No fun or love in the Philippines for children

ARTICLE: PATRICIA LANZAGARITA | FEBRUARY 28, 2024

As Filipinos, we have known several slogans used by the government to describe the Philippines as a country, such as ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ and ‘Love the Philippines.’ Yet, amid the country drowning in bureaucracy, abuse, poverty, and inequality, is it really more fun in the Philippines if the impacts of these socio-economic issues affect the most vulnerable—the children?

Crisis in education, crisis in potential

If you ask a typical youngster to solve a math problem and read an English or Filipino text appropriate to their age, there is a chance that they might fail to do so. And that only proves that there is visible damage to the literacy of the youth caused by the failed system.

Based on the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the education system of the Philippines is currently five to six years behind after ranking 77th out of 81 countries in the student assessment for 15-year-old learners. The results also showed that the country scored less than the average score for Mathematics, Science, and Reading, indicating that there have been no significant changes in the education system since 2018.

For students, learning capacity sometimes depends on the learning environment. The place and the people behind learning are important. Thus, lack of facilities is still a problem. After several administrations, only 104,536 out of 327,851 classrooms are in good condition to cater to over 28 million Filipino learners in the country.

The education crisis is a crisis for the potential of the youth. Failing to recognize the situation means failing to solve the actual problem.

Problem of hunger and malnutrition

Combating malnutrition and hunger among children is a challenge for the government. Starting from the Nutrition Month program every July up to the latest flagship program of the government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) titled ‘Walang Gutom’ or ‘No One Hungry.’ All through these so-called promotions and programs, the Philippines still recorded 95 child deaths every day due to hunger and malnutrition.

The prevalence of poverty and lack of resources is one of the reasons why malnutrition and hunger are still present. Although President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing for a single-digit poverty rate as low as 9 percent by 2028, with the current 22.4 percent poverty rate of the country, almost 45% of Filipinos are still feeling poor, based on a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The ability to provide depends on the capacity to avail services. If the minimum wage doesn’t correspond to the prices of commodities, the ability to provide will also be affected. Every child deserves to eat three meals a day; stripping them of that is stripping them of their rights.

Plight of child mortality; scarcity of health services

Aside from malnutrition, complications before, during, and after birth also expose children to unforeseen circumstances, like death. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), over 60,000 children, or 27 out of 1000 Filipino children, die annually before they reach their 5th birthday with almost 60% of them being newborns. These deaths are often caused by complications such as infectious disease, premature birth, and intrapartum complications.

This points to the fact that there’s a necessity to improve the healthcare system of the country not only for newborn babies but also for mothers. These deaths should not be normalized and should not be accepted as unavoidable.

There are so many parents who have faced trauma because they lost their children before they even saw them. It is time to hold the government accountable for not being able to produce quality primary health care for every woman and child, despite the known fact that even before being born, children are entitled to the right to life.

Severity of child abuse and child labor

Youth around the globe, even Filipino youth, are subjected to child labor and abuse. Some child laborers are victims of abuse inside their homes and lack access to education, forcing them to work to attain basic education.

As per the Women and Children Protection Units (WCPUs), the cases of children who were sexually abused climbed to 6,600 cases in 2022. Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recorded 1.37 million working children from 2019 to 2021.

Children engaging in labor instead of being in the classroom are hindering their full potential. Some people may find it inspiring, but in reality, it is just people romanticizing the victims of child labor and abuse. Many people often refer to children working as ‘mulat sa reyalidad’ but, in fact, they are victims of harsh reality.

The unspoken war and displacement of children

Due to climate change, floods, storms, and drought, the Philippines has reached its highest child displacement rate of 9.7 million children. According to UNICEF, the country has ranked first for storms and third for floods based on the number of children displaced. Apart from these disasters, armed conflict has also resulted in child displacement. Noting the impacts of the Marawi siege is a significant example that has displaced 800 people, half of whom are children.

We must protect the children from displacement by providing them with inclusive child-critical and child-protection services such as health, nutrition, education, and social protection while providing a safe space for children who fell victim to armed conflict by providing child-friendly spaces and facilities where they can access mental health support.

With all of this, we should never stop talking about the Filipino youth. The Philippines needs the most concrete and strongest laws that could protect children and their rights. Let’s build a future where children can enjoy their childhood while harnessing their full potential by improving access to quality education and inclusive child welfare services.

Yet, the first step in solving all of these socio-economic issues is to recognize that behind the smiles of every child lies the fact that life is not so happy and loving in the Philippines.