An Undisputed Social Issue in The Philippines Essay Example for Free

An Undisputed Social Issue in The Philippines Essay Poverty is a state of being poor, indigence, lack of material things and finances. Poverty puts people into the lowest level in a society. Poor people, most of the time, are neglected by the government, shunned by the society and not given enough opportunities to prosper. They live in a filthy environment, living among a community of criminals. We can enumerate countless of unpleasant words to define the effect of poverty, and there are countless of reasons and causes for these. Poverty remains the central development issue in the Philippines and, despite the ambitious development goals laid out by the government, the country has not been able to sustain the economic growth required to reduce poverty to acceptable levels. Why Poverty Remains a Social Issue in the Philippines First, there is a fundamental disconnect between Filipino elites and the poor. The political leadership in the Philippines has always been drawn from those elites, and those politicians have traditionally played the role of patrons and benefactors, relying on the pork barrel and personal/family funds (often acquired through corruption) to essentially buy votes. â€Å"The core principle of democracy that representatives should be drawn from those they represent and advocate for the true interests of their constituents has not been operative† (Abueva, 1964). Philippine Presidents in particular have been drawn from the ranks of the wealthy and privileged. How can they relate to what it means to be poor or hungry? Even if their hearts in the right place (which is not all that common), well-photographed visits to squatter settlements are not the answer. Second, the Philippines system is exceedingly politicized. President Arroyo herself is already focused on the 2004 presidential elections. In a sense, you cant blame GMA. Her predecessor, Erap, had a built-in constituency among the masa. But President Arroyo must create such a base, given that she is the daughter of a previous President and has virtually nothing in common with the poor people of her country. Look more:  problems of scarcity essay She has worked hard to develop support among the common folk, dressed in jeans with regularity, and sung on stage with popular recording artists. She has also latched onto fighting poverty as a key policy emphasis. In her State-of-the-Nation (SONA) address on July 22nd, she emphasized the so-called rolling stores trucks loaded with subsidized rice, rice, sugar, and canned meat that ply the streets of Manila as a sterling example of her administrations anti-poverty programs. The only problem was that her remarks had knowledgeable economists practically rolling in the aisles, given that few poor people ever get access to the trucks and only 5% of the nations poor live in Metro Manila. But real poverty alleviation programs where they are most needed say in rural Mindanao would lack the publicity opportunities of the rolling stores on Manila streets. Additionally, several other studies list down the primary causes of poverty in the Philippines in terms of economic state: 1. The basic economic problem in the Philippines is inefficient and very low incomes. 2. The finances of the Government had become steadily worse and were not critical, The Treasury had a large and mounting deficit with taxes covering little more than 60% of the expenditures. 3. The country had an excessive volume of imports. In the meantime, the volume of exports was less than before the war an d could be expected to grow only gradually. 4. There had been inequalities in the level of income of people. While the standard of living of a great segment of the population remained below that of the pre-war level, the profits of businessmen and large landowners had risen considerably. Under the circumstances, the continued rise in the prices of commodities tended to transfer real income from the poor to the wealthy and; 5. The inefficiency and corruption in the government led the people to lose their faith and confidence in the ability of the government â€Å"to protect the interest of all the people. † The result was demoralization of the people. According to history, â€Å"the destruction of the national economy as a result of the war posed serious problems of subsistence and of peace and order† (Agoncillo, 1990). In such circumstances the leaders if the nation could only rely on the United States for financial and other material aid. The hundreds of millions of dollars given t the Philippines by the United States in the form of cash and surplus properties were used to rehabilitate agriculture, commerce, trade and industry. Some of it, however, went to the pockets of dishonest officials. There were marked increases in the gross national output and