Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

For Official Use Only

I like to share with you a text message from Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino which states: 

“American: In USA, stealing is against the law, you will be jailed. British: In U.K. (United Kingdom), foreigners caught stealing are deported. Arab: In Saudi Arabia, if caught stealing, your hand will be cut off. Japanese: In Japan, stealing is dishonor to the family, we make “hara-kiri” (suicide). Chinese: In China, if caught stealing, you face firing squad. Filipino: In the Philippines, stealing is for official use only!” 

Thank you Atty. Tolentino for the text message. What do you feel of the above stated joke of Atty. Tolentino? Can we prevent using “stealing for official use only?”

Effects of Poverty

Poverty is an issue that more and more of Filipino children are coming face to face with. Each year, children entering schools with needs from circumstances like poverty are increasing. This annual increases are highly enormous for schools to respond. 

Children who are “at risk” are likely to fail in their schooling and possibly in life. It does not appear that a single factor will place a child at risk and when more than one factor is present, there are compounding effects and the possibility for failure increases significantly. 

In school, academic and behavioral problems can be indicators of impending failure. These behaviors are delay in language development, reading development, aggression, violence, social withdrawal, substance, and depression. 

They do not comply with their assignment, do not study for tests or do not come to school prepared to learn, unable to concentrate or focus and unwilling to interact with peers or adults in school.

The Challenge

The above stated problems of children at-risk are challenges to educators. Good education is the only means to break the cycle of poverty among children of poor families. These children need education that is founded on high standards and expectations. 

Children from poverty start out life at a disadvantage. Their mothers may have no or had inadequate pre-natal care and with insufficient early health care. Children of poor parents do not have good and the same kind of experience children of the normal social level do have. 

The social environment present in poverty situations limits the ways they learn to live in social groups that adversely affect the development of these children. 

Emotional trauma is another social issue facing children of poor families. The emotional climate is very stressful and emotionally depriving which can lead to feelings of alienation, inadequacy, depression, and anxiety. Impulsive behavior and social withdrawal may result. There is lack of emotional security and self esteem. Children at risk crave for attention and need to belong. 

This fight to liberate us from poverty has a very simple solution. In the family level, with the natural resources available to us, there is no reason for any family to live in poverty. The Philippines is favored with abundant water, fertile soil, favorable climate and technologies ready for application.
Making the soil productive, proper use of technologies and effective and efficient marketing, there will be liberation from poverty. Any industrious, efficient, frugal family will certainly triumph over poverty. /MP