EDITORIAL March 11 - 17 Issue

Fighting Poverty

Wealthy is a word, which means rich, prosperous, affluent. It is an adjective which describes a man possessing huge amount of economic resources. He has everything of economic value measurable in price. He lives in abundance.
A wealthy person lives in durable house, provided with cars, has enough food, can afford to buy expensive clothes, has money to buy medicine and pay hospital bills. He can entertain guests in expensive restaurant or at home can send his children to top rated schools and moves freely or travel to other places of interest.
Poverty, on the other hand, is the opposite of wealthy. Poverty means poor, indigent. It implies lack of resources for reasonable and comfortable living. A poor person lacks food and shelter. He/she is deficient of necessary and desirable properties.
How many percent of the Filipinos are poor? How many percent are wealthy? Where do we belong on the basis of the definitions of the terms poverty and wealthy?
There are people who were born with the "silver spoon on their mouths", meaning they are children of wealthy parents. But later, because they failed to manage their abundant resources, they are reduced to poor. But most wealthy family are ably maintaining their wealth.
On the other hand, there are those who were born poor and are liberated from the bondage of poverty. There are those who are remaining poor and there are those who fought and conquered poverty. The poor people may just remain poor as they have no space to go below. For those who are determined, industrious and patient, there are more space up to go and stay wealthy.
Psychologists would advice, "you are what you are if you think you are." This means your thought of what you are will come true. A person who thinks he can rise to the level of the wealthy can be wealthy if he did something to raise his level of the wealthy.
Wealth is not won by depending upon others to fight poverty. Poverty is defeated by any person who persistently educate himself and be literate, he exercises his muscles and brain to perform his job, save something out of his job for the future.
Politicians and public officials cannot liberate a poor man from poverty. They can only show the way and the direction to solve poverty. Poverty is conquered by the man himself.
Poverty is neither erased by planting Pichay in the Senate nor by a politician whose dreams are also for the fulfillment of your dreams.
The Philippines is a very rich country but more of her people are poor because they have chosen to remain poor. The Philippine oceans are abundant of fish and other marine products. There are mountains, plateau, valleys and lowland so fertile to grow crops of livestock and plants.
However, Filipinos have not realized sufficient products from it to defeat poverty.
Filipino farmers produce less than their counterparts in other countries due to inadequate support provided them. They have failed to put in place public officials sympathetic to agriculture. Fertilizer intended to raise production was applied to produce more votes during election. Water in the rivers continuously flow to the ocean rather than diverted to produce electricity and irrigate rice paddies and other crops to reduce cost of production while increasing yield per unit area.
Trees for mountain cover are illegally cut to earn instant cash while it hasten soil erosion and floods which destroy both lives and properties. These make Filipinos fight to knockout poverty very hard.
In the Philippines, when one borrowed money from the bank the interest rate is quite high as 36 percent per year and maybe subtracted immediately from the loan proceeds. The banks money maybe doubled in two years. On the other hand, when one deposited money in the bank, the interest earned ranges from one (1) to 10 percent only per year depending upon the kind of deposit. And still whatever interest earned is subjected to 20 percent withholding tax. On top of it, once the deposit is below the maintaining balance, a depositor is compelled to pay service charge monthly until the whole amount deposited is exhausted as applied to the monthly service charge.
This Philippine banking system practice makes some people who have savings to shy away from the banks and keep their small savings in the aparadors.
These anti poor practices can be avoided if the people are literate, well informed and have enough data to base their decision. Poverty thrives best and rapid where ignorance pervades.
To liberate oneself of poverty, he must think he can win in the fight. He must be educated and industrious, persistent and thrifty. Select also public officials who are honest, industrious, compassionate and who can empathize with the poor. Let us begin selecting the right, fit and qualified officials this may 14, 2007 elections./MP