income, but the cost of living, as a whole, continues to soar or, at least, to remain static on the basis of the immediate post-liberation years. At the same time, labor grew and continues to grow, demanding increases in wages and better living conditions. The total picture of the national economy has improved, but the improvements are not sufficient to bring down cost of living, which has remained one of the highest in the world. Agricultural production – The destruction caused by the last war told heavily on the productive capacity of the people and their standard of living (Agoncillo, 1990). With financial help from the United States, however, the government, in the first ten years of the Republic, had succeeded in at least partially solving the minor economic problems. Thus, for instance, crop production from 1946 and 1956 increased from 3, 507, 200 metric tons to almost double the amount of 6, 274, 900 metric tons. This increased production was the upshot of the expanded area planted to food crops and the application of improved means of increasing the yield per hectare, such as the use of fertilizer, irrigation, the use of better seeds, and the effective use of chemicals against plant pests and diseases. Production of export crops also increased tremendously from 315, 000 metric tons in 1956, with copra and sugar leading all export crops. Other exports like abaca, tobacco and their by-products have not so far completely recovered from the effects of the last war (Martin, 1999). However, some are blamed upon the things done by irresponsible individuals from high to low profile individuals such as population growth – some Filipinos believe that it is natural for every married woman to bear a child in their wombs because they are with their husbands (Friedman et al. , 1977). And this are very wrong beliefs since if you will be reasonable enough, you will realize that having a child is always together with great responsibility that has no end. And that you will realize that having more and more children will cause great scarcity in your family such as you would not be able to send your children to school and you would not be able to provide enough foods so that you children will be healthy and do good in school. Population growth is also the reason for a number of malnourish children in the Philippines. Unemployment is also a very common cause of poverty in the Philippines since there are several Filipinos who are unemployed plus the fact that there are many companies that are affected of the global economic crisis. And the least thing that you can do about unemployment is to find a best way on generating money like you can accept laundry services, plumbing services, or electrical repair services if you are skilled enough to do the job. Then, you could start a certain profitable business like food house or a small store that does not require you much capital so that you will not find it hard to save enough money from the services that you are offering. Governance concern is still deemed as one of the main reasons of poverty in the Philippines because of the activities of the corrupt government officials. They are using the money of the people to achieve the power and authority that they wanted to have and once they have it they will automatically take advantage of their power to the point that they will neglect the yoke of the people and set aside their promises when they are just campaigning and try to convince the people to vote for them. Agricultural problems also pose as the natural cause of the poverty in the Philippines because of the wrong activities of people. They ruin the treasure of the nature for their own sake without any idea that the nature they are destroying is the main source of almost all the products that exist in this world. Some of the examples of destroying the nature are the irresponsible disposal of wastes and trash, dynamite fishing, illegal logging and more. Another cause is said to be disability – this is also one of the possible causes of poverty in the Philippines since more and more people nowadays become disabled because of several illnesses and diseases that arise like AH1N1 virus, SARS, dengue, and more. Disability may be also caused by uncontrolled population growth, for instance, you have ten kids in the house, and can you imagine attending to their needs everyday? Well, definitely not so the tendency is that they are prone to accidents that will cause them to be disabled since they are at very young age that are typically playful. Starvation has also been one of the primary effects of poverty in the Philippines. Eating is necessary for us to survive. As humans we need to eat three times a day or more. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford this kind of living. Many people, children and families in this world, suffer from hunger due to lack of finances for their everyday needs. Based on the record of UNICEF, more than half of the children all over the world are malnourished. Most of them came from countries that are less abundant. Apparently, research shows that education has also been a problem in the Philippines. It is not prioritized by the government because only the privileged can have access to basic education in the sense that most of the children in the Philippines could not afford the needs of a student such as food, clothing, school materials and even fares used for transportation. There are also schools which offer free education like the government schools and private schools which accept scholarships, but still, lack in financial support is their main dilemma. These are just some of the reasons why most of the students from different levels take education for granted. Instead of going to school, they spent their time working in order to help their families make a living. The masses have multiplied extremely. Increase in opportunities for employment has not yet overcome the rapid increase in population, resulting in the multiplication of the number of jobless proletariat. When one considers that a large number of school children become â€Å"school orphans† that is, they leave school before or after finishing Grade IV, and that they eventually become peasants or laborers, one ceases to wonder why the base of the triangular structure of society has widened considerably. The strong contrast between the upper classes and the lower classes is that the former are earning more and more and the latter less and less. In other words, the distribution of wealth is one-sided as to make society top heavy. In the countrys present situation, the economy of the Philippines is struggling. The government has a huge debt from the World Bank and those money which the government borrowed where not used in projects which could alleviate poverty but were where lost to corruption. Thats why many Filipinos blame the government for the slow progression of our country. The Philippines was even given a tag as one of the most corrupt countries in Asia. Many people also blame the government because regardless of scarcity that all of us are experiencing, the government still manages to increase the prices of the merchandise in the markets. Conclusion True anti-poverty programs take a long time to bear fruit, and the politically-driven nature of Philippine government sector programs almost ensures that the emphasis will continue to be on quick fixes or interventions that provide high visibility and political payoffs (Warner Harris). This is unfortunate given the seriousness of the situation and the implications for the country if concerted action is not taken. Poverty and malnutrition are already at alarming levels in this country, and the countrys too-rapid population growth is magnifying the strain on limited budgetary resources. The rapidly growing population is jeopardizing the quality of basic social services, contributing to the ongoing decline in quality of basic education, and limiting access to health care (especially primary health care, reproductive health/family planning, immunization, and feeding programs). Achieving any significant reduction in poverty will require rapid economic growth, growth of a magnitude not seen in recent years. Further, addressing issues of inequality will require significant investments in human capital, especially in improving the quantity and quality of primary education. The result of such unbalanced development of society is discontent and grave social problems such as poverty. The extreme poverty has given rise to starvation in some communities an to criminality, The unequal distribution of material possessions, in which the rich wlallow in wealth and the poor in filth is one of the reasons for the rise in criminality. Poverty has alos given rise to a new class known as squatters. References Abueva, J. V. Bridging the Gap Between the Elite and the People in the Philippines, Philippine Journal of Public Administration, October 1964, pp. 325-347; Agoncillo, T. V. (1990). History of the Filipino People Eighth Edition. (pp. 503-512. ) Quezon City: Garotech Publishing. Faith, R. (1996). Poverty, A History Of. Journal of Rural Studies, 12(2), 212-214. Friedmann, B. , Coy R. , Wilson, L. (1977). Emergences: Gender struggles for livelihood in Latin America. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center Publications, University of California. Martin, A. A. (1999) Philippine Land Reform: Perpetuating US Colonial Policy. Philippine Studies, Volume 47, Second Quarter 1999; Warner, J. , Harris, R. (n. d. ). Problems with poverty in third world countries. In M. B. Duran (Ed. ), Poverty and identity: studies in self and culture (pp. 39-58). Amsterdam: Daryl Benjamins Publishing Company.

