What does it mean...

What does it mean when around 1 million Pilipinos leave the Philippines every year?

This was the first question posed in the video and it struck me because it sheds light on some of the most fundamental issues facing the Philippines every year. In addition to rampant poverty, government aide to the least fortunate has often been stymied and blocked. This has led young families to relocate every year in hopes of achieving the life that is beyond their grasp in their homeland. As a Pilipino-American and a beneficiary of parents who sought that same dream, I am often perplexed as to how I can be more effective in alleviating these issues beyond simply being aware of the problems in the first place. Sustainable solutions to these issues are not simply created via political and economic theorists and experts because much of the problems can also be attributed to the cultural and religious perspectives of the Philippines. As a college student, I am constantly bombarded, every day, with the many issues that California and the US face every day and with the globalization of economies, everything seems to be more interconnected then ever. Yet, it also puts into perspective the many privileges that come with living in a developed country. In order to complain about rising tuition and fee hikes, there had to be accessible education in the first place in and order to combat the privatization of our university system, it had to be public first as well. These things are often lost in translation to begin with but it sheds light on the dire situation that exists in the Philippines. To be honest, I don't have much of a solution at the moment - it is difficult to hypothesize one when you live 4,000 miles away - but acknowledging the problem is always the first step. Hopefully we can all figure out a way to make that next step....