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| A DIFFERENT KIND OF POVERTY At Sibagat, Agusan del Sur |
Poverty,
over the years, has become a resident concern in the country. At times, it is
almost like a given equation every time we try or attempt to solve our social
and economic problems. In fact, it has been used countless times even in our educational system, especially on graduations, “Poverty is not a hindrance to success,” as
a noble rhetoric that could be potentially uttered by any traditional politician. It has been with us, unfortunately, since
“time immemorial”, and thus already showing signs as a cliché. But for all its
intents and purposes, this issue has long been ingrained in our way of life,
like a cultural thing; suffering is something we have been accustomed to accept
and live by. Being a third-world country, nonetheless, I guess you’ll have to
accept that, not for its own sake, but more so with your sense of obligation in
doing something about it.
In a study by Oxfam Mindanao Programme regarding the abaca trade in the Caraga Region, figures concerning poverty incidence in the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte as well as Surigao del Sur could very well speak for themselves. With the country’s poverty rate of 34% (as of 2012) a record in itself, considering the number of charity institutions scattering all over the country, that percentage will still be considered pale in comparison to the region’s 50.2%, a figure that could potentially drag the whole nation if left unattended. The National Statistical Coordination Board even recorded higher percentages of poverty incidence in Sibagat and Prosperidad, provinces of Agusan del Sur, with 59.4% and 52.8% respectively.
Somehow the presence of Prosperidad (Agusan Sur’s capital), with all the richness of its natural resources (particularly abaca), in the list only shows one how rife the problem of poverty is in that side of the region, that it even seeks to undermine its own potential. No wonder that its recent robbery incidents led by no less than the Ondo Perez Group were residents of the said town. How fitting it is that the study somehow validates the assumption that because of the high incidence of poverty in the area, felt mostly by its residents, that some of them are forced to do extreme measures just to be able to get by with it. Again, we could always make a case that poverty has something to do with it.
But the poverty billing in the region is more than just a statistical record. It goes beyond its computation of hunger and want, of scarcity and starvation, of inflation and insufficiency. There is so much more in it aside from its rising percentage. Digging deeper though, poverty is almost incidental in Caraga than in any other region in the island. There’s a lot to be desired about in these seemingly untapped areas either by its strategic location, beaches and resorts, or in its rich deposits of metallic and non-metallic reserves, a resource with an estimated amount of 3.5 billion pesos, potentials that could alleviate the region from its annual attendance as one of the poorest.
It is not like the area is beset by insurgencies pretty much like in the south side of Mindanao, where a so-called “culture of immunity’ sometimes borders on religion and race. Caraga is a relatively peaceful environment, with incidents of kidnapping and robbery seemed like an isolated case (Ondo Perez is an exception to the rule). Nowhere in Mindanao where you could actually travel 24/7 without the dread of a possible bomb scare; except for a few cases of holdups, but it usually happens days before a cockfight takes place. Otherwise, the region has more than enough to entice investments, local or foreign, particularly in its recent proliferation of resorts in its coastal areas and the promotion of “Lolong”, the world’s largest crocodile, which was captured in Agusan Marsh, another natural resource that is yet to be developed and explored.
So, why poverty? What is lacking in Caraga is not actually the presence of that food, nor the lack of it. There is an abundance of that in season and out of season. There is always a happy supply of food available in the wet market or even in its local malls. What is lacking per se is the ability of these people to procure these essentials necessary for their daily sustenance. It is not only enough to secure that food on your table, but buying the right kind of food for nutritional purposes is also a major concern. Scarcity, on the contrary, doesn’t always end in poverty, perhaps just one of its causes. Consider our supermarkets, with tons of supplies already in display and in full view of its customers, I find it so ironic that people would still insist that the country is starved to death and that scarcity is giving them a wide range of consumer panic.
