(I took this picture in Cebu on Nov 2007, walkway on Mango Avenue)
My friendship, Salve Duplito, Editor of the Inquirer’s Money Smarts, posed this question in her blog.
“When a mother makes her children drink a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner and then drinks the same poison herself afterwards, is it the mother’s fault, society, or government’s?“
Given that I have now mastered the art of social climbing with fine and exquisite skills required in the upper-tier society (read: 2nd floor nang apartment na ni-rerentahan ko), my sleeping poverty defiant personality forced my hands to type the following responses to Salve.
(I took this picture in Cebu on Nov 2007, walkway on Mango Avenue)
Who do you blame for poverty?
Sometimes poverty is a choice. I have nephews and nieces whom we sent to some of the nicest schools to have a better life. It’s a given. All Filipinos knows these cycles. Unfortunately, either we’ve cuddled them too much or they splurged way too much and ended up with teenage pregnancies, not finishing school, out of job, getting (un)married to another individual who pretty much have the same life story. End game? (Un)married with kids, no work and living day by day out of dole outs. Me? I’ve pretty much ignored them out of anger and resignation. I’m sure they’re learning their lessons now. I hope they won’t do the same exercise with the linked story, otherwise, I have my own share of blame. But at least, as the song goes and even my parents would agree with me.. “I did my best, but my best is just not good enough, so here they are poor as a bumblebee”.
Every country in the world has their poverty problem. Believe me, I’ve lived here in the United States long enough to have seen the worst but also experienced the best and even be part of it. And I know that at least the government is attacking the problem with so many social programs. As a matter of fact, I worked (past tense) for the 4th largest housing agency in the United States. We build low-income housing units targeting the lowest income brackets of the society. In return, the United States government gives us housing tax credits that in turn, we sell to investors who partners with us in several of these developments.
It does not stop there. We have Community Centers, Kids Activity Programs, and even for Adults (not the x’s), it’s the whole 9-yards. Heck, we even have music recording studios in our Community Centers. We offer a lot of social programs. We give them career development, education, job trainings, assistance in small business and many, many other programs essentially to assist them to be productive in the society. In turn, the lower rentals and to a point free utilities helped them to be out of poverty.
The Philippines is unique given that the Church is one powerful voice and personally – and I know and I don’t care if I earn some condemnation from your readers (Hahaha!) – but the Church is dead wrong in its population policy and worse, the government or may I say, the administration is just kowtowing with what the Church says.
Poverty is one tough bloody evil to fight. It requires a combined and united effort from all fronts. The government, the Church, the school (education), the NGO’s and the population itself.
So, let me go back to your question – who do we blame?
Personally, I blame the parents. I blame the government. I blame the Church. I blame Education (or schools) and finally, I blame the population for believing misinformation campaigns on population controls and politicizing them.
If you want to get rich quick with sureness, please visit Salve Duplito’s blog, Money Smarts.
P.S. I Love You
~Although the pictures I posted were taken by me personally in Cebu when I was in the city in November of 2007, it does not necessarily follow that poor people are only evident in Cebu.~
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
good moaning….aga naman ng banat mo….
Isa yan sa mga issue na kakainis ng talakayin.
sisihin ang ibang tao sa mga mali nilang desisyon at paghihirap.
kakainis din naman ang mga asa sa welfare dito. Kung umasta
para silang mga milyonaryo at ang mga kotse eh luxury or mga V10
& above ang engine. pero dumi at busabos ang pananamit ng
mga anak pero ang mga magulang LV or latest season ng coach ang
bag. FART! Gold card member (Medicaid), at über discount ang groceries.
(food stamp). thank gawd I have a job to support these people.
eto napulot ko sa mga republican: ” you do not get people out of poverty
by giving them welfare or teaching them “it is better to be a beggar
than to work.” yun lang kunichiwariwap….at umuusok ang ilong ko.
bow!
brenda Mage’s last blog post..Duguan
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PS:
bat nga pala naka Ghana time blog mo?
la lang….snooping lang.
brenda Mage’s last blog post..Duguan
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ghana?! natulog ako kasama ko south african! di ba malayo yun? i guess depende kung sino ang nabibitbit ko hehehe! alam mo, me topak tong la germania laptop ko, ang dates nya pumapalit pag-alas otso nang gabi sa east coast! ewan ko ba kung saan ang laptop na to sinulda, sa taiwan ba o sa bocaue! hahaha
reyna elena’s last blog post..Who do you blame for poverty?
