HUNGER IN THE PHILIPPINES
by Antonio C. Antonio
October 29, 2014
Senator Grace Poe went on national television last Monday
(October 27, 2014) and expressed concern over a lot of Filipinos in a sorry state
of hunger. Senator Poe has reasons to be
alarmed. According to the Social Weather
Station (SWS), fifty five (55%) percent or some 12.1 million Filipinos consider
themselves poor while forty three (43%) percent or 9.3 million Filipinos
consider themselves hungry.
According to Ernesto M. Ordoñez (http://pcij.org/i-report/1/hungry.html), there are three
possible reasons for the growing hunger among Filipinos:
- Food production may not be keeping up with our growing population. There simply is not enough food.
- By the time the food produced at the farm level gets to the consumer, food prices are too high. Many cannot buy at these high retail prices.
- Some cannot purchase the food they need because they have too little income or what income they have for food has largely been eaten up by inflation.
I agree with Mr. Ordoñez
one hundred percent… he is one of my idols.
But more than identifying the reasons why a worrisome number of Filipinos
are hungry is identifying the root cause/s for their hunger and economic
misfortune. Although there are several causes
why Filipinos are going hungry and live in abject poverty, the most profound
cause is the inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities. This cause covers the important aspects of
human behaviour --- social, cultural, political and economic. Digging deeper, the inequitable distribution
of resources and opportunities will bring us to an original cause of five
letters and one word: GREED. Greed for
resources and opportunities is the real cause of hunger in the Philippines.
Just my little thoughts…
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