Friday, October 24, 2008 Roperos: Battling poverty By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
TRUTH to tell, I feel deeply delighted that more than 35 million Filipinos had stood up against poverty and participated in the United Nation’s worldwide program to combat the “menace” among our people, almost one third of which are considered as destitute, or impoverished.
But last week, our republic was recognized as having the most number of people “ever mobilized to ‘Stand Up and Take Action’ against poverty.”
Out of our country’s more than 88 million people, more than one-third, or 35 million, stood up and enlisted in the program. It was even bigger than India, which has the second largest population on earth. India had only 17 million people registered.
This unexpected response from the Philippines indicated tacit awareness of the people on the state of poverty among majority of Filipinos. Destitution is something that ought not to be in a country with resources such as our country has.
But the fact that it is not benefiting a great majority of the population is proof enough of an imbalance in the distribution of wealth and services. It is sadly, a painful reality.
The UN officials report that a great majority of the Pinoy participants were school children who were beneficiaries in the past few years of a feeding program in the schools to combat malnutrition. They form part of the 18 million students and teachers from both public and private schools who have enlisted in the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The students participated in the planting of vegetables and fruit bearing trees in the school campus, including the most nutritious “malunggay.” Yes, the lowly kamunggay is certainly far more nutritious than the sophisticated bacon, sausage, corned beef, or chorizo on the breakfast table the well-off.
However, I may be speaking with bias here, since at my age, my doctor friends are telling me I would be better off having kamunggay soup frequently than any of those items I mentioned above. In fact, kamunggay soup is better for babies than imported Chinese milk.
In any case, the UN figures for the participants of its program should be heartening for us since it clearly demonstrated that the Filipino truly dislike being poor and considered as such, and are willing to participate in any effort to eradicate poverty.
Now, if only our politicians and national leaders would cooperate with the UN and stop political skirmishing this early for the 2010 presidential elections.
