Article by: Madison Wuu
Visual by: Basia Lesniewska
In the Philippines poverty is a prevalent issue. Living in a developing country, many civilians cannot afford the high cost of education, let alone all of the additional sacrifices necessary for school, like homework.
One of the leading causes of the perpetuated poverty cycle in the Philippines is due to the large wealth gap between the wealthiest 25th percentile and the least well-off of the country's citizens. While around a fifth of the Philippines population lives in extreme poverty, the remaining 80% comprises middle and upper class sectors that possess the ability to meet a basic standard of living and beyond.
The poverty threshold indicates the amount of required income that one must make in order for one to provide for sufficient necessities such as food, clothing, and a place to live. In the Philippines, the average salary produced per month for a household of five is no less than Php10,481. The majority of the time, those nearing the border of the poverty threshold struggle to make ends meet and therefore, must work persistently harder to survive.
If one comes from a background of privilege, then chances are they may be exposed to certain lifestyle luxuries, such as being able to have drivers or helpers. Household employees work long and arduous hours because they work for a family. The average monthly salary of a driver is Php14,676.
Even after having been with a family for a long time, the average wage of a typical household helper in the Philippines is Php4,767 per month.
Domestic workers in the Philippines work for an average of 9 hours a day. This, for example, would mean that a domestic worker spends 9 hours a day that could be dedicated to spending time with their own children, yet, the only way that they can provide for them is to tend for another.
The sacrifices made by those of lower pertaining socioeconomic status often come at an extreme cost. Early on, parents may deprive their kids from valuable learning time spent at school. Boys and girls may be forced to move into the city and seek low-paying jobs, with the mere intention of helping out their family and acquiring money to assist them with food and essentials. Provided with only very basic needs, a local child or teenager brought to a town to work as a housekeeper can be paid as little as Php50 per day. When pursuing basic daily necessities become of greater importance than pursuing education, their priorities begin to become unclear.
Unequal opportunities lead to greater income disparities: those coming from impoverished backgrounds encounter difficulties in obtaining a decent paying job. However, jobs that command higher salaries such as doctors, engineers, and lawyers, require higher education, and therefore have access to higher income paying jobs.
In the Philippines, approximately 3.6 million children lack the financial assistance and the resources needed to attain access to quality education. Almost 1 out of every 10 Filipinos, aged 6 to 24, are not attending school. This leads to less accessible income generating opportunities. This contributes to the widening of the large wealth gap in the Philippines.
Works Cited:
Gita-Carlos, Ruth Abbey. “PH Poverty Projected to Be at 18.7% in 2021: WB.” Philippine News Agency RSS, Philippine News Agency, 17 Oct. 2019, www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1083509.
Wvdf-Ton. “Out of School Youth.” Social Innovation Challenge, challenge.worldvision.ca/en/challenge/out-of-school-youth/.
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