Poverty In The Philippines

Since the 1980s, the Philippines ’ Anti-Poverty situation remained a major problem 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 .   


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.

  

Did you know a couple of years ago in the Philippines a little over half of the country’s population was living below the poverty line? These statistics show just how vital health is. The high rate of people in need of a job is very insufficient because the lack of access to land, also which makes it very tough to build buildings and open up more job markets. A history of inappropriate economic policies contributed to high unemployment and a high proportion of the labor force. Most Filipinos doesn’t have work or if they do, their salary is below the minimum wage. In the Philippines an average family of 6 only earns $140.00 (6300 php) a month, and an average family in America can earn that within one week of work. Based on National Wages and Productivity Commission.

I have concluded that the Philippines are living in poverty due to the uneven distribution of lands and that should be given to farmers for farming, mismanagement of the government, and corruption. The government should pay attention to this problems, all they need is sincere public service, being selfless and caring for their fellow Filipinos, Philippines will be free from poverty.

Sources:

• "Poverty in the Philippines ." Understanding Poverty October 2001 .
• "Debunking the Myths of over Population." Pro-life (2005) 08 Oct 2006 .
• http://www.txtmania.com/articles/poverty.php

Kenya's World Ranking Regarding Poverty

A 2005 report by the United Nations ranked Kenya as 154th out of a list of 177 countries, in terms of life expectancy, literacy levels and overall gross domestic product. Just three years earlier, the country had ranked 134th. For comparison, Uganda was ranked at 144th, and Tanzania was 164th. Both are immediate neighbors of Kenya.

There are several factors contributing to the ongoing problem of poverty in Kenya, though the issue of Kenya's economic state is far more complex than a simple list of causes.

Mass Poverty in Kenya

More than 15 million poor people in Kenya

Poverty in Kenya reached an alarming level over the past 30 years; poverty has been on the rise. Poverty seems to be a paradox in a country that has the best-developed economy in eastern Africa , with relatively advanced agricultural and industrial sectors and substantial foreign exchange earnings from agricultural exports and tourism. Yet Kenya is a low-income country, with per capita income averaging about US$360. It ranks 148th among 177 countries in the United Nations Development Programs human development index, which measures a country's development in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and standard of living.

More than half of the country's 31.3 million people are poor, and 7.5 million of the poor live in extreme poverty. About 80 percent of the population, including three out of four poor people lives in rural zones. Most Kenyans live in areas having a medium to high potential for agriculture, which comprise about 18 percent of the country's territory. Population density in high-potential areas is more than six times the country's average of 55 persons per km2. While the poorest of the poor are found in the sparsely populated arid zones of the country, mainly in the north, over 80 percent of rural poor people live in higher-potential areas surroundingLake Victoria and in the Mount Kenya region.

. The Government of Kenya and project beneficiaries have contributed about US$56.0 million and US$11.0 million respectively.

A growing population and rising poverty levels

Kenya's population has tripled over the past 30 years, leading to increasing pressure on natural resources, a widening income gap and rising poverty levels that erode gains in education, health, food security, employment and incomes. The causes of rural poverty include: low agricultural productivity, exacerbated byland degradation and insecure land tenure, unemployment and low wages, difficulty in accessing financing for self-employment, poor governance, bad roads, high costs of health and education, HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS is most prevalent among young and middle-aged Kenyans, the most productive segment of the population. Almost half of the people in Kenya are under 15 years of age. An estimated 700 Kenyans die daily of HIV/AIDS-related causes. HIV/AIDS leaves orphans and woman-headed households even more vulnerable to poverty. The burden of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and water-borne diseases weighs heavily on both the country and Kenyan families, affecting income, food security and development potential.Life expectancy is down to 46 years, from 59 years in 1989.

Kenya's rural poor people include: small farmers, herders, farm laborers, unskilled and semi-skilled workers, households headed by women, people with disabilities and AIDS orphans.

Women are particularly vulnerable because they do not have equal access to social and economic assets. For about 70 percent of women, subsistence farming is the primary -- and often the only -- source of livelihood.

The few studies on inequality in Kenya show that it is manifested in various forms including: income, lack of equal access to productive assets, social and political exclusion, and inability of certain groups of the society to access key social services. Distribution of high potential land in the country is highly skewed, favoring Western, Rift Valley and Central provinces .

Source: IFAD http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/ken/index.htm

Independence of Kenya

In the year 1957, Kenya gained its Independence and it they had rights to vote and they had Republic as the system of their government. 






Indeed, Kenya was free. :)

A first look (history of Kenya)

After giving you a glimpse about Kenya, let's talk about their history.


So, Kenya is a country that was populated by small tribal groups. The groups that dominated there nation were as follows: Kikuyu, Kamba, Luo and Masai.

