Huge Debts Drives Man To Kill Self In Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 26, 2008) – A Filipino man despondent over his huge financial debts climbed up a tall billboard sign in Davao City and then leaped to his death, police said.

Police identified the man as Ricky Villar, a native of Compostela Valley, who arrived in Davao City for a still unknown reason. He committed suicide on Friday.

A long list of names whom the man owed money was found by police investigators from his wallet, including two hundred pesos. Police gave no other details about the man, except, that he had was believed to be heavily indebted.

Poverty in the Philippines is widespread and many Filipinos blamed poor governance and President Gloria Arroyo, who is extremely unpopular, for high prices of basic commodities and oil.

A United Nations report published recently by The Manila Times said social and economic development in the Philippines remains uneven and poverty continues to be characterized by widespread disparities across regions and population groups.

The report said compared with other East Asian and Southeast Asian neighbors, poverty reduction in the Philippines has lagged far behind that of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and China which started with higher levels of poverty incidence than the country, but have successfully managed to lessen, if not virtually eliminate, extreme poverty.

According to the report, there were 27.6 million poor Filipinos in 2006, a 3.8-million increase from the 2003 data. Government statistics showed that the country’s population stood at 86 million as of 2007.

The highest poverty incidences, estimated at four times that of Metro Manila and accounting for one-third of the country’s total poor, are found in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Min¬danao (ARMM), Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Western Mindanao.

“Poverty continues to be a rural phenomenon,” the UN report said. It added that two out of every three Filipinos live in rural areas and are dependent on agriculture. “Poverty incidence among agricultural communities is roughly three times that of the rest of the population and the sector accounts for 60 percent of total poverty.”

Because of rural poverty, migration to urban areas has made the Philippines the fastest urbanizing country in Southeast Asia, with 55 million of its 86-million population, or 64 percent, living in urban areas. Thirty percent of the 64 percent live in slums.

As rural poverty incidence remains higher in absolute terms, the UN report said, urban poverty incidence increased from 17.9 percent in 1997 to 24.9 percent in 2003. Rural poverty incidence declined from 44.4 percent to 35.3 percent during the same period. (Romy Bwaga)