Hunger in the Philippines

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:

1. Food production may not be keeping up with our growing population.  There simply is not enough food.
2. 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.
3. 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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