DUE to the continuous rise in the prices of basic goods, many Filipino families are still experiencing severe poverty.
One harsh reality is that many of our fellow citizens live from hand to mouth.
The couple Solpicio and Jessica see selling cigarettes as the only way to earn a living.
Solpicio uses crutches to walk after an accident years ago.
He says the highest daily earnings he brings home is ₱80, which is not enough to buy food for a day.
“We are forced [to earn] because we have no food. It really hurts, because we have nothing to eat,” Solpicio said.
“I just pray, Lord help me because I can’t do anything, I can’t walk,” Solpicio added.
His wife, Jessica, even as a senior citizen, forces herself to work as a laundry woman to augment her income from selling cigarettes.
“Sometimes they give ₱150, which is fine because we might not be able to buy rice. I make do with that or sometimes I ask for more because of course, I need to buy 2 kilos of rice, which is our meal for the whole day. Of course, it’s really hard, my husband is helpless. Of course, I’m getting thin because if I don’t work, we won’t survive,” Nanay Jessica Expressed.
The situation of Solpicio and Jessica is just one of the millions of Filipinos who can testify that life is hard nowadays.
If you ask people like Solpicio and Jessica, they would say that Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon‘s statement that poverty is just a “myth” in our country is not true.
“Filipinos are suffering now because almost everyone is poor; they might be eating salt for their meals, that’s how hard life is,” Solpicio stressed.
“The ₱20 per kilo of rice that Bongbong promised has not come true,” he added.
Some of our fellow citizens could not hold back their sentiments about Gadon’s statement.
On social media, the official received a flood of criticisms or negative comments, including accusations of insensitivity.
Gatchalian counters Gadon’s “myth” claim: Poverty is real
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian also issued a statement on this matter.
According to the DSWD, poverty experienced by some of our fellow citizens is real.
“We believe that our fight against poverty continues. That’s why we continue to develop programs to alleviate the poverty of our people and eventually end it. Here at DSWD, we know that poverty is real,” according to Sec. Rex Gatchalian, DSWD.
The secretary added that the fact that millions of Filipinos are still being assisted by the DSWD through programs like 4Ps, AICS, and others is proof enough that people are still living in poverty.
Gadon labeled ‘scammer’ for claiming poverty as “myth”—Economist
An economist called out Gadon for saying hunger and poverty in the country are not true.
For Dr. Michael Batu, just because someone goes to the mall doesn’t mean they are not experiencing poverty.
It doesn’t mean that because traffic is heavy, which indicates economic activities, people are not suffering.
He points out that the growth of the economy is not keeping pace with the growth of the population in the country.
“Our real metric is, for example, self-rated poverty, job quality, underemployment. If you ask our fellow citizens if their lives have improved now compared to 2 years ago, ask them. Believe me, many will say their situation is worse now than it was 2 years ago,” stated Dr. Michael Batu, Economist.
