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44th
Session of the Commission on Social Development
United
Nations
8-17
February 2006
PRESENTATION
ERADICATION OF POVERTY
Prepared
by: Sister Celerina Estacio, S.P.
Sisters of Providence (SP) – Montreal CANADA
SP: A Member of UNANIMA International
Date: 13 February 2006
UN PRESENTATION ON
ERADICATION OF POVERTY
The headline of one of the
leading newspapers in the Philippines, The Philippine Star, on
December 30, 2005 stated, 85% of Pinoys [Filipinos] enter New Year
with hope.
The following week, January
8, 2006, the same newspaper published an article entitled Lawmakers
alarmed over rising poverty. It says, "Two congressmen expressed
alarm... over the high incidence of poverty in the country, saying the
increasing number of Filipinos experiencing hunger should prompt politicians
to set aside politics and work on poverty-alleviation programs." A Social
Weather Station (SWS) survey showed that the number of Filipino families who
went hungry in the last three months of 2005 hit a new record high of 16.7
percent, up from 15.5 percent in August. The estimated number of Filipino
families who experienced hunger at least once during the last quarter of
last year totaled 2.8 million.
It
is a privilege for me to participate in this 44th Session of the
United Nations, on the topic of eradication of poverty. I have gained
recent and extensive information through my reading, research and interviews
with people in the provincial as well as local government levels,
non-governmental organizations and church personnel in the Philippines on
this topic of poverty. In my volunteer ministry in a squatter area in
Balanga City, Bataan, I am face to face with grassroots people who struggle
daily with poverty, who share the level of poverty described by Mark Doyle
in his article Philippines suffers poverty divide:
As the rubbish truck
approached, dozens of people surged towards it, running through
knee-high garbage to reach the fresh treasure. Welcome to Smokey Mountain,
the
rubbish dump for central Manila. If anyone wants to know what poverty
means - and the enormous task ahead. if this country is to achieve the
poverty-busting UN Millennium Development goals - they could do worse than
visit Smokey Mountain. The Philippines'
capital has enormous contrasts.
In this
presentation, ! will share some of the causes of poverty in the Philippines
efforts taken; how successful are these efforts; some of the challenges
collaboration with the government, and lastly, what might bring more success
ii the eradication of poverty.
In the
Philippines, unemployment continues to be the number one concern especially
family heads with no or little income. Other ongoing causes of poverty are
lack of education; insufficient health services and/or lack of health
education; lack of human and financial resources; population control; and
graft and corruption.
Mark
Doyle, quoted above, indicated that poverty in the Philippines has little to
with a lack of government resources:
Filipino social critics, and ordinary farmers and teachers I spoke to said
the problems of poverty in the
Philippines had little to
do with a lack of government resources. They said most people were poor in
this
country because of the
extremely unequal income distribution.
In the same article
of Mark Doyle, Journalist Verge! Santos added that corruption in ruling
circles was another major factor. "Just took at the lopsided income
distribution," said Mr. Santos, "and there are surveys - fairly independent
ones -saying this nation is always ranked high in the hierarchy of corrupt
governments and corrupt societies."
Tremendous efforts have been made to fulfill the UN Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Since 1994, Presidents in the Philippines have all introduced
poverty-reduction initiatives. But priorities can vary according to who is
in power. Changing administrations also results in lack of continuity in
efforts to eradicate poverty.
Former
President Fidel Ramos had the Social Reform Agenda (1994) with a framework
of two dimensions: economic growth and social reform. Likewise, former
President Joseph Estrada introduced "Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery
of Social Services (CIDDS)", which has established milestones in the areas
of people empowerment, development management and local governance. Current
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo introduced the "Kapit-Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan" (KALAHI) meaning "Unite to fight poverty." its strategies draw
from the social reform and anti-poverty agenda of the basic sectors but they
also expand, focus and accelerate convergence strategy to fight poverty
(Medium-Term Provincial Development Plan).
