Gruesome image of poverty

    In every corner of the world, poverty is always present. A nation without impoverished citizens is virtually unimaginable. In the Philippines, poverty is not a new problem. In fact, poverty is considered one of the oldest problems ever to arise in the Philippines. It may be true that poverty will always be there as long as there is corruption in the government, but what can we do to reduce poverty if we cannot extinguish it? On the way to school, or anywhere outdoors, it is inevitable to see homeless people with sheets covering their bodies, street children running around, and beggars asking for alms from passers-by along the sidewalks. These people we are all familiar with are labeled as the poor people of society. What does the word poor mean? According to RA 8425, or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act, the poor people are “individuals and families whose income is far below the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and/or cannot afford, in a sustained manner, to provide their minimum basic needs of food, healthcare, education, housing, and other essential amenities of life.” Unable to meet their basic needs most of the time, they search garbage cans for leftovers, look for new places to sleep in, and sometimes steal from those who have what they need. We feel sorry for them, but what is the use of sympathy to them? All we do is sympathize, yet we expect our nation to progress.