While the numbers do not lie and indicate that there is a relative improvement in the economic circumstances of the region’s locals—poverty is decreasing and the economy is healing—we still cannot allow it to forestall continued progress.
Poverty has gone down a few percentage points in our region, but ask yourself, or anyone you know—has it gone down enough to be tangible, or does it only seem like the forestalling of the worst, a stability and not an improvement?
For all the objective good of a decrease in poverty, it is not enough of a decrease that we can perceive a widespread improvement of living conditions. While more people live above the poverty line, it does not change the fact that the cost of living is high and continues to climb, especially here in gentrifying Baguio.
The minimum wage remains fairly low regionwide, for those fortunate enough to make at least that much, and the poverty average does not account for individual outliers. Certain provinces in the region reported as high as a 30-odd percentage poverty by population, and a crucial, missing statistic in these reports is what percentage of the population are above the poverty line by a factor of “not much.”
The lower middle class, those among us who are able to survive but with limited prospects and savings, with little upward mobility, and everyone who can meet their needs but not by a comfortable margin; economic struggle takes more forms than living hand-to-mouth survival.
Studies have shown many facets of this struggle, from the figures of seven out of 10 individuals in the Philippines having some form of financial or debt-related problem, to the recent figure of P130,000 per month being the “cost of happiness,” to the poverty threshold of nearly P14,000 monthly being significantly higher than a regular minimum wage job.
So while it may be worth a bit of celebration to acknowledge the decrease in poverty in the region, it is important to note that we are fighting for fractions of a percentage point worth of progress as the economy at large remains at a constant threat of worsening with every administration, every policy change.
As with any progress, the key when making any of it is to not stop walking at each tiny milestone. It is a long and difficult road, but one that must constantly be walked all the way.
