Abstract
Wallerstein (1979, p. 119) posed these intellectual–moral questions more than three decades ago: ‘I would phrase the intellectual questions of our time—which are the moral questions of our time—as follows: (1) Why is there hunger amidst plenty, and poverty amidst prosperity? (2) Why the many who are afflicted do not rise up against the few who are privileged, and smite them?’
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Notes
- 1.
In September 2011, President Aquino reported before the UN-MDG Summit that his government had reduced the poverty incidence of the Philippines from 31 percent to 28 percent. But six months before that meeting, the National Census and Statistical Board redefined what constituted the poverty food basket, by eliminating meat and oil from it, in effect reducing the amount of money needed to fulfill the poverty threshold.
- 2.
Mobilization by the NGOs and CBOs led to the decriminalization of unauthorized occupation of lands through the enactment of Republic Act 8368 of 1997, repealing PD 772.
- 3.
Development corridors according to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) is a response to the call for an innovative strategy for spatial development to support the goal of inclusive growth of the Philippine government (NEDA 2015).
- 4.
For example, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) provided loans to the Philippine government but built in partnership with Japanese construction and engineering companies.
- 5.
For privacy, I chose to disguise the name of the company.
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Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to two research projects for providing relevant information: (1) Coastal Cities at Risk: International Research Initiative on Climate Change with support from the Manila Observatory, Ateneo de Manila University, and the International Development Research Center (IDRC), and (2) Climate Change Adaptation to Medium- and Long-Term Planning with support from the Asia Pacific Network: Global Environmental Change.
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Porio, E. (2016). Prosperity and Inequality in Metro Manila: Reflections on Housing the Poor, Climate Risk, and Governance of Cities. In: Banpasirichote Wungaeo, C., Rehbein, B., Wun'gaeo, S. (eds) Globalization and Democracy in Southeast Asia. Frontiers of Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57654-5_9
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