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alam u, i remember nung bago pa lang me sa jeymerika. naloka ako dun sa food coupons nang mga puriko. pucha nag-grocery kami nang aking madir at fadir, eh low-income ang aking fadir kaya tipid kame noh? ang mga hayop na nasa welfare, halos buong laman nang grocery hinakot sa kaban kaban nilang food coupons, taz an laki nang kaltas sa checke ko for unemployment chorvalais puta ang galit ko nonnnnnn!!!!
reynz’s last blog post..Who do you blame for poverty?
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tulog pa mga kampon mo, or sadyang wala lang tayong life….or ako lang talaga yon. I heytchu! dahil as yo, naging limpak limpak na milyahe ang binababad ko sa Internet. teka…may I go take a bath pala at me massage appointment akesh ng 11am. may I join ako sa sosyal climbing mo!
brenda Mage’s last blog post..Duguan
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sadyang talented lang ako, parang bampira, lumilipad pag tulog ang mga sirena hehehe, wala eh, nasa kabilang bundok ako hehehe
reynz’s last blog post..Who do you blame for poverty?
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Juices! Kailangan ata talagang i ban ko IP mo. Pag kagising ko sa umaga, hindi na si Brian Gorrell, Kitty Go, at BryanBoy ang inaabangan ko. Ikaw na at mga kampon mo! grrrr
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supurtahan taka jan, kuuuu, kung ako lang, gagawa ako ng batas na dalawa lang ang dapat na anak, pag sumobra, gawing longganisa! dalawa lang, replacement sa parents, just in case, tas yung mga bakla at tomboy, paramihin!!!!kahiya-hiya, yung mga street children, mga pureyjaer pa ang kumukupkop,at isa pa, di na pedeng magturo ang simbahan about family planning at kung kelan dapat sumiping sa asawa,hanggang our father at hail mary na lang sila! sa dami ng populasyon, pati yung mga farms, housing na ngayun, hayyyy, ang dami pala talaga ng prublema!
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Read that story about the mother who forced her small children, aged 4,3 and 2, to drink toilet bowl cleaner to kill them. Can you imagine doing that to innocent lives? Truly heartbreaking! I’d really want to believe that the mother just went cuckoo and this is just an isolated case, but how many times we’ve heard this kind of story from our beloved country? Just close to my hometown some years ago, in some remote god-forsaken place, a family of seven was rushed to the local clinic showing signs of food poisoning. The children found an old can of sardines while sifting through a garbage dump. It was Christmas eve then and they feasted on the only available food on their table, the botulinum-laden can of sardines. In a few hours, the smaller children became ill. Did they go right away to the clinic? Of course not! Let’s go to our friendly neighborhood albularyo and make tapal-tapal here and there. It was too late when they finally decided to go to the hospital the next day. Two small children already died, and the rest eventually succumbed in the equipment-deficient clinic. It is so tragic it makes you cry. And the church says, go forth and multiply! Then followed with this sermon, Jesus, our Lord and Master, has said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:19-24).
Well I said fuck you Matthew!
mogLi’s last blog post..Watch Out!
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may napanood akong isang episode tungkol sa malnutrisyon sa Pilipinas. isang pamilya na nakatira sa barong-barong (as in sako lang ang dingding) ang sentro ng episode. if i’m not mistaken, 5 ang anak nila, lahat malnourished (pati magulang). yung isang anak, hindi na nakakatayo sapagkat wala itong lakas, malaki ang tiyan at nagkaroon ng depekto sa katawan. umiiyak ang ina, kesyo sa isang araw eh maswerte na ang isang takal na bigas ang pagkain nila. hinahati ito sa 7 bibig. kahit gutom pa ang mga anak ay wala na silang maibigay kaya pinipilit na lang nilang matulog ang mga bata, na kadalasan ay nag-iiyakan sa gabi dahil sa matinding pagkalam ng sikmura.