The Life Of The Dali Lama Essay -- essays research papers

The Dalai Lama's biography His Holiness the 14th the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He was born Lhamo Dhondrub on 6 July 1935, in a small village called Taktser in northeastern Tibet. Born to a peasant family, His Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama, and thus an incarnation Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion. The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva (Buddha) of Compassion, who chose to reincarnate to serve the people. Lhamo Dhondrub was, as Dalai Lama, renamed Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso - Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom. Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Yeshe Norbu, the Wishfulfilling Gem or simply Kundun - The Presence. The enthronement ceremony took place on February 22, 1940 in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Education in Tibet He began his education at the age of six and completed the Geshe Lharampa Degree (Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy) when he was 25 in 1959. At 24, he took the preliminary examinations at each of the three monastic universities: Drepung, Sera and Ganden. The final examination was conducted in the Jokhang, Lhasa during the annual Monlam Festival of Prayer, held in the first month of every year Tibetan calendar. Leadership Responsibilities On November 17, 1950, His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power (head of the State and Government) after some 80,000 Peoples Liberation Army soldiers invaded Tibet. In 1954, he went to Beijing to talk peace with Mao Tse-tung and other Chinese leaders, including Chou En-lai and Deng Xiaoping. In 1956, while visiting India to attend the 2500th Buddha Jayanti Anniversary, he had a series of meetings with Prime Minister Nehru and Premier Chou about deteriorating conditions in Tibet. His efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to Sino-Tibetan conflict were thwarted by Bejing's ruthless policy in Eastern Tibet, which ignited a popular uprising and resistance. This resistance movement spread to other parts of the country. On 10 March 1959 the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, exploded with the largest demonstration in Tibetan history, calling on China to leave Tibet and reaffirming Tibet's ... ...his year. But I do not believe the demonstrations were in vain, because the spirit of freedom was rekindled among the Chinese people and China cannot escape the impact of this spirit of freedom sweeping in many parts of the world. The brave students and their supporters showed the Chinese leadership and the world the human face of that great nations." A Simple Buddhist monk His Holiness often says, "I am just a simple Buddhist monk - no more, nor less." His Holiness follows the life of Buddhist monk. Living in a small cottage in Dharamsala, he rises at 4 A.M. to meditate, pursues an ongoing schedule of administrative meetings, private audiences and religious teachings and ceremonies. He concludes each day with further prayer before retiring. In explaining his greatest sources of inspiration, he often cites a favorite verse, found in the writings of the renowned eighth century Buddhist saint Shantideva: For as long as space endures And for as long as living beings remain, Until then may I too abide To dispel the misery of the world. For as long as space endures And for as long as living beings remain, Until then may I too abide To dispel the misery of the world.

Arnolfini Wedding Portrai

In 1434, Flemish artist Jan van Eyck painted, signed, and dated his piece, the â€Å"Arnolfini Wedding Portrait. † This painting is believed to be of Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolflnl, an Italian merchant, and his wife Giovanna Cenaml and Is thought to stand as documentation of their marriage. While It may seem Ilke a simple dual-portrait, there are many subtle symbols Incorporated In the scene that enhance the portrayal of this couple. use of symbolism within the painting explains Its purpose, shows what this Renaissance couple values, displays social norms of the era, and relates to universal ymbols and basic human nature.The artwork hints towards its purpose through intricate symbolic meaning to be found within the details of the scene. A quite plausible interpretation of the painting is that it is an image of a wedding ceremony and it serves as verification of said marriage. In fifteenth century Flanders, marriages could easily have taken place in private locations, instead of in a church with an elaborate ceremony, and van Eycks signature on the painting is more than his name, it reads â€Å"Jan van Eyck was present† with the date of the painting, which indicates he ook the extra step to ensure that his presence was known.The eloquent handwriting of the signature, usually seen on formal documents, In addltlon to the fact that there Is an unnamed man accompanying van Eyck In the mirror's reflection whom Is likely the other, more official witness to this marriage which further proves this interpretation. Secondly, in the bottom left corner is a pair of shoes that have been slipped off, probably out of respect for being in a holy place or in the presence of a holy event, such as a wedding ceremony.Furthermore, the companion dog was not n there by accident, but instead represents faithfulness, fidelity, and love which are 3 immensely important qualities of a successful marriage. Lastly, on the intricate chandelier there burns only one solitary candle. A single flame burning in bright daylight symbolizes a bridal or possibly a devotional candle, a part of marriage