Saturday, October 10, 2015

Children Living in Poverty Philippines

Child Poverty In The Philippines


Child Poverty


Children growing up in the poorest urban areas in the Philippines are increasingly worse off than those in rural regions and face greater risks from natural disasters, exploitation and HIV, the United Nations’ children agency UNICEF warns.

In a report launched on Tuesday, The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World, UNICEF says rapid global urbanisation means the traditional image of poverty is no longer represented by a child in a rural village.

In the Philipppines, hundreds of thousands of impoverished urban children are growing up in squalor, deprived of education and healthcare.

Almost half the country’s population – 46 million people including 18 million children under the age of 18 – are now living in towns and cities, making the Philippines one of the most urbanised populations in Southeast Asia, UNICEF said.

By 2030 it is projected three out of four people in the Philippines could be living in urban areas.

Despite the perception that cities are “engines of growth,” many of these children live in unsafe and insecure houses and lack access to schooling, water and sanitation, UNICEF said.

“UNICEF is very concerned about children living in the poorest, urban areas because research shows that they suffer from multiple deprivations, and are increasingly worse off than those living in rural poor settings,” Dr. Abdul Alim, deputy representative of UNICEF in Philippines told AlertNet.

“Urban poverty can trap children in a downward spiral of poverty and squalor, leading to sickness, neglect and risk of exploitation,” he added.

POOR IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

In Metro Manila, the most populated area with more than 11.5 million people, an estimated 1.7
Children Swimming in Sewage
Read More From This Photo
million children live in slums.

UNICEF said 54 percent of people living in these informal settlements have no access to safe water and 51 percent no access to toilets, worse than any other urban or rural areas.

While children born in urban areas in the Philippines have slightly better chances of surviving than those in rural areas (20 deaths per 1,000 live births in urban areas compared to 35 in rural areas), they fare worse in some ways.

For example, poor urban children are less likely to be breastfed than those in rural regions (83 percent versus 92 percent), UNICEF said, increasing the risk of malnutrition. Those who are breastfed are also likely to be nursed for a shorter time in urban areas (seven months versus 17 months), the agency added.

MULTIPLE RISKS FOR URBAN KIDS

While rural and urban poverty can both be very detrimental to children, those in urban areas face specific risks, said Alim.

“There can be the additional threats of HIV, lack of access to education, threat of natural disasters and risk of violence, trafficking and exploitation,” he added.

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries wehn it comes to disasters and climate change. Urban areas along the coast often bear the brunt of the typhoons which hammer the country every year.

Poorer urban families are particularly at risk as they usually live in flimsy homes on the worst land. Many are on unstable slopes or low-lying areas prone to flooding.

Typhoon Sendong which struck northern Mindanao last year and Typhoon Ketsana which slammed into Manila in 2009 both had a devastating effect on poor urban families and slum dwellers.

The Philippines is also one of a handful of countries where HIV infection rates are showing a marked increase, according to a 2010 review.

The prevalence of HIV remains higher in urban areas – more than 50 percent of all infections in 2011 were registered in Metro Manila – and one out of three newly reported cases is in young people aged between 15-24, UNICEF said.

Read More Here

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Change The Philippines

How to change the Philippines

(Its Not Like The Netherlands)
Posted by Gladman in Philippines

How to change the Philippines

In a typical western country, when there’s a problem, you assemble the people and make changes in the policy. Then you can make a lasting change in society.
In the Philippines, that’s not necessarily the case. 90% of the problem is the people themselves, and only 10% the policies. I’m not even exaggerating. 10% is a generous estimate if you take into account the fact that the policies themselves are made by the people. Since the policies did not make themselves, if I’m being uncompromising I would say 100% of the problem is the people.
Filipinos and western people are different on the level of the ‘person’ who thinks, feels and takes action as dictated by his habitual preferences and intellectual inclinations and limitations. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. They think ethnic differences aren’t a factor. They are, and they’re a huge factor.
Remember, filogic and filethic are formidable enemies you cannot underestimate. They are embedded deep within the brains of the vast majority of Filipinos and are so strongly entrenched in Philippine society that they’re a major source of headache for people from western countries who have stayed in the Philippines for an extended period of time. Without such flaws in the Filipino’s nature, I don’t think the Philippines would have become a problematic nation in the first place.
Filogic and filethic don’t exist among western people. They exist among Filipinos. Expats from western countries see these two as the main problem, and they are (though Filipinos themselves are clueless about it). Therefore, ethnic differences are a factor. You cannot take for granted the fact that the western man is different from the Filipino.
If you don’t consider it a factor, you’re going to compare apples to oranges like a man did when I talked to him on another website recently. Here’s what he said:
“We – the Dutch – have been there, where the Filipinos are today. But thank God, that was 50, 60 years ago…Although I myself am impatient by nature and I do know that most changes have to go step-by-step, its very clear that the Philippines can leap (instead of making little tiny steps) forward.”
Here was my reply:

