Let's Alleviate Poverty, Let's Elevate Filipino's Life

POVERTY is a big problem in many parts of the world. Many people are struggling to earn for a hand to mouth existence. Many of them don't really know if they can manage paid work next day to make their hungry tummy feel better, who knows if they can find something during the night to hide them from the dark sky. They may never imagine of things like social securities, health care or even pension. Probably many of them never heard of those terms in the past.

Expedito Lorente, founding chairman of Blessed Federation of Farmers and Fishermen International Inc. (BFFFII) said that for the past 20 years, he planned and created an organization for "Profit" of course but not for making money for the directors or other officers but for those who are in need of work and money to survive or to live better.

And now he is sharing it to very Filipino in the country thru the various programs of the federation in order to alleviate poverty in the country.

Lorente said, it would be much easier for an organization to create jobs or livelihood from agri or agro industries with very low investment and the organization can hire skilled or semi-skilled people very easily as most of those people can easily work in agricultural farm as they have traditional knowledge or experiences of farming. If those jobs go to members of 5,000 families and if each family has 5 members in average, it means the organization is helping 25,000 people towards a much better living standard. And as the spending power of those 5,000 Families will increase, it could lead other new small businesses in the local villages and obviously the small businesses will create more jobs.

As an example, imagine if the organization pays P15,000 a month per person, definitely those, who are earning P150 or less a day could get a much better life. They can educate their children to help build up a more skilled generation.

“The aim of the federation has been to be to ‘Make Money’," Lorente stressed this because this will help the employees to get benefits from the federation and the organization does not have to run campaigns for funding. The more interesting idea is if the organizations can sell products in international market.

A part of the profit can be utilized to grow to create more opportunities. The organization can spend 25 percent of their profit to pay fringe benefits on various occasions, 25 percent will be used for health care and emergency financial help, 25 percent can be utilized to strengthen the organization to increase more opportunities and the remaining 25 percent can be used for pension, home improvement, and for those who are in need of shelter, etc. Implementation of this concept can change things in the long run. It could improve people's living standard, help to provide a safe and secure life for every Filipino and obviously it will help grow the economy of the country too, Lorente explained.

“Every organization should consider something the idea like what I explained in order to alleviate poverty while doing our best to eliminate poverty in a much better way,” he added.