ceremonies. The artist used symbols in the painting to subtly explain the purpose of the portrait, Just as other parts of this piece of artwork reflect the general era of the Renaissance.The style of the art and the way this painting was created embodies arts of the artlstlc Renaissance In Europe. Renaissance usually refers to the renewed interest in the classical arts and culture that sprouted from Italy. However, the Northern Renaissance (which van Eyck was a part of) was characterized by people's interest in observing the nature of our world and humans fit within that world. Northern artists had more focus on detail and this is very evident in van Eyck's painting. There is intense detail in this picture, from the scruff of the dog's fur to the flame of the candle.Another characteristic of the Northern Renaissance art was that there was emphasis on religious intensity . Within this painting, there are several religious symbols such as; the removed shoes (representing sanctity), the crystal prayer beads on the wall, and the Image of Saint Margaret (protector of women In childbirth) carved Into a high back chair near the bedside. These things skillfully represent the piety of the couple and Incorporate religious undertones Into a simple portrait. This portrait also contains details that allude to the fifteenth century ideas concerning marriage.Just the placement of the two figures within the room says sometnlng aoout tne value 0T gender roles aurlng tnls era. I ne woman, positioned slightly further into the room, towards the bed, symbolizes her role as a caretaker of the household. Ideas of women's rights during the this time were that the wives should support their husbands, while still living domestic, demure, stay-at- home lives. With the placement of Giovanni near an open window, the painting represents how a man's duties are outside the home, working and living with more freedom than women were allowed.Even their hand position gives information on their relationship. His hand being raised vertically represents a commanding position f authority, whilst she has her hand in a lower, horizontal pose which shows her as more submissive. However, the wife looks directly towards her husband, rather than down at the floor as lower class women would have. In the court life system that they are a part of, she is his equal, not his subordinate, and she displays it with her confident gaze. The man looks directly out at the viewer, stoic and calm, displaying his control.As a wealthy merchant, Arnolflni had the ability to have symbols of his wealth placed within the portrait; this allows people to understand the attitude of the ealthy and the part of the economic state during the Renaissance. Placed under the window is an orange which, without context, could mean nothing at all. However, fruit was expensive at this time and oranges wer e especially uncommon in the Netherlands, the setting of this portrait. The orange was likely placed there to be a symbol of this couple's wealth.Furthermore, the small dog, while also representing loyalty and faithfulness, is also an extremely rare breed of dog. It must have cost a fair amount for them to purchase that dog and placing it in their painting is practically showing it off. In addition, both people are dressed lavishly, even though the painting was done during the summer time, as indicated by cherry fruit on the tree outside. Despite the season both of their outer garments, Giovanni's thick tabard and his wife's a long flowing dress, are trimmed and fully lined with expensive furs.Having commissioned art in general displays a great amount of wealth. Here, they have taken things a step further by donning their most regal outfits and placing other symbols of their wealth and status within their portrait to enhance it further. The attitude of this merchant is really to dis play as much of his money as he possibly ould because your economic security at this time affected your social standing. The idea that money is a sense of power, and that displaying your wealth is important to your social standing is still present in modern society.The size of your house, what car you drive, what clothes you wear, what devices you own are the things people will base your social status upon. A celebrity with millions of dollars and a beautiful mansion can be Just as idolized as a strong political leader or national hero and people with spend their money however they need to in order to gain social standing. Another ideology is the social norm of growing up, getting married, and starting a family.Symbols within the painting representing loyalty, faithfulness, and most of all hope for fertility, show the couple's intent on staying together and having children. Most children grow up to believe that the socially acceptable thing to do is find someone you love and start a family. Even though it is perfectly accepted in todays society for a woman to remained unmarried, it is almost expected for people to want to have a family. One could argue that it is human nature for people to want to be married.Instinctively, humans' main goal is to survive and thrive, and in order for tnat to nappen It Is Key tnat people reproduce. It Is commonly Dellevea you snou10 D married before you have children so, logically; it is a part of human nature to want to have a successful marriage and for the woman to be fertile. The â€Å"Arnolflni Wedding Portrait† is a complicated and insightful piece of artwork that allows for people to observe details of the Renaissance era as well as discover parallels between that time and ours. Jan van Eyck effectively uses symbolism to tell a story about the couple without a single word.