Simply put, this is poverty not of food, not even of material possession, but of will. With so much potential available at its disposal, from its vast assets to its diversified culture, Caraga seemed like a country for old men by not being able to tap its resources from within and the possibility of exploring other prospects even outside the country. That poverty, with its usual suspects of food, shelter and clothing, was just an extended remark. The issue remains unseen. It is hidden beneath the recesses of its ability to enhance its already ingrained possession and the promise of a better life. The problem of poverty could have been prevented if only a concerted effort, or better still, a collective will, is imposed to contain if not end this atrophy, this lack of vigilance towards alleviating poverty in every household, which has gone prevalent in the region.
How much more in choosing the right kind of food on your table, that is something even our health department is incapable of providing at some point. Its malnutrition rate of 49.25% is still keeping tabs with that of its poverty ratio. Developments, whether infrastructure or economic, are somewhat slow in terms of implementation, as exemplified by a number of impassable roads on its barangays and a host of failed businesses over the past two decades. Poverty is in the air, and clouding over the entire Caraga landscape. It is a situation whereby people are incapable of choosing the best possible option (food included) because even their will is suffering from a dearth of choices. I hate to say this, but this problem has gone political in its tirade. It is an issue that could have been prevented, but most of us choose not to dignify it for fear that our suggestions might not be enough.
We have heard this line over and over again, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I have reasons to suspect that this actually exemplifies the situation in Caraga more than anything else. This is the expression why this region remains at the forefront of that negative billing of “one of the poorest” in the country. It is the people not poverty itself that is causing a lot of bad press for this region as far as that list is concerned. Personally, I tried many times to confront this kind of “culture”, but the receptions I got only strengthens my belief that almost always it’s a losing battle. That it would be a waste of time to fight through it, and that to avoid any complications, it would be better to leave the issue alone.
So poverty will be with us (until the end of time?). Maybe the circumstances are telling me that this is an issue definitely worth keeping, I mean literally worth keeping. Maybe the negative billing, after all, works at an advantage to our legislators and public notaries so that the government could lend their support, as always, for the very reason that we are among the poorest in the nation. And although poverty has become a concern in the region, over the years though it has evolved into something else, a palatable cuisine whereby anybody could feast on it for the benefit of a (select) few. It is a kind of strategy, a political ploy perhaps, that as long as there are poor, uncomplaining folks around, this poverty issue is as good as it gets. And that if they could pay you come election time, your (free) lunch is already taken care of. So what's cooking?
In a study by Oxfam Mindanao Programme regarding the abaca trade in the Caraga Region, figures concerning poverty incidence in the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte as well as Surigao del Sur could very well speak for themselves. With the country’s poverty rate of 34% (as of 2012) a record in itself, considering the number of charity institutions scattering all over the country, that percentage will still be considered pale in comparison to the region’s 50.2%, a figure that could potentially drag the whole nation if left unattended. The National Statistical Coordination Board even recorded higher percentages of poverty incidence in Sibagat and Prosperidad, provinces of Agusan del Sur, with 59.4% and 52.8% respectively.
Somehow the presence of Prosperidad (Agusan Sur’s capital), with all the richness of its natural resources (particularly abaca), in the list only shows one how rife the problem of poverty is in that side of the region, that it even seeks to undermine its own potential. No wonder that its recent robbery incidents led by no less than the Ondo Perez Group were residents of the said town. How fitting it is that the study somehow validates the assumption that because of the high incidence of poverty in the area, felt mostly by its residents, that some of them are forced to do extreme measures just to be able to get by with it. Again, we could always make a case that poverty has something to do with it.
But the poverty billing in the region is more than just a statistical record. It goes beyond its computation of hunger and want, of scarcity and starvation, of inflation and insufficiency. There is so much more in it aside from its rising percentage. Digging deeper though, poverty is almost incidental in Caraga than in any other region in the island. There’s a lot to be desired about in these seemingly untapped areas either by its strategic location, beaches and resorts, or in its rich deposits of metallic and non-metallic reserves, a resource with an estimated amount of 3.5 billion pesos, potentials that could alleviate the region from its annual attendance as one of the poorest.
