1 00:00:00,00 --> 00:00:07,100 Hi. My name is Earl Harry Bea, I’m 19 years old. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:07,100 I am currently a Political Economy student at the University of Asia and the Pacific, 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,700 and I am an aspiring dignity defender. 4 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:16,600 A global issue that I am most passionate about would probably be the problem of poverty. 5 00:00:16,700 --> 00:00:20,500 I chose this issue because of its personal significance to me, 6 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:25,400 and my younger self’s desire to create a lasting impact that would help a lot of people someday. 7 00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:32,400 My parents didn’t come from a well-off background, and they have made several sacrifices to be at this point of our lives. 8 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:37,300 Unfortunately, the same cannot be said to my other relatives who barely achieve ends meet. 9 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,700 The most inspiring thing that I have seen from them is that despite 10 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:46,600 the hardships that they experience, they press on and they persevere. 11 00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:50,000 Ever since I was a child, their stories have inspired me, and molded me 12 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:56,400 to become the person who I am today. They have taught me to always be humble, 13 00:00:56,500 --> 00:01:01,300 treat each other with kindness, and to always look after for those who have none. 14 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:06,200 They gave me the perspective that beyond differences, we are all just human, 15 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:12,900 which is why I believe that all of us should have equal opportunities to make our lives more sustainable. 16 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:21,100 See, over the years, there have been significant strides and improvement on uplifting people from poverty 17 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:22,700 especially from developed countries. 18 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:28,200 Unfortunately, many impoverished countries today still lack the access that they need to become better. 19 00:01:28,300 --> 00:01:34,200 It’s most evident in sub-Saharan regions in Africa, and developing countries, like the Philippines. 20 00:01:34,300 --> 00:01:39,100 We can say this because Poverty is an observable social phenomenon. It exists when a 21 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:44,000 certain group of people do not possess the means to meet most or all basic necessities 22 00:01:44,100 --> 00:01:48,900 such as food, clothing, and shelter. Due to their harsh environment, people 23 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,800 living below the poverty line may also lack the access to opportunities that 24 00:01:53,900 --> 00:01:58,700 that would lift them from impoverishment such as efficient health care, 25 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:03,600 quality education, and decent work. Taking into account all of these factors, 26 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:08,500 it is evident that we still need to do something to resolve the issue. 27 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:15,200 Looking at a local perspective, in the Philippines, what possible solutions can we offer? 28 00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:21,300 A huge contributor to alleviating poverty would have to come from policymaking. 29 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,200 You know, an admirable trait that I see in my generation is our tenacity 30 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:31,100 to raise our voices about pressing issues of the country, and I’d like to see 31 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:36,000 more of that to be translated to this issue. Awareness is always the first step, 32 00:02:36,100 --> 00:02:40,900 and it must be raised to concerned parties. We need to keep urging our government 33 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,800 to take action, and we can do this by voicing our concerns in social media or writing 34 00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:50,700 a formal petition to our congressmen and/or the senate. In my course’s 35 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:55,600 lens, I’ve learned that people living below the poverty line needs to have opportunities 36 00:02:55,700 --> 00:03:00,500 that an average middle-incomed person has. This means that 37 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:05,400 they need to have access to education and jobs. This can 38 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:11,200 be done if we make governments create technical-vocation programs that would cater to lower-incomed families. 39 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:17,000 Another one is by creating policies that would make healthcare, academic education, and housing, affordable. 40 00:03:17,100 --> 00:03:23,300 Or by making policies that would generate more jobs so that they can afford these benefits 41 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:30,200 You know, I believe that public institutions play a prominent part in alleviating poverty, 42 00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:36,400 but we must also acknowledge that each person in both public and private spheres of a society has a role to play. 43 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:42,400 Sectors in civil society can band together to support government initiatives or produce their own. 44 00:03:42,500 --> 00:03:49,300 Many non-governmental organizations have done projects in the past that catered to the needs of the poor. 45 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:56,100 They may have provided job opportunities, granted vocational education, conducted feeding programs, 46 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,000 and or donated to institutions that could help impoverished communities. 47 00:04:00,100 --> 00:04:06,100 This is where I and others can contribute as much as they can in helping our neighbors. 48 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:10,000 Again, the assistance of civil society is vital to the growth of the community. 49 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:14,900 However, until poverty is still systematized against the poor, 50 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,800 and the system allows little to no mobility at all for the people living under the poverty line, 51 00:04:19,900 --> 00:04:24,700 public institutions will remain to have the most power to change the status quo. 52 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:29,600 And we the youth, and many concerned Filipinos, must continue to urge our government 53 00:04:29,700 --> 00:04:34,500 to push for equality and better opportunities for everyone. 54 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:41,500 Politics is messy, but not if we make everyone do their part and use it to create lasting change for the common good of all. 55 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,900 Thank you very much.