Poverty In The Philippines

[fred]

I have been working in the Philippines for well over 6 years, during that time I have held many interviews for employees at our facility in Clark. Because of this I think I have a different perspective on "poverty".

Time and time again I hear how "life is so hard in the Philippines", "I can't get a job because I didn't finish high school", to be honest a lot of this is an excuse for nothing more than laziness. Don't get me wrong, some people live in deplorable conditions that I wouldn't wish on a dog, however it's the willingness of people to try and work themselves out of poverty that is lacking in many cases.

If it is so hard to find work in the Philippines why is it every time I hold interviews, half the applicants don't even bother to show up, or even inform you they won't be attending? Surely if it were that hard to find a job I would have applicants lining up down the street, this is not the case.

I'm not even talking about jobs that require a high standard of education, I'm talking about jobs packing boxes. The easiest of jobs. Yet still people fail to even bother turning up.

Another major factor is the "Utang culture". Most (not all) Filipinos by their nature are not outgoing, they do not like doing things by themselves and they are not responsible. This is due to the upbringing many experience. If you speak to any Filipino they will stress to you how important family is to them, it's the number one priority in their life. This by itself is an admirable quality, however the Filipino version of "family" for many is anything but admirable.

From the moment some (again not all) Filipino children are born, they are born into a life of servitude. This is because the reason for having children in the Philippines for most families is not because you want to be a parent and enjoy the experience of parenting and raising a family, the reason is because they want someone to look after them when they are old. In short, your life is to provide for them as soon as you reach the age you can work.

They will send children to school (in some cases not), pay for college and make they get the best start in life the Philippines has to offer. This is not for the child's benefit though, it is for theirs. The moment they are done with studying and they land a job, they are expected to hand over 90-100% of the pay they earn to the parents. This is because the child "owes" them. A debt that can never be fully settled, for as long as the parent is alive the debt will exist and need to be paid. This is Utang.

Until individuals can stand on their own two feet without the need to constantly support others who are too lazy, old, or just plain stubborn not to work the country will never progress.

It's a harsh truth I'm afraid.

-Dan.

Good post!
Utang na loob is a very tricky topic about Filipino psychology that most foreigners can never seem to come too grips with.. (Including me)
There are many topics within this very forum that clearly show the effect it can have on FIL-Brit marriages.
I called an Aussie friend in Manila that runs a call center there to recommend my nephew who lost his job in Makati 6 months ago.. I thought long and hard before doing so as I know where these things can lead..
He told me to send him in and he would skip the requirement process and give him the job with a starting pay of 25K per month..
My nephew didn't show up..
Say no more!! I can feel the rage and embarrassment welling up from when I had to call up my mate and apologize!!
Last time I will ever try to help any of them again.

[nitrox]

Good post!
Utang na loob is a very tricky topic about Filipino psychology that most foreigners can never seem to come too grips with.. (Including me)
There are many topics within this very forum that clearly show the effect it can have on FIL-Brit marriages.
I called an Aussie friend in Manila that runs a call center there to recommend my nephew who lost his job in Makati 6 months ago.. I thought long and hard before doing so as I know where these things can lead..
He told me to send him in and he would skip the requirement process and give him the job with a starting pay of 25K per month..
My nephew didn't show up..
Say no more!! I can feel the rage and embarrassment welling up from when I had to call up my mate and apologize!!
Last time I will ever try to help any of them again.

Absolutely!

And let's be honest 25k a month is not bad wages compared to a lot of Filipino earnings, yet despite this he still couldn't show up. Unbelievable. The sad truth is if they have family members who are supporting them they will never go out and earn money for themselves, that's too much like hard work.

Note: When I say "they" I am not referring to all Filipinos, just a certain type (you know the type I mean).

