i think there is a real and urgent need to instill in us, filipinos, the problem of how to alleviate poverty. and that time is ... NOW!
poverty is not just a state of economic helplessness. this also means you are helpless against the politicians, except during the election period.
but the ordinary pinoy can try to inch his way out of the mires of poverty.  there are so many examples around us. but most of us refuse to see most of the time. with some great difficulty --- blood, sweat, tears, and other bodily fluids --- have oozed out of our parents just to see us through school. with ease, we while our time away with barkada, which mostly set the trend of how our future should be.  some yielded, some persevered.  those who yielded ended up in early, mostly forced, marriages. and before they know it, they have sunk deeper into misery, of helplessness. many end up as failed marriages and broken children.  some of those who persevered also shed their own.  however, since they know the meaning of sacrifice, they willingly accept ridicule and humiliation and have now landed as successful professionals.  some even ended up as distinguished in their fields of specialization.
this is not just an economic story. this is also a political story. when we decided to do something about changing our future, we have changed our political and economic life.