Politicians and government departments as well as corporations have devised
and developed many strategies. Local Government Units (LGU), in
collaboration with other leading departments, have introduced different
initiatives such as micro-lending/finance, approaches that better the lives
of many farmers and fisher folks. Skills training, cooperatives and
initiatives in the health care services benefit the poor. In some
municipalities in Bataan, people are encouraged to tare some responsibility
by paying a minimal fee for their medications as well as for other medical
services. The reason behind this is to change people's attitude from a
dole-out mentality. People continue to receive a sufficient supply of
medications and services from the minimal fees required. Feeding programs
are also part of the health care initiatives. Some of the micro-lendings are
interest free. Livelihood programs are sprouting like mushrooms. The target
population of many initiatives is women, children and youth, to highlight
the emphasis from the MDGs. The Department of Agriculture recognizes now the
large contribution of women in the farming communities and empowers them to
be a part of the decision making. The department also encourages
participation from youth as the future bearers of the field. There is a
disheartening trend, however, for youth to go abroad, which seems to give
them a greater sense of pride and comfort than being farmers or fishermen.
Likewise, non-governmental organizations, different religious affiliations
and members of society have worked together to introduce initiatives,
programs and creative approaches to fight poverty. In the Archdiocese of
Manila, every parishioner is invited to save 25 cents a day to be used for
services with the poor. Parishes all over the country have different
programs and alternative approaches to helping the poor. These organized
approaches yield much more help for the poor than simple voluntary
offerings. One parish in Metro Manila, during the Christmas novena masses
was able to collect specified food donations enough for 400 families, in
contrast to previous years, when the voluntary food donations brought only
half of this amount. Scholarships are also one of the initiatives taken by
different foundations, religious congregations and individual benefactors.
In the
Diocese of Balanga, Bishop Socrates Villegas has introduced resources such
as scholarships, feeding programs, illiteracy programs, livelihood programs
and others that would benefit the poor. He collaborates with various
organizations as well as individual benefactors, and connects people to
resources to help themselves. At the first Synod for the Diocese of Balanga,
March 6-17, 2006 priests, religious and lay delegates will gather to set
direction for the Diocese. One of the pillars of discussion will be the
youth and the poor.
Still
it seems that these different programs, initiatives, approaches are not
enough. One wonders what seems to be missing. Urban poor organizations in
Metro Manila requested that their cause be included during the Catholic
Bishops' of the Philippines (CBCP) sessions the last week of January, 2006:
"We have been asking this government to respond to the needs of the urban
poor as we have been asking previous administrations, but to no avail....We
ask the Church to... stay on the side of the poor."
An
article entitled, Philippines: A Step Backward, states:
According to this year's report from the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP), the
Philippines has taken a step backward, reversing any progress made
since the UNDP first
formulated its program of development 15 years ago....The index of human
poverty in the
Philippines is very high - 16.3 per cent; the percentage of Filipinos living
on a dollar a day –
14.6 -
has not
changed; people without
access to safe drinking water number about 15 percent -
more than in last year's report" (p. 17).
The Philippine
Daily Inquirer,
September 25, 2005 stated, "The quality of life in a number of countries is
improving faster than that in the Philippines, according a study by the
United Nations Development Program....There is a real danger that the next
10 years, like the past 15 years, wiif deliver far less for human
development...." As the UN Secretary-General has expressed It "The MDGs can
be met by 2015—but only if all involved break with business as usual and
dramatically accelerate and scale up action now."
The
article continues, "The 2015 projection offers a clear warning. To put it
bluntly, the world is heading for a heavily sign-posted human development
disaster, the cost of which will be counted in avoidable deaths, children
out of school and lost opportunities for poverty reduction. That disaster is
as avoidable as it is predictable. If governments are serious about their
commitment to th MDGs, business as usual is not an option."
The
Sisters of Providence have been involved in an urban poor setting, a
squatter area in Quezon City, for more than 10 years now. We work with the
mothers and children in the area. The Sisters have provided them with a type
of microfinance following the Grameen concept, enabling the mothers to start
kitchen cooperatives where they sell food for breakfast and snacks. They
also sell rice and some have a little variety store. They meet on a weekly
basis and have overall monthly meetings. Business seemed to be going well
in the beginning and collection was not a problem. However, when there were
problems in the family such as illness, housing demolitions, beginning of
the school year and other family concerns, collections seemed to be
difficult. Some families also have addiction problems. Thus, the Sisters are
dealing not only with poverty per se but with families with multi-faceted
problems. The Sisters realized then that the mothers need on-going supports:
emotional, psychological, values formation and at times, material supports.
