Hi. My name is Earl Harry Bea, I’m 19 years old.

I am currently a Political Economy student at the University of Asia and the Pacific,

and I am an aspiring dignity defender.

A global issue that I am most passionate about would probably be the problem of poverty.

I chose this issue because of its personal significance to me,

and my younger self’s desire to create a lasting impact that would help a lot of people someday.

My parents didn’t come from a well-off background, and they have made several sacrifices to be at this point of our lives.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said to my other relatives who barely achieve ends meet.

The most inspiring thing that I have seen from them is that despite

the hardships that they experience, they press on and they persevere.

Ever since I was a child, their stories have inspired me, and molded me

to become the person who I am today. They have taught me to always be humble,

treat each other with kindness, and to always look after for those who have none.

They gave me the perspective that beyond differences, we are all just human,

which is why I believe that all of us should have equal opportunities to make our lives more sustainable.

See, over the years, there have been significant strides and improvement on uplifting people from poverty

especially from developed countries.

Unfortunately, many impoverished countries today still lack the access that they need to become better.

It’s most evident in sub-Saharan regions in Africa, and developing countries, like the Philippines.

We can say this because Poverty is an observable social phenomenon. It exists when a

certain group of people do not possess the means to meet most or all basic necessities

such as food, clothing, and shelter. Due to their harsh environment, people

living below the poverty line may also lack the access to opportunities that

that would lift them from impoverishment such as efficient health care,

quality education, and decent work. Taking into account all of these factors,

it is evident that we still need to do something to resolve the issue.

Looking at a local perspective, in the Philippines, what possible solutions can we offer?

A huge contributor to alleviating poverty would have to come from policymaking.

You know, an admirable trait that I see in my generation is our tenacity

to raise our voices about pressing issues of the country, and I’d like to see

more of that to be translated to this issue. Awareness is always the first step,

and it must be raised to concerned parties. We need to keep urging our government

to take action, and we can do this by voicing our concerns in social media or writing

a formal petition to our congressmen and/or the senate. In my course’s

lens, I’ve learned that people living below the poverty line needs to have opportunities

that an average middle-incomed person has. This means that

they need to have access to education and jobs. This can

be done if we make governments create technical-vocation programs that would cater to lower-incomed families.

Another one is by creating policies that would make healthcare, academic education, and housing, affordable.

Or by making policies that would generate more jobs so that they can afford these benefits

You know, I believe that public institutions play a prominent part in alleviating poverty,

but we must also acknowledge that each person in both public and private spheres of a society has a role to play.

Sectors in civil society can band together to support government initiatives or produce their own.

Many non-governmental organizations have done projects in the past that catered to the needs of the poor.

They may have provided job opportunities, granted vocational education, conducted feeding programs,

and or donated to institutions that could help impoverished communities.

This is where I and others can contribute as much as they can in helping our neighbors.

Again, the assistance of civil society is vital to the growth of the community.

However, until poverty is still systematized against the poor,

and the system allows little to no mobility at all for the people living under the poverty line,

public institutions will remain to have the most power to change the status quo.

And we the youth, and many concerned Filipinos, must continue to urge our government

to push for equality and better opportunities for everyone.

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.

Thank you very much.