Poverty

According to effects of poverty

• Malnutrition

The hunger situation is alarming. The National Statistical Coordination Board stated that more than 11 million Filipinos were considered food-poor or living below subsistence level in 2003.

The Food and Agricultural Organization in 2005 reported that there were more than 17 million undernourished Filipinos.

Food insecurity is blamed for the fact that many preschool children are underweight and malnourished. An economist pointed out that “inadequate food can adversely influence workers’ productivity.” The World Bank in 1996 estimated that the total annual economic loss due to malnutrition was about US$8 billion.

The main reason why hunger is worsening is the people’s lack of income to buy food. A government-sponsored survey in 2001 revealed that 8 out of 10 households experienced financial difficulty in purchasing food. The National Statistics Office also noted that Filipino families are spending less on food items. In 1994 about 48 percent of household expenditures were allotted for food. A decade later, the share of food expenditures went down to 42 percent.

Rice used to be the staple food of Filipinos. Now it is quickly being replaced by instant noodles which are cheaper but less nutritious. Politicians are even giving out instant noodles in urban poor communities and evacuation centers in calamity-stricken provinces.

Food supplies are stable but they are available mostly in areas where people have enough income for food expenditures. The unequal distribution of income in the country explains the seemingly low demand for food in low-income places.

An analyst also noted that the prices of some basic commodities are getting higher.  The higher cost of these basic commodities will force more Filipinos to spend less on food.

• Poor Economic growth

The poor remain poor because they cannot borrow against future earnings to invest in education, skills, new crops, and entrepreneurial activities; they are cut off from economic activity because many collective goods (such as property rights, public safety, and infrastructure) are under-provided, and they lack information about market opportunities. Investment Capacity Constraints Investment is critical to economic growth and for the poor to escape from poverty. Very low income levels are a fundamental reason why the poor cannot save enough money to finance productive investments. 

• Child Labor

According to the National Statistics Office, 3.6 million Filipino children, aged 5-17, are child laborers. When the parents just don’t have enough money to make ends meet they usually force their children out of school and send them to work out on the streets, haciendas or factories. Earning money for their food and shelter became their sole purpose, no longer the education that should have served to bring them a better future.

Children from the ages 5 to about 17 are usually the ones found laboring under the hot sun or behind machines for small companies or syndicates. This figure alone comprises roughly 15.9% of the total Philippine population or one out of six children. In a breakdown, 216,000 are within 5-9 years old, 1.6 million for the 10-14 group and 1.8 million are 15-17 years old.

• Bad living conditions

Because of poverty, many families are forced to occupy public and private lands without the right to do so. And, because this land is not theirs, it tends to overcrowd. Because of overcrowding, the environment usually becomes unsanitary and heightens the chances that disease will spread. Also, their houses are close together/connected to each other, this makes it easy for fire to spread and giving fire fighters a hard time to extinguish the flames due to the small roads between these houses.

• Crime/ Theft

Due to the hardships in life caused by poverty, many people can’t even get enough money to live. This causes them to do whatever it takes to be able to sustain their and their family’s need even when it involves stealing. The researchers observed that the major reason for theft is poverty. Because of poverty, the thieves need to steal to be able to live.