poverty

Where there is colonialism, there is poverty, oppression, and lack of freedom and liberty too.
According to a 2002 National Statistics Office report, during that year 3.4 million Filipinos were unemployed and 4.6 million underemployed. Today it is widely assumed, unofficially, that there are at least 10 million unemployed or underemployed Filipinos. The national debt is hovering around 85% of GDP. And with the price of oil on the rise, poverty in the Philippines is expected to worsen.
I know we're already tired of hearing and talking about this issue again and again. But since we're assigned to tackle our opinion regarding a current issue, I chose poverty not only because I'm affected by it, but because it's regarding reality. I mean, mostly are affected by it, especially now that the prices of commodities are increasing. Poverty is the by-product of other issues such as graft and corruption, lack of job opportunities, education, discipline, etc. It's related to other issues regarding our country in the present. It's also very common, and it's very blatant especially here in Manila. You could just see beggars in the sidewalks and street children asking for alms.. It's indeed a BIG issue.
Looking back during the times when we're under the regime, or should I say, colonialism of the Spaniards, poverty already exists. We knew that the Spaniards took total control on us, which means they totally govern our economy including our resources. I think they didn't just govern our resources, but actually stole it away from us, because that's what the concept of colonialism, right? Good thing if all our resources are given back to us. But it wasn't. Instead, Filipinos at that time were enslaved. We were not given freedom, and worse, we were left to suffer.
The difference is that today, we're given enough freedom. It only depends on us if we let the next generations suffer the same problem that we have.