nakakaawang nakakainis ang kanilang sitwasyon. naiyak ako at parang dinudurog ang puso kapag nakikita ko ang mga bata. at the same time, gusto kong murahin at sermunan ang mga magulang. wala na nga silang makain, gumawa pa ng sangkatutak na anak. hindi ako naniniwalang kakulangan ng edukasyon, gobyerno, simbahan o kahirapan ang may kasalanan sa kanilang sitwasyon. nilalang tayo ng Panginoon na may sariling pag-iisip. kung isa o dalawa lang ang anak nila eh baka maniwala pa ako, kaso pinaabot pa nila ng lima. purong kamunduhan at iresponsibilidad ang nakikita kong dahilan.
eheheh haba na pala…natangay ako ng aking damdamin
rhada’s last blog post..konting update
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hehehe pa share nang link ni Kitty Go! yaan mo bibigyan kita nang Patatas Blog Award hehehe!
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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naku, sa kaliit liitang islas las pinas, super uber ang FACKtory nang babies and who knows kung anong klaseng disaster (social or economic) ang darating dahil walang pakealam ang mga nakatalaga sa taas! hahaha
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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eeeek! hahaha! hinay pareng mogli! hahaha!
kahit na grad ako nang dominican univ at indi marunong mag-rosaryo, i don’t think sinabi dun sa “go forth and multiply!” na mag-multiply ka lang kahit wala kang ma-ipalamon sa mga anak mo ano? ang tawag dun iresponsability.
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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hahaha – kasasabi ko lang sa taas, response ko ki mogli, it’s really irresponsibility. libog nang katawan ang nag-sa-suffer ang mga anak. pwede namang kumangkang nang me suot na kapote, eh ayaw nang simbahan eh. hahaha
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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off topic pero parang tugma na rin sa topic mo:
Less than 25 years old na mag shota, parehong nag tatrabaho sa isang pabrika sa Manila. Nabuntis si babae (talaga bang walang gumagamit ng contraceptive sa Pinas if they CHOOSE to be sexually active?) KAILANGANG PAKASALAN ni lalaki sabi ng magulang on both sides (Is that a solution), huwes ang kasal pero gusto ng tatay ng babae me HANDAAN. So mega utang ang both sides ng 30T sa bumbay, para ma push ang handaan ( kailangan ba talaga yon??). So, now tapos ang handaan 30K + utang later, with no place to live (makikitira ang mag asawa sa bahay ng babae kasi maluwag doon!??!!!), and a baby/responsibility in few months.
Ang tanong, naisip ba talaga ng mga `to ang consequences ng kanilang ginawa? Sisihin ba dapat ang magulang nila sa kapabayaan ng obserbasyon? Sisihin ba ang pinag tatrabahuan nila dahil nag kaganun? Sisihin ba ang gobyerno, ang eskwelahan, ang ibang tao dahil nag paraya sila?
sa ngayon hindi nila nararamdaman ang hirap pa, sa dahilang bago pa lang silang naging mag asawa. Bigyan na sila ng stressors such as babies to come, living with in-laws, living paycheck to paycheck….goodluck!
“Let me uncrap my crap!”~ Ava Paguyo – Project Runway Philippines
Brenda Mage’s last blog post..Duguan
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that’s Matthew 6:25-34
It’s about faith and trusting God. He only wants us to be more concerned about Him rather than to become consumed with earthly things – cars, status, physical perfection, $$$ etc. Life is so much more important than worrying about such things.
I don’t think that verse teaches us to live and die in poverty. God’s plan is to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future (Jer 29:11). The bible does not contradict His word. The Bible also teaches us to practice living faith. Such faith is useless if we do not act on it.