Read the story: Here

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

99 Reasons Philippines

More Fun Philippines

99 Reasons to live in the Philippines


When I travel, people often ask me “Tim why do you live in the Philippines?” Well here it is….. It is the only place on earth where……

1. Every street has a basketball court.
2. Even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed.
3. Doctors study to become nurses for employment abroad.
4. Students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.
5. School is considered the second home and the mall considered the third.
6. Call-center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.
7. Everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition.
8. Mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered holy places.
9. Everything can be forged.
10. All kinds of animals are edible.
11. Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.
12. Driving 4 kms can take as much as four hours.
13. Flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets.
14. Crossing the street involves running for your dear life.
15. The personal computer is mainly used for games and Facebook.
16. Where colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!
17. Where 4 a.m. is not even considered bedtime yet.
18. People can pay to defy the law.
19. Everything and everyone is spoofed.
20. Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger (peke)!
21. The honking of car horns is a way of life.
22. Being called a bum is never offensive.
23. Floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy season.
24. Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.
25. Where wearing your national colors make you baduy.
26. Where even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones. (GSM-galing sa magnanakaw)
27. Where insurance does not work.
28. Where water can only be classified as tap and dirty.
29. Clean water is for sale (35 pesos per gallon).
30. Where the government makes the people pray for miracles. (Amen to that!)
31. Where University of the Philippines where all the weird people go.
32. Ateneo is where all the nerds go.
33. La Salle is where all the Chinese go.
34. College of Saint Benilde is where all the stupid Chinese go and;
35. University of Asia and the Pacific is where all the irrelevantly rich people go.
36. Fast food is a diet meal.
37. Traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations.
38. Where being mugged is normal and It happens to everyone.
39. Rodents are normal house pets.
40. The definition of traffic is the ‘non-movement’ of vehicles.
41. Where the fighter planes of the 1940s are used for military engagements and;
42. The new fighter planes are displayed in museums.
43. Where cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity, and where the lottery is a commodity.
44. Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news provides the drama.
45. Where actors make the rules and where politicians provide the entertainment.
46. People can get away with stealing trillions of pesos but not a thousand.
47. Where being an hour late is still considered punctual (Grabe talaga ‘to!)
48. Where the squatters have more to complain (even if they do not pay their tax)
– than those employed and have their tax automatically deducted from their salaries.
49. And where everyone wants to leave the country!

FILIPINO SIGNS OF WIT:

1. The sign in a flower shop in Diliman called Petal Attraction.
2. Anita Bakery
3. A 24-hour restaurant called Doris Day & Night
4. Barber shop called Felix The Cut;
5. A bakery named Bread Pitt
6. Fast-food place selling ‘maruya’ (banana fritters) called Maruya Carey.
7. Then, there are Christopher Plumbing
8. A boutique called The Way We Wear
9. A video rental shop called Leon King Video Rental
10. A restaurant in Cainta district of Rizal called Caintacky Fried Chicken
11. A local burger restaurant called Mang Donald’s
12. A doughnut shop called MacDonuts
13. A shop selling ‘lumpia’ (egg roll) in Makati called Wrap and Roll
14. And two butcher shops called Meating Place and Meatropolis. Smart travelers can decipher what may look like baffling signs to unaccustomed foreigners by simply sounding out the ‘Taglish’
(The Philippine version of English words spelled and pronounced with a heavy Filipino such as:
15. At a restaurant menu in Cebu ? We hab sopdrink in can an in batol? [translation: We have soft drinks in can and in bottle].
16. Then, there is a sewing accessories shop called Bids And Pises -[translation: Beads and Pieces –or–Bits and Pieces]

There are also many signs with either badly chosen or misspelled words but
they are usually so entertaining that it would be a mistake to ‘correct’ them like…….