The
Sisters of Providence have also been in the Province of Bataan, in the
western Philippines, for over four years now. The province has a population
of close to a million people, most of whom are farmers and fishermen. Our
Sisters are involved in ministry to youth, indigenous peoples and the
elderly. I volunteer at a squatter area in Balanga about a 10-minute walk
from where we live. There are more than 100 families and close to 300
children. They live in small shacks sometimes with 5-6 children including
the parents. They have no rooms but a tiny cubicle that serves as their
quarters for sleeping, cooking-everything.
I began
by making a survey of their needs and asked each family about their dreams.
Their expressed needs are basic necessities: food, clothing, education and
medical needs. They are unable to express more elaborate dreams as most of
them are caught up in just living daily- At times the mothers confessed that
their children had not eaten for days because they had no means to give them
food. Ninety percent of the people in this area are unemployed or have
casual work. Some have a little variety store and they borrow money from
money-lenders and/or individuals who happen to have some free cash to lend
on a 5/6 basis. (Five/six is a form of lending; when you borrow five pesos
from a lender, you return it with a peso interest in a week,
depending on your arrangement with the lender.) Most of the time they just
make enough to pay off this 5/6 loan; many times they hide from the loan
collectors because they have not earned enough to pay.
There
are also many children who are unable to go to school due to great poverty.
Although education is free for elementary and high school in public schools,
the number one difficulty for most parents is the children's daily fare,
meals, school supplies and school projects. Some who are high school
graduates cannot pursue further education due to lack of financial
resources. The diocese has been able to sponsor two high school students
from this area but that is not enough. Higher education needs to be
available to all the poor, not only the academically gifted poor who may be
lucky enough to get a scholarship.
The
Sisters of Providence, in collaboration with the parish of Balanga, have
introduced some initiatives to help these poor people, most of them women.
We started Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) where the people share faith on
scripture once weekly. We also have values formation. However, BEC and
values formation are not enough when people are hungry, so we also
introduced small-scale livelihood programs, such as food making. The women
have also started selling raffle tickets for prizes including basic foods.
The small profit they make is saved for their emergency funds such as for
medicines and hospitalization needs. The Sisters have learned from
their urban poor experiences that they need to move and work according to
the needs and pace of the people.
In
December, 2005, the Sisters of Providence were able to provide food hampers
for 55 families as well as treats for more than 200 children, compliments of
local and foreign benefactors. The mothers volunteered to pack and sort. The
Sisters observed that the mothers who were packing were setting aside food
and hiding it. They were doing this only because they are in dire need and
this would give extra food for their children/family. On the other hand,
these same mothers stretched their resources - time, effort, as well as
financial resources -to organize the Christmas party where they distributed
gifts to the children and brought food to be shared by everyone. These are
good people on survival mode but once moved beyond survival they are
transformed to help others, to care for one another and they are true and
committed to living the church document that says, "There is no one so poor
that cannot give and no one so rich who cannot receive." (Second Plenary
Council of the Philippines, 1992).
In an
article by Rita Restin, she quoted Karin Scheizjg, an Asian Development Bank
Poverty Specialist, as reporting:
Ensuring access to five types
of assets - human, physical, natural, financial, and social capital - is key
to reducing vulnerability to poverty... Income is...only one part of the
story...Ail of the assets are a significant part of the poverty picture, but
increased human capital - through improved access to quality education and
health can have a particularly strong effect on poverty reduction.... The
more education someone has, the less likely they are to be poor. Similarly,
good health is a necessary prerequisite to being able to learn, to work, and
to earn a living... Securing access to these assets provides one entry point
for poverty reduction.
Collection management is another concern in the area of micro-finance. Only
.21%, are delinquent collections but these figures, although minima!, in the
long run could accumulate. Mr. Tarafder, President of ASA Foundations, said
that in spite of the organization's good microfinance record, since they
serve only 11,000 people from the 5.6 million poor this cannot be considered
successful.
Collection is also a difficulty in micro-lending for cooperatives, perhaps
due to lack of personnel to monitor and follow up delinquent collections.