By 1st Century, Kenya was invaded by the Arabs because of the Arabian Peninsula where they established colonies in Kenya. 

By 1498, Portuguese arrived and Arabs dominance on Kenya weakened, but soon enough the Portuguese gave its way to Islamic Control.

Then, time passed and 19th Century came and another European influence came along to conquer Kenya, it is United Kingdom. 

As you can see, Kenya was dominated by other countries and preferably by the western countries, they used their good location to enable trade in that country. 

Did you know that?

Yes, did you know that East Africa was divided into several territories due to the influence of the European countries.

The British Government founded the East African Protectorate and not later they allowed white settlers in their land. 

During the British era in Kenya, Asians and Africans are excluded from political partaking until 1944. During this time many Indians are brought to Kenya to work on the Kenya Uganda Railway Line

Kenya Uganda Railway is 

a historical railway system linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya to the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya. 

Just like the Philippines, Kenya also wanted to break free from their British colonizers, they even took a secret oath to fight for their freedom. 

It is clear that Kenya suffered in the hands of the colonizers, they work for them while they are in their own native land and I guess, with these happenings in the past, Kenya underwent a serious poverty because of the fact that they are colonized by other countries.  

Kenya

Kenya is a country in the Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean between Somalia and Tanzania.


Here's the map of Kenya: 


So let's get started and talk about Kenya. 


Kenya's climate is just like  the climate the Philippines have, it varies from the tropical weather. Aside from that Kenya has a large number of Catholics in their country while in the Philippines majority are Catholics. 


Talking about Government, Kenya has a republic form of government just like the Philippines. 


As you can see on the map Nairobi is the capital of Kenya. 


Well then bloggers, that is just a glimpse of Kenya. Catch our next entries for we will post about their life focusing on the 19th and 20th century. 


Facts are from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html

Hello Bloggers, as you can see the previous entries talked about the Philippines and the life of the Filipinos back in the 19th and 20th Century. I have clearly laid out how Filipinos were dominated by the Spaniards and the Americans. however, we Filipinos did their best to out throw their colonizers but I guess their troops are not that big and they are inexperienced when it comes to battling. But Filipinos kept their heads held high. 


With the happenings in the 19th and 20th Century, their is a big mass poverty for the main reason that they are dominated by other countries and that just means less benefits for the Filipinos and big benefits for the colonizers. 


While I was blogging, I just thought that they are colonizing the Philippines for the reason that we have good resources and they want to take advantage of that resources. however, it is good that Filipinos became aware even though, Spaniards colonized the Philippines for a long time. 


After synthesizing about the Philippine life during the 19th and 20th century. I want to study the mass poverty that happened in Kenya in the same era (19th and 20th century)

Phil-American War in the 20th Century

During the 20th Century,Philippines and America saw there struggle against Spain but since America did not support the paper for Philippine Independence, relationship between this two countries weakened and soon tensions between the Philippines and America arose, thus the beginning of Phil-American War. 


Here are the pictures from the Phil.-American War


Source: http://philippineamericanwar.webs.com/filamwarbreaksout.htm

All the pictures here are evidence of how many lives were lost because of the war. Filipinos back then don't have strong troops compared to America. Aside from the Filipinos who died in the war, there are people who died from the epidemic disease (Cholera) that took place that time. 


You can see through the pictures how Filipinos are poorly equipped when it comes to combat and that is the reason why many people died. 

Significant events during the 19th century

Hello Bloggers, to make all things easy, I have compiled all the significant events that happened in the Philippines that affect their culture, economy, trade, poverty and more. 


I hope these facts can help you :)

Proclamation of Independence Day

•  Arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. March 1521. It marked the beginning of Spanish interest in the Philippines as several Spanish expeditions followed.
• First Mass in the Philippines. March 31, 1521. It was held in Limasawa, an island in Southern Leyte. Symbolized the conversion of many Filipinos to Roman Catholicism.
• Landing of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in Cebu. 1565. This marked the beginning of Spanish dominion in the Philippines as Legazpi later established the seat of Spanish colonial government in Manila.
• Blood Compact. March 1565. Spanish Captain General Legazpi and Rajah Sikatuna performed the blood compact in Bohol as a sign of peace agreement between their parties.
•  First agreement for peace in the Philippines. June 4, 1565. Rajah Tupas and Legazpi signed this treaty of peace. Through the treaty, Cebu would recognize the Spanish government, which, on the other hand, would provide protection to Cebu in times of wars.
• Longest Revolt in history. 1744-1829. Francisco Dagohoy led this longest uprising in Bohol against the Spanish government.
  
