Apparently, our country is not yet highly developed. Millions of Filipinos are still poor. A lot of households in our country are still struggling to survive financially and economically. No matter how the government tells us about our current economic achievements, poverty is still evident across our country.
Others might say that those Filipinos who are poor are lazy and just reliant to our government. But look, many of our countrymen are already working hard, yet they’re still trapped in the limbo of poverty.
So what’s the problem?
The problem is there are unfortunate things that exist in our country that are making many Filipinos poor no matter how hard they work to become rich and have financial freedom. Poor things give birth to more poor things. And if we want to fight poverty in the Philippines, we might want to take a look at these 11 things that are poor in the Philippines and why our country is struggling to progress.
1. Internet connection. Internet in the Philippines isn’t only one of the slowest in Asia but also one of the most expensive. It’s giving troubles to Internet entrepreneurs and professionals. It’s also causing online transactions in the Philippines very inefficient. We have a poor Internet connection in the country, especially in the provinces. And if you want to have an idea how much money are we losing due our snail’s pace Internet speed, read this article.
2. Transportation system. So have you tried the MRT Rush Hour Challenge? How about the PNR challenge? Our airports are not also convenient. Our transportation system is poor – the Airport, the railways and the heavy traffic in the streets. The national roads connecting our cities and provinces also need more upgrading. Without improving them, the prices of our basic commodities, particularly agricultural products, will remain high.
3. Power or energy distribution. Oh yeah, the brownouts. How can our business sector thrive if brownout is a mainstream, especially in Visayas and Mindanao. Add this problem to our slow Internet connection, and we have the most stressful moment of our lives. Our electric bills are getting more and more expensive than before. And not all that, most electric cooperatives (companies) will now immediately cut your line if you fail to pay a month of bill.
4. Public education. Most Filipino parents want their children to go to a private school. And the reason? Our public schools lack classrooms, chairs, textbooks and other educational supplies. Our public schools are made for the poor. In other words, they are made poorly… unfortunately. Our public teachers are competitive but their salaries are not. If this is the case, then how the children of the poor can have quality education? Isn’t they the ones who are in need of a more quality education so that they can rise from poverty?
5. Public health care. Just like our public schools, our public hospitals lack the quality that private hospitals have. Medical equipment and facilities are lacking. Wards are crowded. That’s what you can expect when you visit most of our public hospitals. No wonder some Filipinos try their best to go to a private hospital even though they don’t have the money to pay the bills. It’s sad to realize that the word “public” is already becoming synonymous with the word “poor” here in our country.
6. Justice system. How do you describe our current justice system? What you see in our local movies and telenovelas, where the poor are deprived with justice and the rich can escape the punishment they deserve, are actually happening in real life. In the Philippines, justice can take a lot of years to be served. And in some cases, justice is not served at all.
7. Lawmaking. How do you rate our congress and senate in terms of their output and performance in creating laws that can really help our country? We have more than 300 representatives and senators who are paid with our tax money to work on creating useful laws that can solve poverty in our country. But what’s happening now?
8. Armed forces. We are continuously bullied by China because they knew that our navy and defense system are no match for them. Filipino soldiers are maybe the bravest in the world, but with poor weaponry and military equipment, how can they fight against invaders? Furthermore, our policemen need to fight against crimes and terrorism to preserve peace and order within our nation. But how can they do so if their guns and patrol cars are not yet improved?
9. Disaster response. If you’re a Yolanda (Haiyan) survivor like me, you’ll clearly understand this. From rescue, to relief operation, up to rehabilitation, I’ll be lying if I’ll tell you that our national government is fast and have done a great job. It’s so disappointing to hear news that millions worth of relief goods were just lost to spoilage and cash donations from our kind donors are just being misused.
10. Leadership in the government. Our public officials are supposed to be an epitome of public trust. But can we trust our government officials and politicians today? We cannot blame people if they don’t trust them anymore. We’re already tired of their broken promises, alibis, and dramas. Most of our leaders don’t show honesty, humility and sincerity to serve. That’s why we’re giving them a poor grade.