Currently there are 25 active cooperatives in the Province of Bataan and 4
of these are considered successful: in operation for over 10 years, with
sustaining funds for on-going operation, healthy governance and functioning
management. As Marcelino Guzman, a Cooperative Development Specialist said,
previous cooperatives operated from a dole-out mentality and this pattern
seems to persist. People need to be re-educated, need values formation for
business to continue and to sustain a cooperative. In addition, cooperatives
and other micro-financing that helps the poor are competing with those who
have fewer criteria, such as money-lenders and others who lend money on a
5/6 basis.
Lack of
consultation and collaboration from the grassroots - those that are directly
impacted by the programs and initiatives—is another challenge faced by the
MDGs. Often plans are developed by paid researchers with no or minimal input
from the people. No wonder the poor have no idea that there are programs or
resources available for them. Another problem is premature implementation of
programs. There are not enough personnel to monitor or follow up and assess
the initiatives, so on-going formation, technical know-how and skills
training are often neglected or ignored by the funding agencies.
Politicking is another obstacle to alleviating poverty. The Philippine Star
on January 25, 2006, published an article entitled GMA, allies issue
unity calf, which noted that no opposition members attended a meeting of
the Council of State which was meant to discuss reforms. The same article
quoted House Speaker Jose De Venecia as saying that everyone must put an end
to "divisive politics,... adversarial politics... which have tainted our
society."
Politicking must definitely be set aside. However, changing the structure
of government will not end the political crises. Rather, it is the changing
of the "stony hearts" into "fleshy hearts" of the government officials and
politicians, the moral living of good values and principles that will lead
to stability (Sisters of Providence - Sector Report).
It is
urgent to meet the Millennium Development Goals, especially in the
eradication of poverty. If governments, organizations, corporations and the
Filipino citizens are really committed to meeting this goal, business as
usual is no longer an option. The following might help to be more successful
in eradicating poverty.
Collaboration and teamwork need to continue, and agencies, organizations,
and individuals need to converge for the good of the country to help the
poor. Values education and on-going formation for skills training are
essential for sustainability. Empowerment instead of a dole-out mentality
needs to be emphasized. It is essential that grassroots people commit and
take responsibility for themselves. That seems to be one reason why Basic
Ecclesial Communities (BEC) are effective; they facilitate group unity and
build up strong communities. Tax privileges must be given to institutions,
organizations and foundations that are directly involved and/or work
directly with the poor.
It is
not that the government lacks resources but rather that good governance and
honest management must be in place. In most of my interviews at both local
and provincial levels, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are praised and
highly regarded for their efforts to keep checks and balances for
governmental projects and programs, especially in the implementation and
evaluation processes.
Another
recommendation is to emphasize better targeting to identify the real poor
and then direct the resources to them. As Karin Schelzig states:
...community based poverty
monitoring systems and poverty mapping can make a huge difference in the
fight against poverty.... Detailed local information like the kind we get
fron poverty mapping can help LGUs be more responsive to their
constituents... Poverty maps show local stakeholders what kind o
intervention is most needed in what area."
However, this improved mechanism can only be maximized when there are
enough resources in both personnel and funding.
Debt
reduction has to be re-visited. However, this needs to be monitored and
evaluated closely. With graft and corruption lingering in our country, debt
reduction itself does not necessarily benefit the poor. BBC News reports
Jose de Venecia as saying, "The debt repayments and the government payroll
take up 90% of the budget. That leaves just 10% for schools and hospitals,
water and electrification projects..." The report continues,
Mr.
De Venecia has advanced a 'debt for equity' proposal which involves
converting half of the debts into equities, which would be used by creditor
nations to invest in projects aimed at achieving the UN goals... but to
agree to it, creditor nations may want tough conditions and to closely
monitor the development projects involved.
Perhaps Filipinos need
to bring back the virtue of "Bayanihan" (cooperation), charity, and care for
each other. Archbishop Ivan Marin-Lopez of Popayan Colombia speaking at the
Special Assembly for America of the 1997 Synod of Latin American Bishops,
emphasized the practice of charity especially among those considered
Christians: "The persistence of so much poverty and exclusion on our
continent... shows that the Church's weak point is in living charity.” He
continued:
...
concrete works and signs of love for the poor.. -could be for each parish
and diocese to dedicate a considerable part of its resources to paying the
debts of some local poor people... Every bishop and priest and the rich
people of this country [italics mine] should do something to show that
we want to live the Great Jubilee we preach.... These actions would give
greater moral weight to the international community to reduce or cancel the
foreign debt. (Megan, p. 184-5)
Perhaps
we need to create an alternate world where there are no poor.