17. In a restaurant in Baguio City, the ‘summer capital’ of the Philippines: ? Wanted: Boy Waitress?
18. On a highway in Pampanga: ?We Make Modern Antique Furniture?
19. On the window of a photography shop in Cabanatuan: ? We Shoot You While You Wait?
20. And on the glass front of a cafe in Panay Avenue in Manila:?Wanted:
Waiter, Cashier, Washier?. Some of the notices can even give a wrong impression such as:
21. A shoe store in Pangasinan which has a sign saying: ? We Sell Imported Robber Shoes? (these could be the ‘sneakiest’ sneakers);
22. A rental property sign in Jaro reads: ?House For Rent, Fully Furnaced? (it must really be hot inside)!
23. Occasionally,one could come across signs that are truly unique – if not altogether odd.City in southern Philippines which said: ?Adults: 1 peso; Child: 50 centavos; Cadavers: fare subject to negotiation?.
24. European tourists may also be intrigued to discover two competing shops selling hopia (a Chinese pastry) called Holland Hopia and Poland Hopia- which are owned and operated by two local Chinese entrepreneurs, Mr. Ho and Mr. Po respectively – (believe it or not)!
25. Some folks also ‘creatively’ redesign English to be more efficient.?The creative confusion between language and culture leads to more than just simple unintentional errors in syntax, but in the adoption of new
words, ?says reader Robert Goodfellow who came across a sign ….. House Fersallarend’ (house for sale or rent). why use five words when two will do?
26. According to Manila businessman, Tonyboy Ongsiako, there is so much wit in the Philippines because?We are a country where a good sense of humor is needed to survive?. We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of
politicians and bad actors.

Now I ask you where else in the world would one want to live?

Tim Potter Texas

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Filipino Cooks Take Over

Filipino Cooks in Every Corner

If you are holidaying on a Mediterranean cruise ship, celebrating your winnings at an Asian casino or dining with the president of the United States, the chances are a Filipino will be cooking your meal.
Since the 1970s, the Philippines has been known for its mass export of workers, particularly poorly paid maids and construction workers who choose an uncertain life abroad above deep poverty at home. But in recent years there has been a trend towards higher-skilled and better-paying jobs, and cooking schools in the Philippines are now churning out tens of thousands of chefs a year for kitchens around the world.
"I've always been interested in cooking, especially baking, even as a kid," former bank clerk Rochelle Evaristo told AFP as she took a break from making sandwiches alongside other aspiring cooks at a Manila school.

Filipino Stereo Types


I admire the way Filipino people defend their compatriot when they are—sometimes-- put in a less
than honorable category by other nations. The examples are the outrage when someone stereotypes Filipinos in an unfavorable way.

When in Singapore, someone said that all Filipinos were cleaners or when
in Hong Kong, when a writer said that Filipinos were servants, the
whole worldwide Filipino community reacted in uncontrollable rage.

Easy Living in The Philippines

Click Here to Read More : Easy Living in The Philippines:

Take it easy in the Philippines



Philippine support network
Volunteer Network
Not sure why, but living in the Philippines has not been overly difficult for me. After a couple years

of adjusting, things have gone pretty smoothly. We all come here for
different reasons, but here are some things that's made it easy for me.



1. Family Network:
 I've tried to integrate into the society. My social network is pinoy.
I'm not an outgoing person so my personal network is just my family, but
my partner has expanded it to include other parents of the classmates
of our kids. They know me, I interact with them. It has been a useful
support network for our family. The network advises us on rentals, real
estate, schooling, medical care, shopping, etc. We do help selected
members of our network, but it's a give and take relationship and
everyone honors their obligations. In the network. No one treats me like
an outsider.

Poverty In the Philippines

Click Here to Read More : Poverty In the Philippines: Why is the Philippines so poor?

 One question I will sometimes ask is: The Philippines is
slowly becoming a richer country but is still very poor. Why do you
think that is? I have learned to as the first phrase to avoid any chance
of making the person feel hiya or their  "Amor Propio"  has been
compromised (more on this later). Without doubt the most common answer
(in fact almost the only answer) I



Poverty Philippines
received was – corruption. I think that may contribute, but I think it's
far from the most important reason. I spent a good bit of time talking
to people and have come up with what I consider to be the five most
important contributing factors.
  
1. Family size is too large.
One of the most common ways of amassing wealth is to slowly build it up
generation after generation. But with inheritances split between many
member of the family it tends to dilute wealth until it no longer
exists. Normally wealth builds on wealth with the children having been
given a lift (education) they do better and can better provide for their
children. And while Filipino families will bend over backwards to try
and help educate their children you can't get blood from a stone. Only
one Filipino came up with this idea before I mentioned it.

Online Dating Dangers 101

Click Here to Read More : Online Dating Dangers 101:

Danger Danger to Dating On Line

Another Great Article written and posted at on Living In Cebu Forums. 
Experience with these web sites compel me to issue some warnings. Be careful, please!

Dating dangers Online
First of all, there are a lot of girls there who lie about their age.
This can be dangerous because you may get set up with someone who is not
yet 18 but they claim to be 22-23.
It's a good thing I asked some if they could show me an ID when I
invited them on a date and then they confessed that they had faked their
age. Always insist on an ID and meet them in a public place. If they
refuse to bring/ show you an ID, don't go on the date. I had to report
several members who confessed they were underage. These were taken down.
But how many more are there signing up every day!