11. Elections. Oh, our elections. I added it here because our election system is just so pathetic. Most of our voters are still making poor votes. Many Filipinos are still selling their votes for money. With this traditional practice, our country cannot progress.
What I said above may hurt some people. But in order to fight poverty in our country, we must bravely face the things that are causing it. They are the realities. We see them, hear them, and feel them. We can’t deny them. We can only fight them if we want to achieve change and progress in this country. Did I forget to say that there are some Filipinos who became rich by overcoming all the obstacles above?
About Victorino Q. Abrugar
Vic promotes tourism-related businesses, brands and places. He's the marketing strategist of FAQ.PH. He believes that the key to success is to always do what to do next. Want to promote your business? Contact him at mail@optixor.com.
Terence Burns says
You will not progress until you rid yourselves of the corruption that runs through society from top to bottom
kagbalete says
China, the US, EU, Japan, Korea, etc have varying levels of corruption….. then why are they way ahead of us?
Bad Baboy says
Because the corruption in the countries you mentioned is nowhere near on the same scale as in Philippines.
Mercury Helium says
Corruption is already part of pinoy culture.. smh
boy nicolas says
ano ba kayo? di ba kayo sanay ng arithmetic? simple lang yan? di pa natin alam ang sagot. hindi nga tayo aasenso. math pa lang bokya na tayo. pulos tayo naglilituhan. kung anu-ano idinadahilan. diretsahan tayo… kaya tayo naghihirap ay 1) sabi nina senator salonga at former chief justice puno: only 300 families control the economic and political power in the philippines. bago tayo magkaroon ng 7.2% GNP, ang nagugutom sa pilipinas ay mahigit lamang sa 4 milyon pamiya or 20 milyong pilipino. nang “umasenso” tayo, ang nagugutom ay naging higit sa 5.5 milyong pamilya o mahigit 25 milyong pilipino. sabi nga ni mareng winnie monsod, parang imbodo ang yaman ng bansa. hindi nakakarating sa ibaba.
sa ibang salita, MAYAMAN O UMAASENSA ANG PILIPINAS NGUNIT HINDI ANG MGA PILIPINO!
RACIAL AUSSIE says
YOU CAN BLAME JANET NAPOLES & MANY CORRUPT SENATORS
ewanko says
I disagree sa elections. Minamando ng comelec ang resulta. Sila ang nababayaran. #HelloGarci
Mike MayIhaveurchips says
These are some interesting points. I would be curious what the proposed solution to these issues would be. Unfortunately, there were also many grammatical errors in the article which made it tedious to read and much less credible. The importance of proper grammar cannot be over emphasized.
FAQ.PH says
Hi Mike. Welcome to the Philippines. Thank you for your comment. We’ll be delighted if you can accurately point to us some of the specific grammatical errors you’re saying so we can verify and correct them. The issues above are actually very familiar to many Filipinos. The article, as the title says, only provides points for our readers to ponder and let them share their opinions/thoughts. We’ll discuss them further in our succeeding posts. You may also browse our blog to find more articles/solutions relating to this piece.
JBNapao says
I appreciate this guy na kahit mali-mali ang sentences nya ay may paki-alam sya sa bansa batin.
FAQ.PH says
Hi. Thanks for the comment. We will be glad if you can specifically point out to us the wrong sentences you’re saying so we can validate them and do the necessary corrections. I agree… Filipinos are not native English speakers. That’s why we’re approving all comments, whether they’re written in Tagalog, English or Taglish as long as they’re not extremely offensive to our readers. 🙂
Dana Robert says
i totally agree with you, but we cannot rely everything to our government and the sad thing is even we tried to help them if the attitude of those majority of people living beyond the poverty line wont change their ways of improving themselves, even a simple act of cleanliness within the area of their homes they cant do, so whats more in improving their income, i had some project before with some group of unfortunate kababayan sponsored by some foreign friends, at first every thing runs smoothly but then after we give them chance and opportunities , they are ok for few weeks after that sad to say they don’t really learn, some sort of ningas kugon runs away with them, and we realised , the problem really lies on the proper upbringing of ones family, if the foundation is poor its hard to change them,
FAQ.PH says
I couldn’t agree more Dana. To minimize poverty in the country, we all must help each other. We are all citizens of the Philippines, whether we’re leaders or followers. We’ve actually published an article about ways on how we can become responsible citizens. http://faq.ph/20-ways-to-be-a-responsible-filipino-citizen/
Mercury Helium says
so true..