The
year 2015 is fast approaching and we have no choice but to face the reality
of poverty. Everyone needs to be involved, including the poor, if we want to
eradicate half of current poverty by 2015. We can no longer bypass the
responsibility -neither individually nor communally/governmentally. As
Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, one of the foundresses of the Sisters of
Providence, said, "Whatever concerns the poor is our affair." We all need to
work together— and we have to do it now!
REFERENCES
AND ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
Annual Accomplishment Report
(CY 2004): Provincial Planning and Development Office. Capitol Balanga City,
Bataan, Philippines
Andy R.
Avorque (Personal Interview-January 17, 2006); Municipal Planning and
Development Officer; Municipality of Orion, Bataan, Philippines
Ludivina Banzon, Assistant
Coordinator and Clarissa Pajares, Project Development Officer (Persona!
Interviews - January 18, 2006; Telephone Interview - January 26, 2006);
Provincial Planning and Development Office; Province of Bataan, Philippines
May Ann
Domingo, Administrative Assistant (Personal interview - January 19, 2006):
Cooperative Development Office, City of Balanga, Bataan, Philippines
Mark
Doyle, Developing World Correspondent - Manila (http:/news.bbc.co.uk)
Baby
Lita G. Evangelista, Social Worker (Personal Interview-January 17, 2006)
Municipal Social Welfare and Development; Municipality of Orion, Bataan,
Philippines
Rita Festin "Human Capital
Key to Improved Targeting for Poverty Reduction in Philippines, Says ADB
Report" (http:/www.adb.org)
Marcelino Guzman, Development
Assistant Specialist (Persona! Interview-January 19, 2006): Land Bank of the
Philippines
LGU
Guide on Millennium Development Goals Localization
(January 2005): Bureau of Local Government Development; Department of the
Interior and Local Government with the support of United Nations Development
Programme
Megan
McKenna. Advent. Christmas and Epiphany - Stories and Reflections on the
Daily Readings. New York: Orbis Books. 1998
Medium-Term
Provincial Development Plan
(CY 2003-2007): Provincial Planning Development Office. Capitol Balanga
City, Bataan, Philippines
Philippine
Daily Inquirer
(September 25, 2005): Tracking human development
The
Philippine Star
(December 30, 2005): 85% of Pinoys enter New Year with Hope (Jan. 8,
2006): Lawmakers alarmed over rising poverty; (Jan. 28, 2006): GMA,
allies issue unity call
Jess
Diaz (January 8, 2006)The Philippine Star. Lawmakers alarmed over rising
poverty
Edu Punay (January 25, 2006).
The Philippine Star. Urban poor rally greets Bishops' meet
Hon. Mayor Antonio Raymundo,
Mayor of Orion (Personal Interview - December 30, 2005): Municipality of
Orion, Bataan, Philippines
Second Plenary Council of
the Philippines (PCP II): Acts and Decrees,
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, Manila (1992)
Sisters of Providence -
Philippine Sector Annual Report (September 1, 2004 — August 31,2005)
Sisters
of Providence - History of the Institute
Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM
(Congress 2004 Presentation): Religious Life in the Future
Social
Reform Agenda, Republic of the Philippines (17 June 1994)
Kamrul
Tarafder, President (Telephone Interview-January 19, 2006): ASA Philippines
Foundation, Manila, Philippines
Arlene Tengonciang,
Agriculturist (Personal Interview-January 19, 2006):
Department of Agriculture; Municipality of Balanga City, Bataan, Philippines
Most Rev. Socrates B.
Villegas, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Balanga Personal Interviews -
January 11 & 16, 2006): Diocese of Balanga, Bataan, Philippines
Ana Gloria Lucas, World
Mission The Asian Catholic Monthly Magazine Philippines: A Step
Backward. November, 2005
http:/www.codengo.org
http:/www.peacefdn.org
http./www.adb.org
http;/www. un-povertyphilippines
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