The Powers and Actions behind The Problem

of Poverty in The Philippines

A Descriptive Research Paper

Submitted to
Mr. Luis Camara Dery
De La Salle University Manila

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas 2

By: Alyzandra Beatriz B. Lanuza

April 2, 2014

I.

Introduction
The Philippines being one of the largest archipelagos in the world is also one

with the most diverse culture because of the structure of the land. Along with this, the
natural resources of the country are abundant both for manufacture and tourism. Although
this is are given factors, the Filipino people faces a struggle in battling the gruesome issue
of poverty. According to the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] (n.d.), the
Philippines poverty rate is 27.9% with a population of 92.34 million. The countrys
population is quite big for a country with 298, 171 square kilometers but since the
country is a rank society, it still caters to the rich and to the poor. At 27.9% rate of
poverty, it is impossible for the country to solve the problem of poverty in a year or so.
This does not mean, however, that poverty cannot be solved. The UNDP also showed
hope for the country by stating that even though there is widespread poverty in the
country, the Philippines did well in the Human Development Index. Along with this, in
2012, the country has raced to the front in economic growth against other neighboring
countries with a 6.6% rate of growth. The Filipinos did not let the country down as well;
UNESCO (2012) said that there is a 95.4% adult literacy rate in the country showing the
probable competency of the people.
Considering the growth of the country and its people, poverty still persists.
Economically, the countrys GDP is on the rise but there is still scarcity and imbalance in
the countrys monetary access. Once again going into the basics of rank societies, the
Philippines being under this kind of society means that the norm is for people to be able
to have equal access to wealth and power but prestige is exclusive. Unfortunately, rank
societies struggle with the maintenance of equality in accessing wealth and power since
the prestigious people are the ones who are considered first in line in accessing wealth

and power in the country. This may possibly be one of the reasons why the country
remains poor until the present time. Another aspect to look into is the cultural traits
gathered by conforming over the years and through social media as well. The provlem of
poverty persists because of certain social issues like corruption and illogical international
integrations along with the practice of culturally corrupted traits like crab mentality,
manana, and bahala na.
II.

Significance of the Topic

The topic regarding poverty as the Philippine problem is necessary to look into

because the poverty in the country is very evident and prominent. This is a situation
gravely overlooked by many which is why studying the topic, specifically the powers and
actions behind the ever growing problem, is crucial in determining a solution for the
Filipino peoples current situation. Furthermore, the country is faced by many threats
from neighboring nations like that of China and poverty will only weaken the system
which should be able to solve both territorial threats and internal disputes.
The big rate of poverty in the country also blemishes the image of the entire
Filipino race especially since poverty is called to be the effect of laziness. The Filipino
peoples fight to survive is not seen rather negative traits and actions are. This research is
important to change common views and so if people were to blame someone for the
challenges the Filipinos and the country faces, the real reason will be condemned and not
the innocent people.
III.

Contents

The race that produced Rizal is a superior race. The Filipino race produced Rizal;
The Filipino race is a superior race. (Dery, 2014). For the 300 years that the Philippines

were under the captivity of the Spanish colonizers, the Spanish have influenced not only
the language of the people but their culture and traits as well. To start off, Legazpis
initial assessment of the Filipino people before the 1571 occupation provides an insight
of the Filipinos lives and economical practices:
More or less gold is found in all these islandsHowever, they do not
work the mines steadily, but only when forced by necessity; for because
of their sloth and the little work done by their slaves, they do not even try
to become wealthy, nor do they care to accumulate richesThus their
idleness surpass their covetousness.15 (p. 32).
This disproves the common notion that Filipinos were poor to begin with. This excerpt
from Renato Constantinos Baranganic Societies shows that even before the Spanish
occupation, the Filipinos already had means of living which was sufficient enough for
their survival. This then leads to the question why the Filipinos after 1571 are
considerably poor.
First, under numerous presidents the country still faces the problem of poverty.
The reason to blame for this is the ever so efficient corruption in the Philippine
government. According to Co (n.d.), corruption is a complex process where in the end
one blames the other. It also competes with the resources because corruption means that
resources to be allocated become imbalanced mainly because the practice of corruption
means that one would get more than the other hence, inequality. In the Philippines,
corruption is not done discretely. The tabloids, newspapers, television reports, and even
social media posts are filled with comments and reports regarding politicians gathering a
certain amount of money from the peoples taxes through certain mediums like the PDAF
or pork barrel. Corruption contributes to most of the poverty and economic stagnancy of

