Poverty In The Philippines

Poverty in the Philippines

According to the Population Commission, there are about 30.6 million Filipinos suffering from poverty. Out of all the Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines is the worst when in comes to poverty. About 15.3 million Filipinos are subsistence individuals meaning that they do not make enough money to provide for basic food requirements.

In 1999, the World Bank said that the Philippines had a per capita GNP or gross national product for each person of $1,050. This is being compared to China's $780, Indonesia's $600, Vietnam's $370, Lao's $290, and Cambodia's $280. By looking at this, you probably think that these other Asian countries have a higher percent of people living in poverty. That assumption is wrong. The Philippines has a higher percent of poverty because the wealth is only concentrated on few people. In the Forbes magazine, there were at least five Filipino billionaires. Places like France, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden do not have even one representative to the billionaires circle. This shows that money is not distributed equally in the Philippines.

"Poverty in the Philippines." Understanding Poverty October 2001 .

There are many causes of economic difficulties leading to mass poverty and hunger. One cause could be foreign debts servicing. This means that the Philippines must owe money to the World Bank. More than 60% of the Philippines budget goes to the World Bank. Unequal distribution of land and other resources is another cause that leads to poverty. Out of the whole population, only 20% own and control agricultural lands. Another cause could be under cultivation of agricultural lands. Only 13 million hectares are cultivated. There are about 17 million hectares of land that are not being used.

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