Poverty: A Social Plague

POVERTY: A SOCIAL PLAGUE

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”

Mother Teresa

Every morning and every single day, as I go along the street of Kalaw and Caloocan, I could see children wearing shabby clothes, has no shirts to wear, their smell are already disgusting. As I cross the pavement of  Lawton in Central Teminal, I had noticed many Filipino family who are sleeping on the dirty ground, and I asked myself how lucky I am.

This is the problem of poverty, the great plague of our society, until today modern times we can actually feel how degrading and alarming the problem of poverty is, In our everyday life as a Filipino, will always heard the problem of poverty, we will always discover that not all children and youth like us, that has the same opportunities, as what we have today.

According to Philippine Statistic Authority, on their official poverty statistic, 16% percent of Philippine Population’s has no access to formal education, has no food to eat and many of those who live in the urban community like Manila, has no decent home and permanent Job, that can support their families. This data on the other hand is also supported by Rappler, one of the leading news agencies in the Philippines. According to Rappler, May 27, 46% of respondents rated themselves as poor – a 4-percentage point decline from 2015’s 50% or 11.2 million families.

The Former President claimed that the Philippines, is one of the fastest growing economy in Asia and considered as the new “Tiger Economy of Asia”, but why until today many people would labelled themselves as poor, and cannot even acquired their needs and wants.

I believe that the solution to poverty are Education, Ethical governance, and Economic stability. I personally believes that we must reach out to the underprivileged and the underperforming, because they have just as much potential as those who are privileged enough to study in the best schools or those who are performing well enough to receive scholarships that would enable them to study in the best schools. The underprivileged and the underperforming students who are willing to pour out all their time and effort for a better life should be given just as much opportunities as the privileged and well-performing students."