POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, 25.2% of the population lives below the national poverty line.
In the Philippines, 60% of the population aged 15 years and above is employed.
For every 1,000 babies born in the Philippines, 22 die before their first birthday.
Under the MDGs, the Philippines committed itself to halving extreme poverty from a level of 33.1% in 1991 to
16.6% by 2015

The main characteristics of the poor include the following:

o The majority live in rural areas and work in the agriculture sector, mostly as farmers and fishers.
o In the urban areas, such as Metro Manila, they are found in slums and the informal sector.
o They have large families (six members or more).
o In two-thirds of poor families, the head of household has only an elementary education or below.
o They have no or few assets and minimal access to credit.
o A major income source of the poor is from enterprise income (informal sector activities).
o A significant segment of the poor households are chronically poor.

Causes of Poverty
o low to moderate economic growth for the past 40 years;
o low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
o weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated;
o failure to fully develop the agriculture sector;
o high inflation during crisis periods;
o high levels of population growth;
o high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen the positive impacts of
economic expansion; and
o recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts, natural disasters, and
environmental poverty.

Key findings of the Asian Development Bank

o Economic growth did not translate into poverty reduction in recent years.
While the country has experienced moderate economic growth in recent years, poverty
reduction has been slow. Inequality has remained high
o Poverty levels vary greatly by region.
Poverty incidence has been persistently high in some regions (Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao, Caraga, Region IV-B, Region V, and Region IX).
Regions with the most number of poor people are regions IV-A, V, VI, and VII.
o Poverty remains a mainly rural phenomenon, though urban poverty is on the rise
o Poverty levels are strongly linked to educational attainment.
Two-thirds of poor households are headed by people with only an elementary school education
or below.
o The poor have large families, with six or more members
o Many Filipino households remain vulnerable to shocks and risks.
This is highlighted by the escalating conflict in Mindanao and the current global financial crisis.
o Governance and institutional constraints remain
o Local government capacity for implementing poverty programs is weak.
o Deficient targeting in poverty programs
 SOCIAL JUSTICE

implies fairness and mutual obligation in society:

that we are responsible for one another, and that we should ensure that all have equal chances to succeed in
life.
In societies wherein life chances are not distributed equally, this implies redistribution of opportunities

3 THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

Utilitarianism
A society is just to the extent that its laws and institutions are such as to promote the greatest overall or
average happiness of its members.
Basic needs of all must be met
"that must be satisfied in order not to seriously endanger a person's mental or physical well-being
Some of the institutions that utilitarians have championed over the years are:
o (1) A public education system open to all and funded by public money, i.e., taxes.
o (2) A competitive, "free" market economy. In the 19th century utilitarians often argued for a
laissez faire capitalist economy. More recently some of them have argued for a "mixed"
economy, i.e., a state regulated market system
o (3) The protection of the sorts of liberties that were guaranteed in the United States Bill of
Rights, which in turn became a global model
o (4) Democratic forms of government generally.
John Rawls A Theory of Justice
o A society is just to the extent that "all social values--liberty and opportunity, income and
wealth...--are distributed equally except where an unequal distribution of any, or all, of these
values works to everyone's advantage.

Justice as Fairness
First Principle: The Liberty Principle
o Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with similar
liberty for others.
Second Principle: The Equality Principle
o Fair Equality of Opportunity
"offices and positions"should be open to any individual, regardless of his or her social
background, ethnicity or sex
o Difference Principle
There is inequality, but it only permits inequalities that work to the advantage of the
worst-off.
The worst of the society must be given priority first

Libertarianism
emphasizes individual liberty as the central and indeed exclusive concern of social justice
personal autonomy: in favor of civil liberties and a reduction or elimination of the state
A just society must grant and protect the liberty or freedom of each individual to pursue his desired
ends
Kanya-kanya ito. Walang pakialamanan