A Situtationer of Street Children in the Philippines
A SITUTATIONER OF STREET CHILDREN IN THE PHILIPPINES
(Presented at the Civil Society Forum on Promoting and Protecting the
Rights of Street Children in Southeast Asia)
Bangkok, Thailand
March 12 - 14, 2003
1. Background
A. Brief Overview of the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago with a population of 76,498,735, and a population density of 255 per sq. km, as of the year 2000. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of this population is urbanized (1999)[1], with an average annual urban population growth rate of 4.2% (1990 - 1995)[2]. Its capital, Manila, has a population of 1,654,761 (2000)[3].
It is culturally diverse with over 111 cultural and racial groups, each with its own language or dialect. Eighty-four percent (84%) are Roman Catholic, the rest are made up mostly of Moslems (5%)[4], Protestants and other Christian denominations, Buddhists, and Taoists.[5]
Unfortunately, this country has a high rate of poverty. Unemployment is high. As of April 2001, the unemployment rate reached 13.3%, or around 4.5 million Filipinos without jobs[6]. The prices of basic commodities have also increased by 6.7%. Using 1994 as the base year, the peso has lost 37% of its value in early 2001 due to increased prices of goods. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew only by 3.3%, compared to a 3.8% growth in the same period in 2000.[7]
Also, official figures show an increase in the poverty incidence or the proportion of families with income below the poverty line, from 31.8% in 1997 to 34.2% in 2000.[8]
|Poverty Threshold, 2000[9] |
| |Poverty Incidence |Annual per capita |Daily per capita poverty |
| |(families) |Poverty threshold |threshold |
|Philippines |34.2%
(Presented at the Civil Society Forum on Promoting and Protecting the
Rights of Street Children in Southeast Asia)
Bangkok, Thailand
March 12 - 14, 2003
1. Background
A. Brief Overview of the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago with a population of 76,498,735, and a population density of 255 per sq. km, as of the year 2000. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of this population is urbanized (1999)[1], with an average annual urban population growth rate of 4.2% (1990 - 1995)[2]. Its capital, Manila, has a population of 1,654,761 (2000)[3].
It is culturally diverse with over 111 cultural and racial groups, each with its own language or dialect. Eighty-four percent (84%) are Roman Catholic, the rest are made up mostly of Moslems (5%)[4], Protestants and other Christian denominations, Buddhists, and Taoists.[5]
Unfortunately, this country has a high rate of poverty. Unemployment is high. As of April 2001, the unemployment rate reached 13.3%, or around 4.5 million Filipinos without jobs[6]. The prices of basic commodities have also increased by 6.7%. Using 1994 as the base year, the peso has lost 37% of its value in early 2001 due to increased prices of goods. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew only by 3.3%, compared to a 3.8% growth in the same period in 2000.[7]
Also, official figures show an increase in the poverty incidence or the proportion of families with income below the poverty line, from 31.8% in 1997 to 34.2% in 2000.[8]
|Poverty Threshold, 2000[9] |
| |Poverty Incidence |Annual per capita |Daily per capita poverty |
| |(families) |Poverty threshold |threshold |
|Philippines |34.2%