• Tobacco Monopoly. 1781. The Spanish government established this for business purposes. It served as a big source of revenue for the Spanish government until it was closed in 1882. During the period, tobacco farms and cigarette plants in the country increased and employed many Filipinos as farmers and factory workers.
  
• Surnames for Filipinos. November 21, 1849. Governor Narciso Claveria y Zaldua issued a decree that provided for the use of Spanish surnames by Filipinos to facilitate census, tax collection and administration.
  
• Cofradia de San Jose. 1832-41. Founded as a religious cult which attracted many members and alarmed the government. It was disbanded after one of its prominent leaders, Apolinario de la Cruz or Hermano Pule, was killed by the government forces on November 4, 1841.
  
• Execution of Burgos, Gomes and Zamora. February 17, 1872. The three priests, known in history as Gomburza, were garroted by the Spaniards in connection with the Cavite Mutiny.
•  Founding of La Solidaridad. 1889. The Filipino propagandists in Spain established this as the organ of the Propaganda Movement. Graciano Lopez Jaena and Marcelo H. del Pilar served as editors. It published essays and articles in Spanish expressing the Filipino demands for reforms in the Philippines. One of the writers was Jose Rizal.
  
• Telephone system. 1890. The first telephone system in the Philippines is inaugurated. In 1906 the government put provincial telephone systems. In 1928 PLDT was granted franchise for the entire Philippines.
  
• Founding of the Katipunan. July 7, 1892. Andres Bonifacio, Ladislaw Diwa and Teodoro Plata composed the first triangle of the secret society.
  
•  Exile of Dr. Jose Rizal. July 17, 1892. Rizal arrived in Dapitan to serve his exile. This agitated many Filipinos to fight the Spanish colonial government. The hero contributed much to the development of Dapitan during his exile
  
• Cry of Pugad Lawin. August 23, 1892. The Katipuneros gathered in Pugad Lawin, tore their cedulas and declared war against Spain.
• Battle of Zapote Bridge. February 19, 1897. One of the major battles of the Philippine Revolution.
• Proclamation of Philippine Independence. June 12, 1898. General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite. During the event, Marcha Nacional Filipina, which what would become the National Anthem composed by Julian Felipe, was played by the band of San Francisco de Malabon and the Philippine national flag was hoisted in public.
• 
  
• The Treaty of Paris. December 10, 1898. This was signed between the United States and Spain ceding Spanish colonies, including the Philippines, to America. The Americans received the right to colonize the Philippines after paying Spain $20 million.

Source: http://www.beda7882.com/100_significant_events_in_%20Phil_history.htm

During the 19th century, the Philippines is under the Spaniards, however in the 19th century there are also advancements that happened to the Philippines which lead to a revolution, because Filipinos came to a point where they want Independence from the Spaniards. They want to create their own identity as Filipinos not that Spaniards are setting their own identity.


Filipinos, are lucky to have heroes like Jose Rizal who contributed a lot for the independence Filipinos are aiming. With all these, Filipinos came to a point were there eyes are open and that domination should stop in their own country. 

Economic advancement in 19th century (Philippines)

Under the Spanish rule, Philippines experienced a development in terms of their economy, due to some products that can be found here like: tobacco, sugar, coffee and this gave rise to trade in European and Asian markets. There are new social classes that was recognize: 

•  Sangleys or Chinese merchants became skilled middlemen in trade and craftsmanship.
• Principalia was the landed political elite that leased their lands to Chinese investors and other entrepreneurs like British, American and German investors. 

With these new social classes, the Philippines experienced a good economy however, the Spaniards are the ones benefiting and Filipinos got small benefits. 

However, we have illustrados, like Jose Rizal who in those times taught of revolting because of the feeling that Filipinos should be experiencing the success and having access to the benefits.    

Racial classes in the Philippines

During the 19th Century Philippines was socially stratified arrangement of racial classes. 


Thus, early in this century, classes are divided and with that there is a big division among the Filipinos.


According to: http://www.proyectos-saluda.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1882&Itemid=156


At the time, only those born of Spanish parents and born in Spain were considered the Peninsulares and  the elite class. 

Peninsulares (elite)

 Hijos de Pais were children with Spanish parents who were born in the Philippines while criolos were mixed blood with either father or mother who were Spanish or European, while the other of  Indio or Chino.

The term mestizo was used to denote anyone of lighter skin, whether Hispanic or Chinese descent.  It is this racial conflict between the Peninsulares and non-Peninsulares that united all the other classes into Filipino and was one of the major causes that led to the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution against Spain.  The other major cause was the religious persecution in Spain that led its friars being sent to the Philippines and thus displacing the Filipino clergy from control of their parishes.

As you can see, the classes are divided and it is pretty obvious that, those who have 100% Spanish blood gets more benefits.