Anne Sop says
All I can say is, all these you’ve mentioned are the result of the (mis)education system in the Philippines. The Filipino society is likened to a traumatized child who needed theraphy after every sad experience ( colonialism and revolutions ). As our national hero Jose Rizal had written, ” the slaves of today shall be the tyrants of tomorrow” . True enough without the right intervention or processing (that’s actually true education ) we have seen the vicious cycle of some Filipino following the steps of the former masters and opressing the lesser privileged kababayan. Concept of leadership and politics are not not geared towards building a functional society but instead only on personal (family – dynasty ) progress. The colonial rules of Spain and the US traumatized the people’s culture , distorted its values and confused them of what is right and/or wrong. There was no given time to evaluate and reevaluate instead the generation passed the confusion to the next making the norms and values vague and ambivalent. By the time our nation was granted independence to stand alone, the priorites of development went off hand, thus TRUE EDUCATION that should have shapened the unique Filipino traits and heritage gave way to a xenocentric attitude and instead bring forth the kind of education ( borrowed from its former masters ) taught that the roots and unique culture became shady and without sense of pride; the lessons of past mistakes were not given stress so that the young will take that supposedly as warnings and alerts. In my personal view , this country’s unfortunate events are caused by miseducation of its people and created an ambivalent social personality. Unless we accept this reality and stand as one and make some sacrifices to resolve the lapses committed through the many years, we shall never get off from the limbo of poverty this nation is at.
FAQ.PH says
Hi Anne. Thank you for the sharing your opinion. I agree that the right education plays a vital role in fighting poverty in the Philippines. It’s also important when making wise votes to prevent electing corrupt politicians. I also believe that some Filipinos are still traumatized from the past. However, there are many Filipinos that are not only being traumatized. Trauma relates to the past. There are many problems that we are facing in the present, and we are not only misinformed, but we can clearly see, feel and experience them.
Leonides V. de los Reyes says
I believe that Nos, 2345 is due to over population. I observe too that the poor families have more children, women have more live in husbands than the educated .
jess says
Nice article, no offense pero sana sa wikang tagalog sinulat tong article na to tutal mga pinoy ang dapat makabasa. Nakakainis lang minsan sa senado or congress na ndi filipino ang ginagamit kaya di naiintindihan ng masa.
Eman says
Naisip ko lang po.
Kung yayaman o hihirap ako HINDI dahil sa External Factor kungdi dahil din ginusto ko at pinili ko.
Maraming pilipino ang pinili nilang sanayin ang sarili nila sa kahirapan kaya kahit anong ganda ng external factors hindi din sila uunlad.
thank you
Edgardo S. Pagulon says
For my opinion we can’t blame totally the government why we are poor or blame the educational systems for our teachers are also struggling to meet ends meet. We can’t blame the government and our school systems why we are poor because there are still rich even during the midst of martial law? In every place we can go we can always find rich people. Yes, blame those corrupt politicians for being corrupt but not why you are poor.
I believe there is a certain way to becoming rich because the government implemented the so called agrarian reform program distributing the land to the poor but after a year or two the land of the beneficiaries were sold mostly to the original owners. The truth is even if we’ll gather all the money from the billionaires and millionaires of the world and distributed evenly to each individual, still the wealth will go back to the billionaires and millionaires. Secondly, as the study shows 95% of the lottery winners will again go back to becoming poor after three to five years. Having large amount of money without the proper mindset and heart will only endanger the holder because money will only attract whatever value you have.
Changing our poor mindset to prosperity mindset and input Financial Education in our school system are the major key to progress. If we know how to prosper our mind then money will prosper us. Hard work alone is not enough because there are people working more than 12 hours a day still remain poor. The truth is majority of us Filipinos SPEND MORE THAN WHAT WE ARE EARNING, ONE DAY MILLIONAIRE MINDSET. I am not against the 11 causes mentioned because they are also contributor to our slow progress but becoming rich is personal matters one simple example: Even before the advent of internet there are already millionaires. Education yes but when we refer to financial educations because there are 30 billionaires who are school dropped-out.
FAQ.PH says
Thanks Edgardo. I agree. In order to develop our country, we have to develop ourselves first, whether we are leaders or just ordinary citizens.
Felix Barrios says
Edgardo Pagulon, We are OFW’s, we developed ourselves overseas, (I worked in HKG for 15 years) We OFW’s look for bigger income, than what we earned in Pinas, yet we are helping our sons and daughters, yet some are helping niece and nephews to have good education because we can not send them to Universities while working in Pinas. and WE ARE THE MODERN HEROES OF THE PHILIPPINES. Because of our multi Billion Dollars remittance. Most Pinoy in Canada started working as Domestic Helpers in other countries (even School Supervisors, Principals worked as DH before) my cousins are one of those. , but now look at what are their jobs position in Canada. Why we can not use our Education, Talent and Brain in Pinas, like those Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Hongkogers doing? Brain Drain ito kabayan. yes maraming waldas na Pinoy, Pero hindi kami mga OFW’s waldas. ang hirap yata maging OFW’s. naranasan mo na ba? Ask those Pinoy lawyers in Ontario, marami dito.
Mercury Helium says
Education should be the top priority to cure the ignorance.. Most pinoys are simple-minded.. There are only few who are ambitious & willing to elevate their status in life.
FAQ.PH says
Simple yet a good advice. Thanks for sharing.
Henry Rodriguez says
sa simula pa lang ng kasaysayan ng politika sa pilipinas ay nag hihilahang lubid na ang interes ng mahihirap at mayaman,mula sa kasaysayan ni aguinaldo at bonifacio,mga asendero at magsasaka,kapitalista at manggagawa,kinilala at nanaig ang boses ng mga ilustrado at ang sistemang umiiral sa kasalukuyan ay idinesenyo ng iilang nag hahari sa pilipinas,magmula sa eleksiyon,pag gawa ng batas at pagpapatupad nito,sino sino ba ang gumagawa ng batas?sino ang nag papatupad nito?umaasa pa ba tayo na gagawa ng batas ang mga senador at congressman na kokontra sa kanilang interes?ang sistema ng eleksiyon na puro pera ang kailangan,ang hustisya na ginawa para sa mayaman,papaano ka magrereklamo kung pati pamasahe ay wala,kung maghanap ka ng trabaho,lahat ng clearance at certificate ay hahanapin sa yo na libo ibo ang halaga,,ang lahat nga ito ay ginawa upang manatiling mangmang at mahirap ang sambayanang pilipino,kapuna puna na bawat pangulo na nagsusulong ng interes ng mahihirap kungdi man namatay or pinatay ay pinatalsik sa kapangyarihan,magsaysay,marcos estrada,sama na natin si robredo,ang sistema man ng edukasyon ay magka iba sa pampubliko at pribado,ganon din sa hanap buhay na pag sa ateneo at la salle ka graduate ay automatikong mas malaki ang sahod,ang pilipinas ay ma ihahalintulad sa isang jeepney na bagamat maganda ang kaha at bago ang gulong ay puro surplus naman ang makina at pyesang panloob,palibhasa kopya sa sistemang dayuhan at iwinaksi ang katutubong pamamaraan kung kayat lalong lumala ang hidwaan,,,
Englishman says
As if you know what is a good and a horrible English. The real grammar experts are proof-readers. In other words, they give a proof whenever they criticize or make a correction. You said you’ve seen the point, but you can’t even make a sensible comment related to the topic.