the country since resources are exhausted by only a few people. Resources which are not
equally distributed results to the emergence of the rich and poor class system. The
more corrupt Filipinos, the more poverty will prevail.
Second to corruption is the usual illogical international relations. Although
international relationships with neighboring countries should be beneficial for the
country, the Philippines is duped into believing that these relationships will allow the
country uplift its current situation but, of course, it will not. Power will always get in the
way, countries will always want power and the Philippines vulnerable state allows other
countries to pretend forging a good relationship with the country and its people for both
to benefit but in the end, the beneficiary is the other end of the relationship and not the
Filipinos. Say for example, TV Patrol (2014) reported that China once again bullies
Filipinos in the West Philippine coast by scaring the sea farers using their coast guard
ships. The United States, having forged a reliable and trustworthy relationship with the
Philippines, actually made a statement that it will not side with any country and did not
want to have to do anything with the issue. If the relationship the United States has with
the Philippines is real then atleast a disproval would seem sympathetic to the territorial
threat the country is currently facing against China.
Third, the practice of corrupted values allows poverty to persist and further
damage the sinking ship of the Philippines. Crab mentality or utak talangka in the
Philippines is an attitude where one would pull down the other once that other is
succeeding because no one wants someone to succeed and become bigger than they are.
This idea and habit is very derogatory in nature and any attitudes like these which prevent
another to prosper and succeed in life will most definitely hinder a group of people from
growing. Based on McMahons (2014) article, the mentality can affect anyone and

everyone. If this mentality is allowed to flourish in nations, unity is far from happening.
Mentalities like these should be removed since no economy will ever grow if this is the
thinking of the people. The next attitude to look into is the manana habit. Manana is of
Spanish origin which means that it is an attitude copied by the Filipinos during or after
the 1571 occupation. The manana attitude, according to Newbold (1998), is the thinking
where the saying tomorrow is another day applies. Although the saying seems positive,
in the manana context, it means that work is continuously postponed and will eventually
be done during the last minute. This Spanish influence had been etched in the cultural
traits of the Filipinos hence, the practice of this corrupted value. This attitude is a big
hindrance in a country with crab mentality as well. The reason for this is that unity can be
surpassed by intelligence of a few members of the nation who can bring glory and honor
to the country but if crab mentality comes with the manana attitude then no work will
ever be done for growth and progress. Another value which most probably allows poverty
to persist in the country is the bahala na attitude. Bahala na is more of an American
influence. It is somewhat the equivalent of whatever in the English Language. Gripaldo
(2005) says that bahala na may mean many different things but it all boils down to
saying that there is no care for something or someone whatsoever. Not caring for anyone
or anything most of the time, would mean that people are indifferent. This is not so
common in the country but with the emergence of social media sites, the youth become
more compelled to care about their own vanity and others lives than caring about sociopolitical issues and such. These attitudes along with the socio-political actions all boils
down to the reason why poverty persists.

IV.

Conclusion

The Philippine problem persists not because of laziness but because of the structure
of the society, the corrupted values practiced until today, and the socio-political issues
which hinder the progress of the country. From the previous related literature, it is
obviously the doing of Filipinos today which is why the country remains poor. The
Philippines is not materially poor but it is character and a visionary mindset is what the
countrys people lack. All the problems including the manana, bahala na, and crab
mentality can be easily surpassed with the development of a stronger nationalistic faith
rather than fanatically believing in religious idols. Furthermore, the cause of Philippine
poverty is mostly internal and not external. Of course the usual exhaustion of resources
due to the demands of other countries is also of serious matter, it can be easily solved.
The main problem the Filipinos face is the loss of beneficial character; beneficial
character being morals, values, beliefs, and norms which would benefit the person, the
society, and the country as well. All the corrupted ideals and attitudes are the ones which
allow poverty to continue growing rather than dissipating. The social media is not bad; it
cannot be bad for it is unconscious. What is wrong is the usage of this social media for
vanity and lucrative acts of indifference. The Filipino people are in need of this
personality over haul and the only way to do so is to stop the previous cultural traits from
being passed on. It is not easy but it is also not impossible to do.
The Filipinos are to blame for the poverty they are experiencing. Not because the
Filipinos are lazy but because, the Filipinos neglected to eradicate the wrong attitudes
their predecessors and colonizers have injected in their culture. The powers behind the
growing number of poor Filipinos are the countrymen themselves. With the corrupted
minds and moralities of the Filipino generations, the colonizers have succeeded and will

continue to do so if the Filipino youth do not stop this ridiculous inheritance. The growth
and success of the entire Filipino nation is up to the citizens of the country because only
one can decide to change and even though everyone tries to be a catalyst for change, it
will never happen if the person is not wholeheartedly devoted to the idea of change.
V.

References

ABS-CBN. (2014, March). TV Patrol News. China bullies the Philippines

once again.
Constantino, R. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited. Baranganic
Societies. Tala publishing services, 32.
Dery, L. (2014, March). Filipino race is superior. Personal
communication.
Gripaldo, R. (2005). Bahala na: A Philosophical Analysis.
McMahon, M. (2014, March). Filipino Culture. Retrieved from
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-crab-mentality.htm
Newbold, R. (1998). Project Management in the Fast Lane: Applying
the Theory of Constraints. St. Lucie Press, 28-29.

United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). About the Philippines.

Retrieved from
http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en/home/countryinf
o/