Poverty in the Philippines

“...We govern our children without their consent...Would not the people of the Philippines prefer the just, human, civilizing government of this Republic…” (Doc B, Albert J. Beveridge). I disagree with this black and white view of the world. The Filipinos are grown people capable of making the best decision for themselves. Children are not (due to their undeveloped frontal lobes). They do not need America to save them. They wanted freedom enough to attempt war with Spain, a global power, so they have earned that

The cause of bad health for millions of underprivileged population is poverty, thus poverty and poor health worldwide are inextricably interconnected. The causes of poor health are rooted in political, social and economic injustices. Poverty is both a cause and a result of poor health therefore it increases the chances of poor health. Communities are enslaved in poverty hence poor health is the end results of poor nutrition because the community can’t afford a balanced diet. Infectious and neglected tropical diseases kill and weaken millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people each year, for example, in Zambia children die from a preventable disease called malaria due to poverty.

One of the main determinants of Health and Illness globally is poverty. Poverty and poor health worldwide are intricately linked. Health is a multifactor reality, and there are many elements which influence our wellbeing; food, water, shelter, clothing, education, etc. And what they all have in common is that poverty undermines access to all of these basic elements.

In this argument, I believe the failures of the initial Philippine colonial project not only retrogressed the islanders back into their primitive informal aristocracy but actually help unify and modernize a regime that was the complete reversal of American intentions. The result of the type of Filipino government after reconstruction were significantly constrained by Anti-Imperialists tensions from the metropole and continued to reshape itself by many additional constraints from the Filipino legislation. Only about fifty years later of political administration would enable the development of an autonomic government.

Did you know that 70% of Latin America’s total income comes from the labor force, yet poverty is still such a big issue in this region. How does Latin America, a place full of productive people, not give their citizens basic living necessities? How does poverty negatively affect some Latin American people? Poverty is defined as the state of being extremely poor. Poverty forces some latino/a’s to make difficult decisions that people should not have to make such as abandoning their families. The issue with poverty has to be made better, and it is the government's job to ensure that their people are living under the best possible conditions. Poverty is the root of many problems; it has to be combated, and in doing so many other issues will be

Before the Spanish American war occurred, the Philippines were under the control of Spain; after, they were at the mercy of America and their decision on whether or not to annex them. Unfortunately, America decided to annex them because it would be dishonorable to give the Philippines back to Spain and it would also open up a trade route between the two nations. However, America should not have annexed the Philippines as Americans and Filipinos could have still traded if they became allies instead, and while annexing the Philippines they got rid of their culture and customs. Additionally, Americans feared that annexing the Philippines was a step towards creating an American Empire.

​First, the US has long funded the Filipino government in their civil war against separatist groups. However, in doing this, the US is financing a corrupt government that violates the human rights of its people. According to Foreign Policy in Focus, military aid “is on the rise, and with it a dramatic increase in human rights violations,” such as extrajudicial killings and forced evacuations.

Since Economic growth lifted some people out of poverty, poverty has been one of the major issues in Latin America and still continues to remain an issue after the region had more middle class people than poor people for the first time in 2010. In a recent discovery, one out of five Latin Americans never left poverty, limiting those people with scarce income opportunities. Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile are considered having the lowest percentage of chronic poverty, marking around 10 percent of their population; while chronic poverty in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala ranged from 37 percent in Nicaragua to 50 percent in Guatemala. From the south of Brazil, chronic poverty in Santa is around 5 percent, making it the best performing country

Our country is rich in culture; the occupation of the Spanish, the American, and the Japanese gave the Philippines its diverse and unique culture. This exceptional culture we have in our country has produced numerous brilliant individuals, who up to this day are still well recognized. So it is safe to say that part of the reason why they became who they were is because of their culture; because of our culture. (Ong, 2011)

Philippines is an archipelago located in Southeast Asia near the equator. The Philippine archipelago consists of 7,107 islands divided into three major groups of islands which is Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. As of 2016 the Philippine population is estimated to about 102,624,209 (World Fact Book). The Philippine nationality is termed Filipino and its population is made up of various ethnic groups. The national language is called Tagalog, it also the name of the major ethnic group of the country. According to Philippine Statistic Authority the population of urban area accounts for 45.3% of the country’s total population (Urban-Rural Classification). In contrast, the population in rural area is comprised of 54.7% and considered to be the majority population of the entire country. The Philippine climate is predominantly tropical marine where wet season occurs from November to April and is caused by the northeast monsoon. Similarly, the second set of rainy season, is caused by the southwest monsoon during May to October (World Fact Book). Additionally, the Philippine economy has been relatively resilient to global economic struggles because the country is less exposed to troubled international securities. The lower dependence on exports is what makes the country relatively resilient, relying only domestic products, as well as large remittances from millions of migrant and overseas Filipino workers (World Fact Book). The existing account balance has

Another is that Filipinos have a culture of apathy and tend to use religion incorrectly and passively. People depend on religion and settle for what’s okay. In addition, the initial reaction of Filipinos to change is resistance, and this is why the country does not necessarily progress, or at least, progress at a continuous rate. Then, countries like Spain and Portugal only rode the “economic tiger” after “they realized that the only way to survive was change” (3.Y). Plus, according to another critic, the Philippines already had the experience of being under the parliamentary system during the time of Marcos which only resulted in a People Power Revolution. So why should the country bother going back to that? (4.Y)

The physiological problems related to poverty are impossible to cure without enough food. If poverty is a disease, proper medication can solve the problem and save millions. But poverty itself is the grass-root level reason behind physiological problems. When around half of the global population is facing threat from poverty, one can expect serious physiological problems. Similarly, death related to hunger originating from poverty is a serious problem among the third-world nations. One can see that children, women, and elderly citizens are totally exposed to poverty related physiological problems in general. To be specific, extreme poverty hinders millions from having enough food to sustain their lives. Here, food banks can play an important role in keeping millions away from the clutches of health problems. One can see that life is poor surroundings can result in several health problems. Besides, poverty hinders millions from having direct access to different innovative health programs and policies implemented by the WHO and similar international organizations. Similarly, health problems stun the growth of millions of children in the famine stricken nations. So, it is evident that physiological problems related to global poverty can ensnare millions within

Under the new regime agriculture developed rapidly, commerce and trade soared to unprecedented levels, transportation and communication were modernized, banking and currency improved, the manufacturing industries were transformed. As compared with the Spanish era, economic progress of the Philippines during the American era forged ahead with great strides. (291)

Looking back to the previous government systems in different periods in Philippine history, we can see that our present government system is somehow shaped and patterned from the previous systems that prevailed in our country. Pre – historically we have seen how they established their government and basically, we can say that it is far more primitive than the present system that we have. However, the basic principles like the consultation of the datus to the elders can somehow be seen in the present by the presence of political advisers where our president consults aside from the members of the senate and the congress. The barangay system

In modern times, the Philippines has been a central ally in the United States’ Asian and Pacific policies. The government structure is similar to that of the United States, including a legislative, judicial, executive branch that independent in their roles. Since becoming a nation independent from the United States, the Philippines has seen its share of success and failure. In the past three years the government has dealt with natural disasters, terrorism, and Chinese aggression. While the Philippine and United States governments have generally been cordial and cooperative, the Philippine president is currently weighing the decision to cut ties with the United States and align his country with China.