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How Does Urban Poverty Affects Quality Of Life, Well-Being, And Health

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Poverty negatively impacts quality of life, well-being, and health. In 2015, it was estimated that 21.6% of the Philippine population was in poverty (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2016). 8.1% were facing extreme poverty and were below the minimum income required to meet basic food needs (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2016). Most of the poor in the Philippines live in rural areas and work in the agriculture sector, mainly farming and fishing (Dy-Liacco, 2014). The poorest families often have low education, limited access to electricity, water and toilet facilities, and limited access to health services (Dy-Liacco, 2014). Urban poverty has also been increasing. Cities have not been able to keep up with the rapid growth of urban …show more content…

The Philippines affords them no protection. The Aeta have become extremely nomadic due to social and economic strain on their culture and way of life that had remained unchanged for thousands of years (Original People Organization, 2012).
Emic vs. Etic
As an outsider looking in at the poverty situation among the Aeta people, I have a very different perspective that is influenced by where I come from. I am a white, Canadian female who has never experienced poverty. I have easy access to grocery stores, health services, and education. I do not have to worry about malnutrition, contaminated water, natural disasters, or my land being taken away. This has been the Aeta way of life for thousands of years. They do not know what it is like to not live in poverty. It is difficult to know how an Aeta person would view their situation in terms of poverty. Do they describe their lifestyle as simple and sustainable even though they are technically considered to be living in poverty? Eli Khamarov once stated that, “Poverty is like punishment for a crime you did not commit.” The millions of people in the Philippines did not choose to live in poverty and they did not do anything to deserve to live in poverty. In contrast, I did not do anything to deserve to not live in poverty. Those who are born into poverty are immediately disadvantaged and we are not all given the equal opportunity to be healthy when we are born.
The Philippine government’s

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