“Focusing the Unfocused”

Just like a parasite draining and enslaving the host, poverty clings to different countries

and hinders their growth, year after year. For sure, everybody hates it, and they want it gone;

however, for that to happen, we must dig in the root cause of this dilemma. To start with, let us

know how and why poverty began. An article from New Internationalist (1992) stated that such

misery started right after the Second World War in 1940. However, a newer study by

Bhattacharyya (2016) explained that this was proven wrong by simple plots of GDP per capita

from 1950-2005. It shows that there is very little change in the relative positions of the countries

since the war. The author then explained that the root causes of the problems are geography,

disease, colonial history, slave trade, culture, and technology.

Given this information, I think it is somehow enlightening, especially for Filipinos, since

there is always a pre assumption in this country that poverty is caused solely by the victim’s

laziness and incompetency. Some believe that these economically marginalized people are not

doing enough; that is why they fail financially. To break this stereotype, we must know that

poverty came from different factors—for instance, colonial history. In the case of the

Philippines, we have been enslaved for decades by different countries. After this, our country

had difficulty rising away from poverty. There was abusive exploitation of the resources in our

territory back then. Another factor is the culture of the country. In the Philippines, one of the

cultures we have is the crab mentality. Most of the Filipinos drag down those who are on the

verge of financial stability. It often happens to OFWs in which people who know that rising

family or person will ask for “balato’s” and “pasalubongs.” These are normal; however, some

people ask for more to the extent that the OFW would have only a little left for themselves.
Another problem in this country is that corruption is still on the premises of the institutions of the

government. For this reason, also, a lot of citizens are suffering from poverty.

Globally speaking, the governments’ and international organizations’ aim to eradicate

poverty has been one of their priority for the past few years. They have focused their attention on

this particular issue, hoping that it would finally come to an end. As a matter of fact,

globalization is one of their expected greatest weapon for this battle. However, what they have

perceived from globalization isn’t realistic and as beneficial as they thought it would be.

Globalization linked to poverty has significant impacts. The fact that globalization is the

interconnectedness of the different countries’ markets implies that the economic backslide of one

country can also cause the backslide of its partner countries. On the other hand, the economic

progress of one country can also result in the development of its partner countries. In other

words, according to Nunez (2015), it produces both losers and winners. According to the

National Bureau of Economic Research, another reason for this is that even though there is

progress through export growth and incoming foreign trades, the currency crises that it produced

can cripple the poor even further. Studies also show that inequality of the poor and rich becomes

worse because the poor are not always guaranteed to get some share from the gains from trade. It

is the large and wealthy companies that would still benefit from the profit. All these effects of

globalization make us realize that poverty is complex. It does not get vanished away with just

one solution. It needs full force support from the local government, citizens, and global

economic affairs. However, this does not mean that globalization is entirely invalidated. It is

already a big help, but it needs more solutions and assisting weapons for it to kill poverty

completely. Take, for example, knowledge and enlightenment. Proper education for the poor is

an excellent way to start and assist them in their journey in crawling away from poverty.
Education enlightens them and helps them to know what opportunities they can grab to benefit

from international trade. It is also vital that the government makes and maintains appropriate

policies and institutions to protect them. Only through this, the poor may genuinely benefit from

such globalization.

Narrowing the scope, let us also examine the local effects of poverty, specifically in my

community. Here in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, the population as of 2015, according to the

Philippine Statistics Authority and the results of the 2015 Census of Population, the city has a

total of 184, 599 inhabitants. Therefore, this city was declared to be the second most populous of

Davao del Norte. A research was conducted and presented by Dr. Sumabal, a City Planning and

Development Coordinator in Panabo. This research utilized six indicators, which are lack of

decent homes, inaccessibility of safe water, inaccessibility of safe toilet, illiteracy,

unemployment, and malnourishment incidence.

Out of the six indicators, four of them are significantly correlated to poverty. These four are lack

of decent homes, inaccessibility to safe water, illiteracy, and unemployment. These results led to the

analysis that poverty in this community is mainly caused by the four significant indicators, namely, lack

of decent homes, inaccessibility to safe water, illiteracy, and unemployment. Another analysis is that

among the four, unemployment has the most extensive influence, followed by illiteracy.

After being enlightened by this information, I think we can all agree that poverty is a problem

compelling enough to be taken seriously. It is something we should take into consideration in our actions,

thoughts, and deeds. Applying into our lives the core values of Ateneo de Davao, specifically cura

personalis, we must reflect on this reality and revisit our ways to address this issue. To elaborate, being

human means being responsible for each other’s welfare. No one in this world is living for himself only.

We are all connected, and we need each other, the same way the marginalized need us. It is vital that we

change the way how we think about this issue. Being impoverished is not an endgame for being

incompetent and irresponsible. In fact, it is a cycle that holds the victims in chains, making it difficult for

them to access their needs, which could further affect their next generation.

Most importantly, this issue should not be conceived as a horror story for children for them to

work harder and strive in school. Infusing this idea on the children only increases the gap between the

poor and the rich, leading to a stereotypical and unsympathetic community in the future. This does not, in

any way, help the problem. Instead, this issue should be made as an inspiration in the hearts of the young

ones. It should be one of the next generation’s goals to help and finally eradicate poverty. This way, there

is sympathy and a chance for change. It all starts with a simple thought and a wholesome point of view.

And as this better perception sinks within us, our actions, words, and deeds are slowly and further being

influenced by this seed growing inside of us. We shouldn’t just settle with mere sympathy, plans, and

goals. Instead, we must branch out and be involved in activities helping them, even if we start small. If we
can’t be responsible even when we are just little, how then can we practice being accountable and being

ready for greater charity works and responsibilities, if we only wait for that moment to come?

Now, the real question is, how can we help the poor? Ronald Reagan remarked that “We can’t

help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” First, we must be aware of the reality of those who

suffer from poverty. We must be knowledgeable about what they need and why they need it. For this to

happen, we should acknowledge this situation and engage with the marginalized. Maybe a conversation

or even an interview from the poor would help us to engage deeper and broaden our knowledge. After

this, we share the information we learned and realizations to everyone and raise awareness within the

community, especially with the use of social media. Second, is to support and empower those who are

underprivileged. It is the responsibility of those privileged to come down from the comfort of such an

influential and powerful life and use their power to support those who lack the opportunities to make their

lives more comfortable. They must come down and empower each other even with the simple act of

respecting and honoring each other, especially to the needy people who still have decent jobs to make a

living. The third thing to do is to donate and share. Since we are all connected and responsible for each

other, it would be a good idea to share with the needy the things that we have in abundance. Besides, we

can buy some new ones, unlike those who couldn’t even provide for their food. This way, we refresh and

have more space for new blessings and, at the same time, fill other’s cups. The fourth thing to do is

joining organizations that do charity or volunteering programs. It would also be more excellent if you

would organize your own donation drives. It’s the same thing with donating and sharing, except that you

do this with a team. This way, you engage socially and make more friends while helping the poor. It’s

having fun for a cause. Another benefit is that when you surround yourself with people of the same goals,

you get more passionate and inspired to continue helping. You grow and become stronger because you

know that you are not alone. For the fifth one and the last, we must become responsible consumers. It’s

funny how this simple act can help, but it is the small things that matter. Some companies have programs

in which they donate a part of their profits to the marginalized sector. It may be small, but supporting
these kinds of organizations encourage the other companies to do the same too. Through this, we become

a step closer to our goal, which is to lessen and eventually stop poverty.

References
Bhattacharyya, S. (2016). The Historical Origins of Poverty in Developing Countries. The Oxford
Handbook of the Social Science of Poverty, 2.

Harison, A., & Nesvisky, M. (2020, August 20). Globalization and Poverty. Retrieved from National
Bureau of Economic Research: [Link]

Nunez, C. (2015, February 10). Is Globalization Helping Or Hurting The World’s Most Poor? Retrieved
from Global Citizen: [Link]

Population of Panabo City. (2015). Retrieved from Philippine Statistics Authority :

Sumabal, D. J. (n.d.). Statistical Indicators for Local Development: The Panabo City Experience. Retrieved
from Lungsod ng Panabo: [Link]

THE DEVELOPMENT OF POVERTY. (1992, June 5). Retrieved from New Internationalist:
[Link]