By Marjorie Gorospe, loQal.ph
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA- Many Filipinos in rural areas are still jobless, poor, hungry and vulnerable, according to a report from the Social Watch Philippines (SWP).
The SWP report also noted that ten years after the historic Millennium Summit where world leaders vowed to end extreme poverty by 2015, many Filipinos are still “left behind.”
These are mostly women in rural areas, Muslims in Mindanao, and members of indigenous tribes.
According to United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to the Philippines Dr. Jacqueline Badcock, there are nine sectors in the country that have been left behind despite reported economic growth.
“With only five years remaining, we are shifting our focus to strategies that will allow us to breakthrough and accelerate the pace of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) achievement,” said Badcock in a forum, calling on Congress to “combat poverty head on”.
The official said women in rural areas remain at risk. These women continue to struggle because of the lack of capital, insufficient income, and absence of alternative or sustainable sources of livelihood.
She also cited the growing number of Filipinos between the ages of 15 and 24 who are forced quit school to work and help support their parents and young siblings.
Aside from women and out-of-school youths, small-scale fisherfolk and resource dependent workers also remain left behind.
Displaced Muslims are also becoming vulnerable as they struggle to have basic needs such as decent homes. These groups also lack capital to start a new livelihood, and do not have access to education and health services.
These groups are also vulnerable to the persistent threat of an armed conflict.
The rising number of Filipinos with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) should also be addressed. AIDS cases in the country have reached 5,729 as reported from 1984 to October 2010.