It's very easy for people to point the fingers at the Philippine government and say "you should be doing a better job" but you have to look at who they vote into power in the first place. When people vote for actors, sports stars, and convicted criminals to be congressmen and presidential candidates what do they honestly expect from the government? When people sell their vote for a few hundred pesos (I've seen this done first hand when a local mayor tried to buy my wife's families vote) what do they expect?

At the end of the day to a large degree people get the government they deserve. They voted for them, that's what you get.

There are of course a few politicians here who I think do want to make a difference, but when they are the drastic minority they are never going to make an effective difference.

-Dan.

[Jentobeharrison]

I didn't finish my Bachelor's and yes, I would admit that jobs for us are very limited but if you are not picky with jobs, you will end up earning every month. Thing is, especially in Metro Manila, some people have too much pride to engage with such kind of jobs like (fastfood crews) and some have really attitude problem about their work. One bad effect of having call centres is, since it is a known industry in PH, there are people who take advantage of it, and they end up being a call centre hopper. They don't do good in their jobs, and always think there are loads of call centre company so if he will get fired, it's okay.

Another thing is our "one day millionaire attitude". I admit, I was one of them. I was a call center rep and whenever it's pay day, we always eat in expensive restaurants, buy new clothes, shop here shop there, we dont really know how to budget as we always think that we can survive. Buying also in retails (tingi-tingi) doesn't help. My family do groceries every two weeks but my mama doesn't buy big sizes of detergents, shampoo etc. Instead she'll buy a bulk of shampoo in packs (by 6 packs) and thought that it's more expensive than a big bottle of shampoo.

I have to admit it that it's not just about the government but poverty starts within ourselves, No savings, one day millionaires, no contentment, pride and having a "bahala na"/ "come what may" attitude.

[Michael Parnham]

I didn't finish my Bachelor's and yes, I would admit that jobs for us are very limited but if you are not picky with jobs, you will end up earning every month. Thing is, especially in Metro Manila, some people have too much pride to engage with such kind of jobs like (fastfood crews) and some have really attitude problem about their work. One bad effect of having call centres is, since it is a known industry in PH, there are people who take advantage of it, and they end up being a call centre hopper. They don't do good in their jobs, and always think there are loads of call centre company so if he will get fired, it's okay.

Another thing is our "one day millionaire attitude". I admit, I was one of them. I was a call center rep and whenever it's payday, we always eat in expensive restaurants, buy new clothes, shop here shop there, we dont really know how to budget as we always think that we can survive. Buying also in retails (tingi-tingi) doesn't help. My family do groceries every two weeks but my mama doesn't buy big sizes of detergents, shampoo etc. Instead she'll buy a bulk of shampoo in packs (by 6 packs) and thought that it's more expensive than a big bottle of shampoo.

I have to admit it that it's not just about the government but poverty starts within ourselves, No savings, one day millionaires, no contenment, pride and having a "bahala na"/ "come what may" attitude.

Lack of education is a big problem, but the "common sense alternative" costs nothing Jen!

[nitrox]

Lack of education is a big problem, but the "common sense alternative" costs nothing Jen!

^^This! When I have a bad day here in Phils I often say to my wife "I'm not anti philipinnes, I'm anti stupidity" there is just a lot of stupidity here! Lol.

[Terpe]

Good post!
Utang na loob is a very tricky topic about Filipino psychology that most foreigners can never seem to come too grips with.. (Including me)
There are many topics within this very forum that clearly show the effect it can have on FIL-Brit marriages.
I called an Aussie friend in Manila that runs a call center there to recommend my nephew who lost his job in Makati 6 months ago.. I thought long and hard before doing so as I know where these things can lead..
He told me to send him in and he would skip the requirement process and give him the job with a starting pay of 25K per month..
My nephew didn't show up..
Say no more!! I can feel the rage and embarrassment welling up from when I had to call up my mate and apologize!!
Last time I will ever try to help any of them again.

Hmmm, this rings quite a few bells for my experience also.

The number of my extended family members who get any help from me has drastically decreased over the years.