POVERTY REMAINS ONE of the most painful realities in the Philippines and even without the current energy crisis that has triggered soaring prices of basic commodities, at least 17.54 million Filipinos are living below the poverty threshold.
Yes, we hear about economic growth and we see infrastructure development all around us, but at the same time, many of us still feel like we’re barely surviving. Some don’t just feel poverty-stricken—they are poor and their daily life proves it.
Traveling around Metro Manila, we see it everywhere: children selling Sampaguita, families living under bridges, makeshift shanties beside rivers and people knocking on car windows with outstretched hands. It’s not just sad scenery, it’s a reminder that for many, life is still a daily fight for food, shelter and dignity. And when people are pushed to the edge, they do what they believe they must do to survive—sometimes, that includes begging.
But here’s the deeper question: Are we simply seeing poverty or are we slowly developing a mendicancy culture?
In the past month or so, our government has taken steps to ease the impact of the energy crisis on the lives of millions of Filipino families.
Actually, this has always been the case, subsidies and cash assistance are given to the needy. However, this has developed an unacceptable mindset that is quietly growing in our society: “Someone will help me.” “Maybe I just need to wait.” “Someone with money should provide for me.” “I don’t really need to change my situation—I just need assistance.”
But to be clear, we’re not saying that receiving help is wrong. Yet, we realize that a culture of dependency slowly weakens initiative, personal responsibility, resilience and dignity and when that becomes normal, we don’t just create poverty, we prolong it.
Right now, the intention behind the different forms of assistance being distributed is sound. Oil price shocks quickly hit transport workers and government support is justified. However, the manner in which the subsidy is delivered raises uncomfortable questions about efficiency, fairness and dignity.
On one occasion, we stopped to interview a jeepney driver who was among those lined up in the long queue awaiting the gasoline subsidy. He described the process, it meant six grueling hours of waiting in line—six hours not driving, six hours not earning.
Observers lamented that such scenes undermine the dignity of drivers, making them appear like supplicants rather than workers receiving legitimate assistance. “Drivers are not beggars,” one transport leader pointed out, but the optics of thousands of people waiting in parks and parking lots inevitably create that impression.
And recently, the situation has even taken a tragic turn as a news report recounted how a transport network vehicle services (TNVS) rider collapsed and died of a heart attack while waiting in line for the subsidy. Whether the long wait was the culprit, the episode underscores the human cost of a poorly designed system.
Even more troubling are alleged reports of so-called facilitation fees being asked by some unscrupulous people manning the ‘dole-out’ centers. The driver we interviewed told us that he was quietly informed that his processing could move faster if he agreed to a ₱200 deduction. Others reportedly paid as much as ₱500, fearing they might have to return another day if their paperwork was delayed.
If these accounts are true, the subsidy program has unintentionally created a system where assistance leaks before it reaches the intended beneficiaries. And considering the number of beneficiaries running in the hundreds of thousands across the country, we’re talking about facilitation fees maybe reaching millions of pesos.
This time, we witness the mindset of our government people—not really helping but taking advantage of a situation where they can generate monetary opportunities for themselves.
So we ask, is this the kind of public servants we have?
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