The Faceless Nemesis

You wake up, enjoying the gift of life once more. But are you conscious that somebody

woke up from hunger and thirst today as well, weak and some even dying? My fellow Filipinos,

poverty continues to be one of the Philippines' biggest problems. In fact, more than a quarter of

the 105.7 million Filipinos are living in extreme poverty as of 2018, lacking material resources

leading to difficulties in providing for their basic needs. There are several reasons for this such

as rapid population growth, inadequate social infrastructure, slow growth of rural productivity,

and lack of access to credit. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that if I become the

president of our country, there are important programs that I intend to improve to aid in the

potential decline of this faceless nemesis and reduce its impact on the people by addressing the

lack of job opportunities, the improvement of rural income, and the lack of social and affordable

housing.

First, solving the issue of poverty starts by providing adequate job opportunities. Indeed,

the level of unemployment and underemployment in this country, affecting no less than a

quarter of the labor force rooted in underperforming economic sectors, is the primary cause of

income maldistribution and high poverty rates. There are numerous approaches to this issue,

but I want to focus on the investments in workers’ skills and education, combined with flexible

labor regulations. These are needed to encourage firms to generate more jobs that offer better

pay and social protection, as the main findings of the World Bank's report entitled, “Labor

Market Review: Employment and Poverty in the Philippines,” stated. The report highlighted a

three-pronged approach to reducing poverty in the workforce, which I myself wish to promote. If

elected, I will continue to invest in education and skills of disadvantaged youth to increase their

earning capacity, which is especially essential in rural areas; to simplify labor regulations to

motivate employers to formally recruit more employees, and to enhance the investment climate
and reduce the cost of doing business in the formal sector for the generation of more and better

jobs and for the sustainability of high economic growth.

Second, if we are to achieve the status of a developed nation in the next 10 to 15 years,

we need to address income in the agricultural sector because despite the country's fast-growing

economy, the backbone of the economy, continues to languish. Farmers and fishermen remain

part of the "poorest of the poor" in the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority,

and they constitute the second-largest group of the labor force in the Philippines, accounting for

23.1 percent of the total employed in July 2018. Leveling up the sector offers immense

opportunities for producing more jobs and wealth, which can contribute more to the gross

domestic product (GDP) of the country. With this, I will completely support the "New Thinking for

Agriculture" whose main goal is to double farmers' and fisherfolk’s incomes in five years or even

less. This is feasible because increasing the income of agriculture smallholders by 20 percent

per annum, when compounded, can double their income by the fourth year. Through this way,

they will continue to farm and fish much-needed food for the country's increasing population,

contribute more to the economy and encourage young Filipinos to take more interest in

agriculture to secure the strength of the agricultural sector for many years to come.

Lastly, millions of affordable homes are needed to cope with a growing population and to

relieve extreme poverty. Lowering property prices may not be desirable for a growing economy

like ours, but it can serve as a key foundation in the country has the means to make it more

affordable. A major conundrum has been the lack of low-cost housing for the country’s

marginalized home seekers given the abundance of available residential units for the middle

and upper classes. Keeping this in mind, I plan on exploring more public-private partnerships.

Through exchanging ideas and working together with the government and the private sector,

planning for a city's future developments, which include low-cost housing, will become simpler
and more efficient. The participating private investors will at least enjoy lower taxes with the

projects they are embarking on collaborating with the government.

If I am elected, you will be sure that my plans will be enforced and sustained to create

more work opportunities, increase income for farmers and fishermen, and reduce the shortage

of social and affordable housing. In addition, I assure all of you that your concerns will be

addressed appropriately on the national level. However, I can’t alleviate the increasing poverty

rate in our country alone. The government is not solely liable for the poor, but each one of us is

held responsible because we have the ability to support them and make the world a better place

for everyone. Nelson Mandela said, “Do not look the other way; do not hesitate. Recognize that

the world is hungry for action, not words. Act with courage and vision.” Thus, if you choose me

as your leader and do your part in helping the needy, we can together overcome and face

poverty, our faceless nemesis.

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