WEALTH CREATION VERSUS POVERTY REDUCTION
BANTAY GOBYERNO SERIES 048
By Ike Señeres 12/24/2010
WEALTH CREATION VERSUS POVERTY REDUCTION
The year 2011 is just around the corner, but up to now, the government has yet to understand the difference between poverty alleviation and poverty reduction. For many of us, this is just a matter of semantics in the language of the government, but the fact is, language is the window to the mind; therefore the language used by the government reveals how it understands or interprets the concepts at hand.
Simply put, poverty alleviation means making poverty more bearable, whereas poverty reduction means making poverty less prevalent. By comparison, poverty alleviation is like a pain reliever, whereas poverty reduction is a lasting cure for the pain. Ideally, the government should set actual numerical targets as to how much poverty reduction it will aim for within a given term, for instance within six years.
I am actually not against poverty alleviation per se. I would like the government to do that too, but not as a substitute for poverty reduction. Many administrations have come and go, but none so far have set actual quantifiable and measurable targets in poverty reduction, all of them seemingly just contented with the excuse of delivering poverty alleviation only, and nothing more.
I believe that the best approach is to deliver poverty alleviation as a first aid, but only as a first step towards delivering the more lasting solution of actual poverty reduction. How I wish that now and in the future, politicians will win or lose depending on their actual delivery of set targets for poverty reduction, targets that are monitored and validated by the voting public.
One thing for sure, the incidence of poverty in the Philippines could not possibly be reduced to a less prevalent level if we would depend solely on employment as a means of income for our people. The employment base here is so low, and there is no basis to expect that it could reasonably expand to a point where most people could get jobs in order to get out of poverty.
Instead of going around in circles, the government should now grab the bull by the horn and officially recognize that the only way for the majority of our people to have a sustainable means of income is for them to have a business of our own, or if not that, to have the means to invest in the business of others. Roughly translated, this would mean enabling our people so that they could be self-employed.
Investing in the business of others is actually a figure of speech, because once an investor puts his money into any business, he becomes a part owner of that business. This is true in the case of corporations and cooperatives. In other words, if anyone would invest in either of these two options, he would in effect have a business of his own too, even if only in a figurative sense.
Needless to say, anyone could also invest in single proprietorships or partnerships. It seems however that investing in corporations and cooperatives would be a safer and more practical option for those who have no actual experience in owning or running a business. This would apply also to absentee owners such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
I am now the producer “Universal Access to Business” (UNAXBIZ), a radio program that is aired in DZRJ every Friday from 2 to 3 PM. The purpose of the radio program is to enable every Filipino to have a business, for every home to have an industry. In the vernacular, the slogan of the show is “Bawat Pilipino may negosyo, bawat tahanan may kalakalan”.
Starting next month, UNAXBIZ will reach out to all Filipinos here and abroad (the show is live on the Internet) in order to help anyone who wants to put up or expand his business. Since micro-financing is now available from many sources, the hosts of the show will also help applicants get business loans. On top of that, it will also offer business counseling on the air.
Poverty reduction is a good cause, but the more positive approach I think is to aim for wealth creation. Wealth creation for every home and every family, and wealth creation for every community and every province. That will of course translate into wealth creation for the whole country, for the whole nation. With more wealth created, there will be more families that will be freed from poverty.
Speaking of homes, it is necessary for every family to have a house, regardless of whether they are owners or renters. A house is not a home it is said, but how can Filipino families have a home if they do not have a house to begin with? The bottom line of this is income, and that is why a business is necessary for everyone.
Go for Complete Convergence! Tune in to Universal Access 2pm to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 khz or log on to www.rjplanet.com/rj-radio/
Watch KA IKING LIVE! Saturdays 8 pm to 9 pm in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639234059174 for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com
By Ike Señeres 12/24/2010
WEALTH CREATION VERSUS POVERTY REDUCTION
The year 2011 is just around the corner, but up to now, the government has yet to understand the difference between poverty alleviation and poverty reduction. For many of us, this is just a matter of semantics in the language of the government, but the fact is, language is the window to the mind; therefore the language used by the government reveals how it understands or interprets the concepts at hand.
Simply put, poverty alleviation means making poverty more bearable, whereas poverty reduction means making poverty less prevalent. By comparison, poverty alleviation is like a pain reliever, whereas poverty reduction is a lasting cure for the pain. Ideally, the government should set actual numerical targets as to how much poverty reduction it will aim for within a given term, for instance within six years.
I am actually not against poverty alleviation per se. I would like the government to do that too, but not as a substitute for poverty reduction. Many administrations have come and go, but none so far have set actual quantifiable and measurable targets in poverty reduction, all of them seemingly just contented with the excuse of delivering poverty alleviation only, and nothing more.
I believe that the best approach is to deliver poverty alleviation as a first aid, but only as a first step towards delivering the more lasting solution of actual poverty reduction. How I wish that now and in the future, politicians will win or lose depending on their actual delivery of set targets for poverty reduction, targets that are monitored and validated by the voting public.
One thing for sure, the incidence of poverty in the Philippines could not possibly be reduced to a less prevalent level if we would depend solely on employment as a means of income for our people. The employment base here is so low, and there is no basis to expect that it could reasonably expand to a point where most people could get jobs in order to get out of poverty.
Instead of going around in circles, the government should now grab the bull by the horn and officially recognize that the only way for the majority of our people to have a sustainable means of income is for them to have a business of our own, or if not that, to have the means to invest in the business of others. Roughly translated, this would mean enabling our people so that they could be self-employed.
Investing in the business of others is actually a figure of speech, because once an investor puts his money into any business, he becomes a part owner of that business. This is true in the case of corporations and cooperatives. In other words, if anyone would invest in either of these two options, he would in effect have a business of his own too, even if only in a figurative sense.
Needless to say, anyone could also invest in single proprietorships or partnerships. It seems however that investing in corporations and cooperatives would be a safer and more practical option for those who have no actual experience in owning or running a business. This would apply also to absentee owners such as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
I am now the producer “Universal Access to Business” (UNAXBIZ), a radio program that is aired in DZRJ every Friday from 2 to 3 PM. The purpose of the radio program is to enable every Filipino to have a business, for every home to have an industry. In the vernacular, the slogan of the show is “Bawat Pilipino may negosyo, bawat tahanan may kalakalan”.
Starting next month, UNAXBIZ will reach out to all Filipinos here and abroad (the show is live on the Internet) in order to help anyone who wants to put up or expand his business. Since micro-financing is now available from many sources, the hosts of the show will also help applicants get business loans. On top of that, it will also offer business counseling on the air.
Poverty reduction is a good cause, but the more positive approach I think is to aim for wealth creation. Wealth creation for every home and every family, and wealth creation for every community and every province. That will of course translate into wealth creation for the whole country, for the whole nation. With more wealth created, there will be more families that will be freed from poverty.
Speaking of homes, it is necessary for every family to have a house, regardless of whether they are owners or renters. A house is not a home it is said, but how can Filipino families have a home if they do not have a house to begin with? The bottom line of this is income, and that is why a business is necessary for everyone.
Go for Complete Convergence! Tune in to Universal Access 2pm to 3pm Monday to Sunday in DZRJ 810 khz or log on to www.rjplanet.com/rj-radio/
Watch KA IKING LIVE! Saturdays 8 pm to 9 pm in Global News Network (GNN), Channel 8 in Destiny Cable. Email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639234059174 for local cable listings. Visit www.senseneres.blogspot.com
posted by Ike Señeres at 4:32 AM
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