It is not like the area is beset by insurgencies pretty much like in the south side of Mindanao, where a so-called “culture of immunity’ sometimes borders on religion and race. Caraga is a relatively peaceful environment, with incidents of kidnapping and robbery seemed like an isolated case (Ondo Perez is an exception to the rule). Nowhere in Mindanao where you could actually travel 24/7 without the dread of a possible bomb scare; except for a few cases of holdups, but it usually happens days before a cockfight takes place. Otherwise, the region has more than enough to entice investments, local or foreign, particularly in its recent proliferation of resorts in its coastal areas and the promotion of “Lolong”, the world’s largest crocodile, which was captured in Agusan Marsh, another natural resource that is yet to be developed and explored.
So, why poverty? What is lacking in Caraga is not actually the presence of that food, nor the lack of it. There is an abundance of that in season and out of season. There is always a happy supply of food available in the wet market or even in its local malls. What is lacking per se is the ability of these people to procure these essentials necessary for their daily sustenance. It is not only enough to secure that food on your table, but buying the right kind of food for nutritional purposes is also a major concern. Scarcity, on the contrary, doesn’t always end in poverty, perhaps just one of its causes. Consider our supermarkets, with tons of supplies already in display and in full view of its customers, I find it so ironic that people would still insist that the country is starved to death and that scarcity is giving them a wide range of consumer panic.
Simply put, this is poverty not of food, not even of material possession, but of will. With so much potential available at its disposal, from its vast assets to its diversified culture, Caraga seemed like a country for old men by not being able to tap its resources from within and the possibility of exploring other prospects even outside the country. That poverty, with its usual suspects of food, shelter and clothing, was just an extended remark. The issue remains unseen. It is hidden beneath the recesses of its ability to enhance its already ingrained possession and the promise of a better life. The problem of poverty could have been prevented if only a concerted effort, or better still, a collective will, is imposed to contain if not end this atrophy, this lack of vigilance towards alleviating poverty in every household, which has gone prevalent in the region.
How much more in choosing the right kind of food on your table, that is something even our health department is incapable of providing at some point. Its malnutrition rate of 49.25% is still keeping tabs with that of its poverty ratio. Developments, whether infrastructure or economic, are somewhat slow in terms of implementation, as exemplified by a number of impassable roads on its barangays and a host of failed businesses over the past two decades. Poverty is in the air, and clouding over the entire Caraga landscape. It is a situation whereby people are incapable of choosing the best possible option (food included) because even their will is suffering from a dearth of choices. I hate to say this, but this problem has gone political in its tirade. It is an issue that could have been prevented, but most of us choose not to dignify it for fear that our suggestions might not be enough.
We have heard this line over and over again, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I have reasons to suspect that this actually exemplifies the situation in Caraga more than anything else. This is the expression why this region remains at the forefront of that negative billing of “one of the poorest” in the country. It is the people not poverty itself that is causing a lot of bad press for this region as far as that list is concerned. Personally, I tried many times to confront this kind of “culture”, but the receptions I got only strengthens my belief that almost always it’s a losing battle. That it would be a waste of time to fight through it, and that to avoid any complications, it would be better to leave the issue alone.
So poverty will be with us (until the end of time?). Maybe the circumstances are telling me that this is an issue definitely worth keeping, I mean literally worth keeping. Maybe the negative billing, after all, works at an advantage to our legislators and public notaries so that the government could lend their support, as always, for the very reason that we are among the poorest in the nation. And although poverty has become a concern in the region, over the years though it has evolved into something else, a palatable cuisine whereby anybody could feast on it for the benefit of a (select) few. It is a kind of strategy, a political ploy perhaps, that as long as there are poor, uncomplaining folks around, this poverty issue is as good as it gets. And that if they could pay you come election time, your (free) lunch is already taken care of. So what's cooking?
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