On poverty, I agree with reynz…I blame the parents. I blame the government. I blame the Church. I blame Education. I sometimes even blame myself LOL
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nabasa mo ba yung istorya ni mang pandoy? eto may sinulat ako tungkol dun
http://kengkay.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/bakit-sila-ganun/
sa totoo lang, merong akong kaibigang pinoy sa bangkok na may konting diprensya sa paa, yung tipong mga nakikita natin sa kalsada na namamalimos (parang yung bata dun sa picture mo) kasi nga physically challenged. pero nagpursigi sya, ngayon he’s working sa isang magandang institusyon sa bangkok. sabi nya kung sa pinas daw sya, baka namalimos na lang sya. sa tingin ko asa tao talaga ang gawa e, pero dapat tumulong din ang gobyerno.
dito sa alemanya, daming social benefits ng mga unemployed. kaya kapag pumasok ka sa loob ng bahay ng mga walang trabaho? naku, mas mayaman pa sila kesa sa mga taong nagkakanda kuba sa pagta trabaho. mga appliances nila high tech, mga damit nila branded — pero sempre kapag araw ng inspeksyon, nakatabi lahat yon. ang galing no? and did you read about that german man in florida who’s getting benefits from the govt to live a millionaire lifestyle. natatawa ako kasi ang tagal bago nila na realize na ang laki ng binabayad nila dun sa mamang yun, hay ewan ko ba.
kengkay’s last blog post..isumbong o hinde?
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olats ako sa mga bible harbats na to hehehe marunong lang akong lumuhod ganun lang. heheeh
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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tiga barrio siete ka ba? hahaha! eh andaming ganitong istori dun samen netich hahaha! i swear! kahit kami me pina-utang ang aking low-income fadir nang pera dun sa friend nya kasi nga ang junakees na bente dos pa lang eh na-dyuntis sa libog ayun, wa pera, dafat kasal ever – kala mo binyaran ang fadir ko? INDI AH! ginawa kamong ninong si fadir! hahaha read: yun na ang regalo! hahaha
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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Grabedarum! Yung blogger gumising, punta ng restroom, nag wiwi, nag check ng blog….at nag respond na sa comment! HALLER! 0320 hrs pa lang kaya sa East coast…ay mali….0720 hrs na pala sa Ghana….kaya pala gising ka na maderaka!
Brenda Mage’s last blog post..Duguan
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hehehe! kahit saan ateng talagag me mga talented na tao. dito samen, gaya nung kwento ko, actually di lang puriko (werto ricans) ehehe kundi mga dyitims den na nasa welfare, ahahaha kulang na lang mag-rent nang truck sa grocery nila na puro libre hahaha baka natuto ang german na yan sa mga puriko sa philadelphia? haha
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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hahaha! 03:27am na po sa GHANA haller eh di ako makatulog eh kairita eto gora gomoraa ako sa dunkin donuts at makapag-kape kape na nga hehe
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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`lam mo Mother Butler….dito sa dadaanan ng bagyo this week…iisa lang ang aming dunkin donuts…As in doon pa sa kalbaryo…tipong pag liko mo doon, it’s like nasa hell ka na. 30 miles away from me….Ay! parang song noh….”you’re 30 miles away, frommmmm meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!” Bow!
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30 miles?! hahaha! eh ba’t di ka na lang mag-bedspace sa kanila para isang harbat mo lang me kape ka na?
oo! balita ko nga pinapalayasan na kayo dyan sukat kasi puno nang kasalanan daw ang mga tao dya senyo! hahaha! HOYYYY! matulog ka na! bibili lang nang kape ang lola! hahaha!
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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Sweetie Pie, thanks for carrying the conversation further in your blog. Action, action, action is what we all need to do! Gawa ka nga ng advocacy, kapatid. Salamat din sa paghikayat sa iyong readers na dumaan sa MoneySmarts, though natawa ako sa tagline! Get rich quick with sureness? haha. Baka akalain ng mga tao scammer ako ha?
salve’s last blog post..Developing a millionaire’s mindset
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hahaha thank you for stopping by sa busy sked! hehehe! malayong ma-tag ka as scammer at least sureness ang quality nang blog entries mo hahaha a Poverty Advocacy would really be nice. Yaan mo, lalagay ko yan sa TODO list and wish na magawa ko one of these days.
reynz’s last blog post..Do you know why pigs wear lipstick?
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