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Manila, capital and chief city of the Philippines. The city is the centre of the country’s economic, political, social, and cultural activity. It is located on the island of Luzon and spreads along the eastern shore of Manila Bay at the mouth of the Pasig River.

Source:  Manila | History, Population, Map, Climate, & Facts. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Manila

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Metro Manila is located in the southwestern portion of Luzon. The region lies along the flat alluvial lands extending from the mouth of the Pasig River in the west to the higher rugged lands of Marikina Valley in the east.

Source: Regional Profile | EMB - National Capital Region. (2021). Retrieved from http://ncr.emb.gov.ph/regionalprofile/

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The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership.

Source: THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development. (2021). Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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Today, I would like to focus on SDG numbers 1 and 2, as I believe these two are what the area lacks most. As much as the public wants to see the beautiful parts of the metro, we should talk about the harsh and unrevealed truth.

Photo Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hlii31S4E4

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As much as we don't want to admit it, Manila is a home for the homeless. On the 24th July of 2020, Borgen Magazine uploaded an article entitled, "The Impact of COVID-19 on Homelessness in the Philippines."

Everyone was and is still affected by this Pandemic. The Poverty Rate in the Philippines is declining from 19.8 percent in 2020 and 18.7 percent in 2021. Even with the decrease in the poverty rate, a sizable portion of the population remains homeless. With a total population of around 106 million people, 4.5 million are homeless, with three million homeless people residing in Manila, the capital.

PH poverty projected to be at 18.7% in 2021: WB. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1083509.

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Several people are still homeless with no proper help from the government; companies also removed contractual workers to cut costs, jeepney drivers, and others were forced to take alms from the people. The government did not allow them to accept passengers when public transportation was halted, and people were ordered to stay home as President Rodrigo Duterte's government tried to slow the fast-spreading contagion.

Daniel Flores, a 23-year-old jeepney driver, is one of hundreds or thousands of jeepney drivers who have been barred from picking up passengers since the beginning of the lockdown. Mr. Flores began staying in the jeepney with his wife, two of his children, and a fellow driver after they were evicted from their apartment because they could no longer afford the rent.

Source: Jeepney drivers reduced to begging on Philippine streets amid coronavirus lockdowns. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/jeepney-drivers-reduced-to-begging-on-philippine-streets.

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Thousands of workers were either removed with force from their workplace as other companies cut costs or lost their "raket" due to the imposed lockdown and community quarantine guidelines. With this, thousands of families, not only in Manila, do not have any other choice but to limit their food intake or not eat at all due to the limited budget.

In Manila's northern suburb of Quezon City, San Roque is home to about 6,000 families or roughly about 35,000 people, has long housed some of the poorest people on the outskirts of Philippine society. They treated the lockdown as one of their nightmares as they were forced to stay indoors and were unable to look for jobs to survive. They believe that most of them would most likely die due to hunger and not because of the virus, as financial aids from the government were either slowly given or not provided at all to them. Hence, households and neighbors from San Roque supported and helped everyone as the community turns inward to feed its poorest residents.

Source: ‘Will We Die Hungry?’ A Teeming Manila Slum Chafes Under Lockdown (Published 2020). (2020). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/world/asia/manila-coronavirus-lockdown-slum.html.

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Possible Causes of Deprivation in Manila

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Possible Causes of Deprivation in Manila

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1. Low to modest economic development over the last 40 years;
2. Low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
3. Deficiency in work creation and job quality;
4. Inability to completely expand the agriculture sector;
5.High levels of population growth; high levels of inflation during recession periods.

Manila Residents are deprived of equal job opportunities, as others have no to limited connections; hence, the inability to generate income to avoid poverty. As for the Zero Hunger, people from the government prioritize who they know when giving aids, rather than those who needed it more. With this, different groups started community pantries to help those who are in need.

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Thousand of unprivileged and families in need of our help. The following are possible Technological Solutions that may help the community:

1. Increase access to Education - Many children, especially disadvantaged girls, have limited access to education in rural areas. Schools from rural areas have been struggling with underqualified teachers and limited resources usually. Recently, classes shifted online due to limitations on human interactions; at least, they should give others a chance to study and gain knowledge to help generate income for their respective families soon. However, one may feel forced to participate in these online set-ups and might feel overwhelmed, which can also cause anxieties to others.

2. Improved Public Information - with everything available online, people must be able to take the opportunity to make their voices heard. The community must always provide only factual information to improve other's knowledge of the current situation and how one can help others be aware. However, one must always be cautious when posting updates as it can harm others or be a source of false information.

3. Improved Handlining during Disaster relief and Management - In previous years, News Channels for provinces were removed as one of their primary sources of information. ABS-CBN, which differs per province, was declined for the renewal of their services. Hence, they were decline for real-time updates and information as well. With the help of advanced technologies, either by mobile alerts or radio signals, one can be helped to have more time to prepare and go to safety during any possible disasters. (e.g., NDRRMC Alerts) However, one evident negative effect is people who suffer from heart attacks, or other illnesses may experience extreme shock or epileptic seizures.

4. Business Opportunity for those from the Urban and Rural Area - with advanced technology, anyone can sell online. Even those who are far away from the metro can have transactions with anyone online. The help of technology offers them a platform to buy, sell, or trade. However, one negative effect is that they might transact with scammers due to the broad range of customers and sellers. Another would be that their profit might be reduced as there are transaction fees to use such platforms.