Poverty Must Never Become a Recruitment Tool

I know what it means to be angry about poverty. As a former rebel, I also know how that anger can be used. The Filipino people are oppressed. The government has failed. The system is the problem. Therefore, revolution is the answer. I once believed that story and even fought for it. Now, I know Filipinos deserve better.

The latest figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that poverty incidence fell from 15.5 percent in 2023 to 9.7 percent in 2025, equivalent to about 11.08 million Filipinos. Among families, poverty incidence declined to 6.4 percent, or around 1.90 million families. PSA also reported that mean annual per-capita income grew by 22 percent between 2023 and 2025, faster than the 5.5 percent increase in the poverty threshold.

That is real progress. But it does not mean every Filipino family is living comfortably. The official poverty threshold is a statistical measure, not necessarily a guarantee of a decent standard of living. Its critique highlights the gap between simply being above the poverty line and actually being able to afford food, housing, transportation, education, healthcare and other necessities.

We should take that concern seriously. But there is another danger we should take just as seriously. Legitimate economic hardship can be turned into a recruitment tool.

I know this because I once saw it from inside the Communist Party of the Philippines. Poverty, inequality and frustration can become the starting point of a narrative that tells young people that the government is inherently the enemy and that armed revolution is the only path to justice. Only years after that I would realize that that is a false choice.

We should demand more from the government. Families need decent and stable jobs, better wages, productive agriculture, stronger Filipino industries and reliable public services. Assistance programs can help families survive, but lasting poverty reduction means creating opportunities that allow people to build secure lives on their own.

At the same time, we must teach young Filipinos to question every political narrative, including those presented in the name of the poor. They should examine evidence, challenge claims and ask whether armed struggle has actually delivered the liberation and prosperity it promised. Poverty must never be dismissed, but neither should it be weaponized against the poor.

The goal should not simply be to move people across a statistical threshold. It should be an economy where families can afford a decent life without having to depend on political patrons, dole-outs or the New People’s Army promising a better future.

Former rebels once believed that revolution was the answer to poverty, but we know better now. The Filipinos do not need another revolution. They need the opportunity to build a life worth fighting for, peacefully.