May 10, 2010 marks the date for the Philippine Election and this election like in other countries that happen this year the elected president will be playing a very important role that will shape the fulfillment of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) or also known in the campaign End Poverty 2015.This will not be a political party promotion or a campaign for someone who is running. 2010 marks the last 5 years of the campaign and it is important that anyone who will be sitting on the position knows what the MDGs are and how they will lead their nation to eradicate hunger along with the remaining 7 MDGs.Here are the 8 United Nation Millennium Developmental Goals created last September 2000 with the 189 member-states of UN, headed by the former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan now replaced by Ban Ki-moon:
1. Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Hunger – In 2005, 1.4 billion people or one quarter of the population of the developing world where Philippines in included, lived below the international poverty line, or less than $ 1.25 a day in 2005 prices. The $1.25 dollar is 45-50 pesos in Philippine money where if budgeted it cannot give a decent meal to the family of 4-5 members. Most of them, fathers doesn’t have decent regular job, and they mostly live as informal settlers or worse on street.2. Achieve Universal Primary Education – In the developing nation, net enrolment in primary education reaches 88% in 2007 and declines to 83% in 2000. In a country like the Philippines that has high literacy rate, the number of the population of children moving from Grade 1 to Grade 2 drops, and worse from the population of children there 53% who are not even enrolled in the first grade. Aside from the drop out is the quality of education that degenerates because of the lack of competent teachers that is able to teach the children and even the facilities in schools which includes decent classroom and educational references and kits.
3. Promote Gender Equality and Women Empowerment – The aim of MDG # 3 is to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education in other countries. Also the issue of women being discriminated from employment to avoid maternal related cases that will affect the company operations. In the Philippines the issue of domestic violence remains and hard to confront by the government even there are laws concerning this matter. Domestic violence doesn’t only pertain to women as victims, in some cases men are the fatalities of this vehemence. There are laws that will solve this case the government is weak to go beyond the walls of “home” or the private lives of the couple.
4. Reduce Child Mortality – In developing regions as a whole, the under-five mortality rate decreased from 99 deaths per thousand live births in 1990 and 77 in 2008. Child mortality is one of the effects of poverty where family cannot afford of bring their children to doctors for medication or checkups. The scarcity of health centers in some barangays contributes on problems like this.
5. Improve Maternal Health – In developing countries maternal mortality declined or marginally from 480 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 450 per 100,000 live births in 2005. Despite of the partial improvement, I believe that women should not die in giving life. There is no concrete law that will guide women in their maternal rights and health and sometimes even the Catholic Church opposes the formulation of possible laws like the reproductive health bill that promotes the use of artificial contraception where the church is promoting the natural method of “contraception”.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases – Globally, the new HIV infection rate increases from an estimated peak of 3.5 million in 1996 to 2.7 million in 2008, a decline of 30%. In the case of the Philippines there increase in the population of people living with AIDS, and most of infected case were men who had same sex contact. The controversial Department of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral receives woes from the Catholic Church and other conservative groups when she gives away condom during Valentine’s Day.
7. Environmental Sustainability – MDG # 7 aims to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources. But during the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark last December shows that there are no concrete plans that will be implemented on the decrease of carbon emission in all states and countries by 2%, sadly there are no mitigation plans created along the guidelines for adaptation and policies. Philippines is one of the developing countries who faced the wrath of nature where Luzon submerge from heavy rainfalls during Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng. Hundreds died, wounded and lost their homes.
8. Global Partnership – the partnership of developed and developing countries should be open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system. But during the recession even the powerful and first-world countries suffers and encounter hardship in partnering with developing countries.
Sadly, while I am writing this blog reports on some polling machines were burned along with schools were it was delivered, while in some part of the country there people who died because of political rivalry. Most of us do vote because of political affinity, and we are missing the real issue in our country. I already have my candidates, but the most important is that instead naming my candidates here is having the statement that everyone should be having in their mind not only for the Filipinos, but everyone around the world and that is I vote for the eradication of hunger and poverty, I vote to achieve universal primary education, I vote for gender equality, I vote for a proper children and maternal health care, I vote to combat AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, I vote to have a sustainable environment, and I vote for a global partnership that we will gain peace and camaraderie among nations. How about you, what's your vote?
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