RChange says
Mukhang sa 11, karamihan ng nabanggit puro mga sintomas at hindi talaga causes ng kahirapan. Sa likod ng 1 and 3 ay monopoly at hindi yan mangyayari kung hindi rin sa tulong ng ilang mga tao sa pamahalaan. 2,4,5 and 9 mukhang ang direksiyon niyan palakihin lalo ang government spending. 6 and 8, okey yan. Sa 7, magandang itanong, anong klaseng batas ang dapat gawin para malunasan ang kahirapan o baka mas mainam na i-repeal ang mga batas na sumasakal sa free enterprise? # 10 mahirap na makakita sa ngayon ng statesman at karamihan ng mga politiko ang nasa isip yong susunod na eleksiyon. # 11 ang lunas diyan kailangan ang mga mamamayan economically informed. Ayon doon sa lecturer sa Bangko Sentral ng 2011, ang problema ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ay ang mga sumusunod: 1. badly distorted micro-economic price, 2. poor and unreliable property rights and contracting, 3. a stiflingly legalistic bureaucracy, 4. policies and institutional constraints that are anti-investment and anti-competitive, and 5. a political economy that favors the worst mix of populism, elite rent-seeking, and high-minded but unproductive nationalism.
FAQ.PH says
Thanks RChange for the insightful comments. We hope to come up with a more detailed post about how to fight poverty in the Philippines.
Lover of christ says
1. The Philippines is poor bcos of rampant corruption in all facets of life.
2. The Philippines is 85 percent a catholic country but the catholic way of life is a mockery to God the father. Why ! bcos of all the adultrated sex that is openly practised in the country.
3. The Catholic church & clergy are not brave enough to openly speak about Corruption, all the crude sex that offences our Lord Jesus, and other devilish things done in the country.
Stop offending God !
Stop corruption, stop selling youg girls for sex at every street corner, stop ripping people off for a few pesos at every oppurtunity, Be honest, Make a full country wide confession, do a full country wide form of penance, ask God on bended knee for his forgiveness, dont vote any politicians into power as they are all devilish rogues, and start a from a new page. Ultimately the Philippines will flourish with God,s mighty blessings.
God abide with you all.
sunburst says
What we need is to embrace change and start by revising our old constitution and adapt a more open form of government like Parliamentary. Let’s give our countrymen the opportunities that they deserve and badly needed so they won’t leave their family just to work abroad. It’s time for us to be more open to foreign investors who can provide more jobs to our fellow Filipinos. That’s the main difference why we lagged behind our ASEAN neighbors. Let foreign companies own and operate businesses and compete with old school Half-Pinoy Tycoons. That way, they will be forced to level up their services and drive their prices lower. In the process, this will create more jobs for fellow Pinoys. Last but not the least, sad but true, majority of Pinoy voters are “bopols” thanks to our media they succeeded in feeding our minds with garbage everyday (most of them). It’s easier said than done but leaving our false democracy and embracing change will give us the chance to pick the brightest minds in our country to lead the government posts. Brightest minds with proven track record to support it. Not face value and celebrity charm. Like the name of this site. Rise Philippines!
read says
Agree. We Filipinos keep on pointing fingers. Nobody wants to take responsibility.
If i may just add regarding us voting for the same corrupt candidates – it’s because our only choice are the same corrupt candidates. And why is it that way? Maybe because only the same corrupt persons run for office. Again why don’t the honest ones go into politics? Maybe because since childhood we were taught by society that politics is a place of corrupt individuals.
Perhaps we can start a change by going back to our core society, our family. How many parents now are taking time to teach their child what is good or bad, which is right or wrong? Yes we are busy trying to make a living but i’m pretty sure thats not everything they need.
Mercury Helium says
because pinoys hate to use their brains to scrutinize the candidates..They’re dumb & easy to manipulate.. smh They only vote sikat candidates.. They rarely vote “new” names but qualified..
Marius de Jess says
About cheap imports from outside, that will never be solved unless and until we produce what we need better and cheaper for ourselves to buy, than imports coming from outside.