The State of The Nation

The Philippines continues to be weighed down by problems that cut across a broad spectrum: economic, social, political and environmental. These concerns continue to mitigate whatever efforts there are by both public and private sectors to adequately provide Filipinos with a decent way of life.. Perhaps the biggest burden of the Filipinos is poverty, which affects roughly 70% of the entire population. Directly linked to this social concern is the education of the Filipino children and youth, or lack thereof. This crisis has not only deprived a great number of Filipino children with their basic right, but has also seriously jeopardized their opportunities to earn a living in the future. In an excerpt from a 2006 Philippine education situation report by the non-government organization KAAKBAY Citizens’ Development Initiatives (KAKBAY CDI), it revealed that: