation of their people.
Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the

protection of a fundamental human right – the right to dignity and a decent life. These are
not my own words but I acknowledge the same view of Nelson Mandela. We would still
like to believe that eliminating poverty is not impossible. We have decided to hold on to
hope, that someday, a time will come when this country would rise on its feet again, and
thrive, regardless of social status, every Filipino will have an access to education,
employment, equality, freedom from discrimination, corruption, and crimes, and never
again would anyone have an empty stomach, unless by choice.

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Poverty: The Common Yet Crucial Societal Issue

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the

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