Let’s unite to arrest these now

THE spotlight has recently been on the arrest (and talk of more arrests) of certain personalities. The saga has prompted media, social media and public interest such as television series to expect more plot twists. As difficult as they were, victory is celebrated when these accused of crimes are brought to justice. However, these stories are a distraction to a society whose many problems are more pressing and important.

We need to look at a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach that goes beyond the campaign slogan to solve these prevailing and pressing problems.

The arrest of these people must be carried out immediately. Evidence is provided against these imminent threats to our country and our people.

Millions of people are poor and hungry

The official poverty statistics for the full year 2023 showed that the poverty incidence among the population decreased significantly to 15.5 percent (18.1 percent in 2021). This represents a decrease of 2.45 million Filipinos living in poverty.

In addition, the number of families living in food poverty fell to 740,000 in 2023 (from 1.04 million families in 2021). This is a decrease of 300,000 families, or 1.71 million people.

But according to the Social Weather Stations, the number of Filipino families facing “involuntary hunger” (having nothing to eat) rose to 14.2 percent in the first quarter of 2024, up 3.5 percent from the same period last year.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, there is “currently no reason to suspect that a food (shortage) crisis is imminent” in the Philippines. The biggest concern is affordability.

Households spend more than half of their monthly income on food due to high food inflation of 6.7 percent. National averages mask regional differences in hunger and poverty levels that persist in remote islands and mountains (Murugesu), citing parts of the central and southern Philippines as having hunger levels three to four times higher than regions with the lowest levels.

The Philippines has the largest food trade deficit in Southeast Asia (Trinh Nguyen). Beltran concludes in New Humanitarian.org that “farmers are poorer than ever.”

Dying of hunger

The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, has said that 95 children in the Philippines die every day from malnutrition. Twenty-seven out of every 1,000 Filipino children do not reach their fifth birthday, and a third of Filipino children are stunted or small for their age.

Stunted growth in early life—particularly in the first 1,000 days from conception to age two—has adverse functional consequences for the child. These consequences include poor cognition and learning performance, low wages, loss of productivity, and, when associated with excessive weight gain in later childhood, increased risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adulthood.

There is hope in Republic Act 11148, also known as the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, which aims to scale up nutrition intervention programs in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life (from conception) and allocate resources in a sustainable manner to improve nutritional status and address malnutrition among infants and young children from zero to two years of age, among others.

Unemployment and underemployment

In the Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the unemployment rate in the Philippines fell to 3.1 percent in June 2024 (from 4.5 percent in 2023) — the lowest level since December last year. The number of unemployed persons fell to 1.62 million (from 2.33 million in June 2023 and 2.11 in May 2024).

That is equivalent to 1.62 million Filipinos.

Don’t change for climate change

The Philippines ranked 168th out of 180 countries in the 2024 edition of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy’s biennial Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Countries are ranked based on their progress in mitigating climate change, improving environmental health, protecting ecosystem vitality, and achieving established environmental policy goals.

The country achieved an overall EPI score of 32 out of 100, the fifth lowest in the region and lower than the median EPI score of 41.8 for the Asia-Pacific region.

Still Violent Against Gender

The Philippines, one of the most gender-equal countries in the Western Pacific, still lags behind: one in four Filipino women has experienced gender-based violence and 41 percent of victims do not seek help.

According to the PSA’s 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, 17.5 percent of Filipino women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced some form of physical, sexual, and emotional violence from their intimate partners. There were 8,399 reported cases of physical violence, 1,791 cases of rape, and 1,505 cases of indecent assault (2021). Alarmingly, despite addressing the concerns, violence against women persists.

In September 2023, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center reported that the Philippines ranked second globally in online child sexual abuse and exploitation. From January to December 2023, the Foundation for Media Alternatives mapped a total of 56 cases of online gender-based violence (GBV) and determined the most common forms and manifestations of GBV: non-consensual production and/or distribution of intimate images or videos (41.7 percent); threats of violence and/or blackmail (22.2 percent); and cyberpornography or cyberprostitution (14.8 percent). The victim-survivors in the mapped cases are all women and girls, the majority of whom are under the age of 18 (53.1 percent).

These numbers do not provide a complete picture of OGBV cases in the Philippines, as many stories often go unreported due to a persistent culture of victim blaming and misogyny in general. This can quickly trivialize the victim’s experience and shame them for talking about it.

Corruption that corrupts

Among Southeast Asian countries, Singapore was followed by Malaysia in 57th place (scoring 50), East Timor in 70th place (43), Vietnam in 83rd place (41), Thailand in 108th place (35), Indonesia and the Philippines in 115th place (34), Laos in 136th place (28), Cambodia in 158th place (22) and Myanmar in 162nd place (20) (Transparency International, 2024).

Need I say more? Our experience is our best proof.

Live to die

The three leading causes of death in the country were ischemic heart disease, neoplasms, and cerebrovascular diseases (January to September 2023). Ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death (85,192 cases, or 19.0 percent of total deaths). Cancer (neoplasms) came second with 47,425 deaths (10.6 percent share). Cerebrovascular diseases were the third leading cause of death, accounting for 45,522 recorded cases (10.1 percent share).

Noncommunicable diseases are responsible for 35 percent of morbidity, disability and premature mortality in the Philippines, with more than 9 million people dying before the age of 60 (WHO, 2021).

Also, the 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines Special Initiative on Mental Health showed that ≥3.6 million Filipinos suffer from at least one form of mental, neurological, or substance use disorder (Department of Health, 2020).

The learning crisis is real

The Second Congressional Commission on Education presents its first-year report, titled “Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education.” The multi-sectoral commission affirms the 2022 PISA results, which show the Philippines ranked third from bottom in science with an average score of 356 (357 in 2018), sixth from bottom in mathematics with an average score of 355 (350 in 2018), and sixth from bottom in reading with an average score of 347 (340 in 2018).

The Philippines scored significantly lower than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average on creative thinking (average score of 14 out of 60 possible points).

Most disaster prone

The 2023 World Risk Index ranked the Philippines as the world’s most disaster-prone country, followed by Indonesia and India. The Philippines is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is highly susceptible to seismic and volcanic risks. The country also experiences the world record number of typhoon events every year.

In 2023, only 100 deaths from disasters were reported, which is an achievement compared to the 458 deaths in 2022.

Recently, the death toll in Enteng has risen to 16, while 11 injured and 17 missing have been reported (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council).

Devalued values

Benitez (2022) interviewed scholars in the fields of social sciences and philosophy and the youth leaders in the Philippines and identified the following problems: Filipino identity, distortion and dysfunctionality, frequent ambivalence, dissonance, false justification and abuse, cynicism and decline in moral courage. Analyzed based on Hans Kelsen’s concept of validity and efficacy, the problems turn out to be radical, as the supposed Filipino value system is in fact a chaotic constellation of competing and conflicting precolonial, colonial and postcolonial normative paradigms. Distorted, ambivalent and dysfunctional Filipino values ​​and norms do not provide effective normative guidelines. The proposed antidote of moral and values ​​education is doomed to be futile in the face of a severely distorted social conscience, he concludes.

We must address, confront and end these issues together.