Who Are the Native Americans

Ask most people who they think Native Americans are and they will most likely say something like they are people who are American Indians. But who are American Indians, and how is that determination made? These are questions with no simple or easy answers and the source of ongoing conflict in Native American communities, as well as in the halls of Congress and other American governmental institutions. The Definition of Indigenous Dictionary.com defines indigenous as: Originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country; native. It pertains to plants, animals, and people. A person (or animal or plant) can be born in a region or country, but not be indigenous to it if their ancestors did not originate there. The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues refers to indigenous peoples as people who: Self-identify as indigenous at the individual level and are accepted by the community as their member.Have historical continuity with pre-colonial or pre-settler societiesHave a strong link to territories and surrounding natural resourcesExhibit distinct social, economic or political systemsHave a distinct language, culture, and beliefsForm non-dominant groups of societyResolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities. The term indigenous is often referred to in an international and political sense, but more and more Native American people are adopting the term to describe their native-ness, sometimes called their indigeneity. While the United Nations recognizes self-identify as one marker of indigeneity, in the United States self-identify alone is not enough to be considered Native American for official political recognition. Federal Recognition When the first European settlers came to the shores of what Indians called Turtle Island there were thousands of tribes and bands of indigenous peoples. Their numbers were dramatically reduced due to foreign diseases, wars and other policies of the United States government; many of them that remained formed official relationships with the U.S. through treaties and other mechanisms. Others continued to exist, but the U.S. refused to recognize them. Today the United States unilaterally decides who (what tribes) it forms official relationships with through the process of federal recognition. There are currently approximately 566 federally recognized tribes; there are some tribes who have state recognition but no federal recognition, and at any given time there are hundreds of tribes still vying for federal recognition. Tribal Membership Federal law affirms that tribes have the authority to determine their membership. They can use whatever means they like to decide who to grant membership to. According to Native scholar Eva Marie Garroutte in her book Real Indians: Identity and the Survival of Native America, approximately two-thirds of tribes rely on the blood quantum system which determines belonging based on the concept of race by measuring how close one is to a full-blood Indian ancestor. For example, many have a minimum requirement of  ¼ or  ½ degree of Indian blood for tribal membership. Other tribes rely on a system of proof of lineal descent. Increasingly the blood quantum system is criticized as being an inadequate and problematic way of determining tribal membership (and thus Indian identity). Because Indians out-marry more than any other group of Americans, the determination of who is Indian based on racial standards will result in what some scholars call statistical genocide. They argue that being Indian is about more than racial measurements; it is more about identity-based on kinship systems and cultural competence. They also argue that blood quantum was a system imposed on them by the American government and not a method indigenous peoples themselves used to determine belonging so abandoning blood quantum would represent a return to traditional ways of inclusion. Even with tribes ability to determine their membership, determining who is legally defined as American Indian is still not clear cut. Garroutte notes that there are no less than 33 different legal definitions. This means that a person can be defined as Indian for one purpose but not another. Native Hawaiians In the legal sense, people of Native Hawaiian descent are not considered Native Americans in the way that American Indians are, but they are nonetheless indigenous peoples in the United States (their name for themselves is Kanaka Maoli). The illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 has left in its wake considerable conflict among the Native Hawaiian population, and the Hawaiian sovereignty movement which began in the 1970s is less than cohesive in terms of what it considers the best approach to justice. The Akaka Bill (which has experienced several incarnations in Congress for over 10 years) proposes to give Native Hawaiians the same standing as Native Americans, effectively turning them into American Indians in a legal sense by subjecting them to the same system of law that Native Americans are. However, Native Hawaiian scholars and activists argue that this is an inappropriate approach for Native Hawaiians because their histories differ significantly from American Indians. They also argue that the bill failed to consult Native Hawaiians about their wishes adequately.