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Poverty & Hunger

Republic of the

Philippines

In the early years of the 21st Century

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in the Philippines in the early years of the 21st Century.  Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false.   No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE

Students

If you are looking for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this page and others to see which aspects of poverty are of particular interest to you.  You might be interested in exploring the relationship between distribution of labor and per-capita GDP, for example.  Perhaps your paper could focus on life expectancy or infant mortality.  Other factors of interest might be unemployment, literacy, access to basic services, etc.  On the other hand, you might choose to include some of the possible outgrowths of poverty such as Human Trafficking, Street Children, or even Prostitution.  There is a lot to the subject of Poverty.  Scan other countries as well as this one.  Draw comparisons between activity in adjacent countries and/or regions.  Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources that are available on-line.

Teachers

Check out some of the Resources for Teachers attached to this website.

*** Extreme Weather ***

In the Philippines, extreme weather events are a common occurrence due to its geographical location and climate. It faces a significant climate challenge, with typhoons, heavy rainfall, and storm surges posing risks to its population and environment. On average, 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines each year, and they are progressively becoming more destructive. – adapted from Microsoft BING Copilot

*** ARCHIVES ***

The World Factbook – The Philippines

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency CIA

www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html

[accessed 16 November 2020]

World Factbook website has moved to ---> www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/philippines/

[accessed 31 January 2021]

Although the economy grew at a rapid pace under the AQUINO government, challenges to achieving more inclusive growth remain. Wealth is concentrated in the hands of the rich. The unemployment rate declined from 7.3% to 5.7% between 2010 and 2017; while there has been some improvement, underemployment remains high at around 17% to 18% of the employed population. At least 40% of the employed work in the informal sector. Poverty afflicts more than a fifth of the total population but is as high as 75% in some areas of the southern Philippines. More than 60% of the poor reside in rural areas, where the incidence of poverty (about 30%) is more severe - a challenge to raising rural farm and non-farm incomes.

GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,400 (2017 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 25.4%

industry: 18.3%

services: 56.3% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.7% (2017 est.)

Population below poverty line: 21.6% (2017 est.)

Maternal mortality rate: 121 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 20 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70 years

Drinking water source: improved: total: 95.4% of population

Physicians density: 0.6 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access: improved: total: 91.4% of population

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 88% (2017)

The Borgen Project – Philippines

borgenproject.org/category/phillipines/

[accessed 1 February 2021]

The Borgen Project works with U.S. leaders to utilize the United States’ platform behind efforts toward improving living conditions for the world’s poor.  It is an innovative, national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy.  It believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. From ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote, nearly every wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The Borgen Project addresses the big picture, operating at the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living conditions for those living on less than $1 per day.

~ 7 Facts about Poverty in the Philippines

borgenproject.org/poverty-in-the-philippines-2/

~ 10 Facts About Slums In Manila

borgenproject.org/10-facts-about-slums-in-manila/

~ 5 Facts About Malnutrition In The Philippines

borgenproject.org/5-facts-about-malnutrition-in-the-philippines/

 

DAR, NNC and farmers organizations tie-up to mitigate hunger in Central Visayas

Press Release by DAR, Philippine Information Agency, 10 April 2021

pia.gov.ph/press-releases/releases/1071905

[accessed 11 April 2021]

DAR Central Visayas Regional Director Atty. Resty Osias said the main objective of the undertaking is to support the NNC’s Early Childhood Care and Development in the First 1000 Days Program (F1K Program) which involves the delivery of key health, nutrition, social service, early education, and related services in the continuum of care from pregnancy to the first two years of life.

“Under the agreement, members from the 3 ARBOs in Central Visayas will deliver the nutritional requirements of the NNC harvested from their agricultural produce which includes vegetables, rice, eggs, fruits, and others,” Osias said.

Zero Hunger Task Force, program partners distribute free food packs in Laguna

People's Television Network, Inc. (PTNI), 31 January 2021

ptvnews.ph/zero-hunger-task-force-program-partners-distribute-free-food-packs-in-laguna/

[accessed 31 January 2021]

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, head of the government’s Task Force on Zero Hunger, led partners from Pilipinas Kontra Gutom and Rise Against Hunger in distributing food packs in Calauan, San Pedro and Biñan in Laguna last Friday, January 29, 2021.

2,000 individuals in San Pedro and 2,000 individuals in Biñan received the free packs in an initiative Nograles described as “a showcase of public-private partnership in addressing malnutrition in children and hunger in Filipino families.”

Pandemic wipes out years of progress on Asian poverty, from Indonesia to the Philippines and Thailand

Resty Woro Yuniar, South China Morning Post SCMP, 13 December 2020

[Long URL]

[accessed 13 December 2020]

The 4.2 million rupiah (US$298) Lasmi earns working at the factory each month is not enough to cover the family’s expenses, and a cash handout of 2.4 million rupiah from the government went straight to buying baby milk formula, nappies and other essentials for her one-year-old daughter, she said.

So she borrowed 10 million rupiah from a bank and another four million from a loan shark, who charges so much interest that Lasmi fears she might never pay the money back.

Official government figures will not be announced until January, but according to the World Bank 115 million Indonesians have been left vulnerable to poverty by the pandemic.

Action Against Hunger - Philippines

www.actionagainsthunger.org/countries/asia/philippines

[accessed 21 March 2021]

The conflict in Mindanao, as well as natural disasters, lead to high humanitarian needs in the Philippines. Cases of psychosocial disorders have increased by 50% in the displaced populations. This is caused by the conflict, the breakdown of social and family ties, and the consequences of living in temporary shelters for a long period of time. The most frequent disorders we observe are depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.

The World Bank in the Philippines

www.worldbank.org/en/country/philippines/overview

[accessed 21 April 2021]

The Philippines has one of the most vibrant economies in the East Asia Pacific region. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, dims the country’s growth prospects in 2020. Timely measures are important to cushion against the health and economic shocks and protect the most vulnerable people.

Looking back a few years …

Advameg, Inc., Encyclopedia of the Nations

www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Philippines-ECONOMY.html

[accessed 15 December 2020]

Widespread unemployment and underemployment plague the labor market. The government figures for January 2002 reported an unemployment rate of 10.3% and an underemployment rate of 15.9%. High rates of labor migration abroad provide some relief and accounts for a substantial portion of the country's foreign exchange earnings.

Throughout the 1990s the shortage of electric power has been a notorious constraint on the economy. In Manila, the industrial hub, power outages lasted from four to six hours per day. In 2000, in its Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) the government set as a goal 100% electrification by 2004.

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