by Marshalley J. Ba
B qu
uia
iano
n , Nu
no
urr ai
a n L. Sahibil
& Judith M. de Guzman
Can theeree be genuine peace in Mindanao when
therre are people living in poverty? What is the
meaning of poverty for the ordinary people of
Jolo, Sullu? Our study sought to understand how
Muslims, Christtians, and Bad
djaos in Jolo makke
sense of poverty. Povertyy was defifined as a lack
or kawalan. The poor were described as sad
(malungkot) and miserable (kawawa). Poverty was
linked and described in a multittude of ways – as
economic, polliticall, social, and psychological. Do
the muldimensio
onaal meanings off poverty have
implications to peaceebuilding?
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Meaning Making in Mindanao
Poverty in Sulu
The province of Sulu has been regarded as one of the poorest and most underdeveloped
provinces in the Philippines (Human Development Network [HDN], 2008/2009; 2005). In
recent statistical surveys, Sulu emerged as one of the provinces with the most pronounced
conditions of poverty based on several indicators such as income level, malnutrition, life
expectancy, housing, and access to clean water and sanitation (“N. Samar, Sulu, Masbate,”
2008; HDN, 2008/2009; 2005).
And yet Sulu was not always poor. In the
early days, Sulu was a center of economic and
political power. The richness of Sulu’s natural
resources made it a major trading post in
Southeast Asia and a center of political
authority as seen through the institution
of the Sultanate of Sulu. However, several
historical events, such as the systematic
marginalization and minoritization of the
Muslim people in Mindanao, the consequent
rise of Muslim liberation movements and
armed conflict between the Philippine
government and these Muslim liberation
movements, have left the province mired
in poverty (HDN, 2005; Schiavo-Campo &
Judd, 2005; “Warrior Heritage Leaves Sulu,”
2005). Sulu’s socio-economic development
was stifled by the negative perceptions of the
province brought about by threats posed by
the presence of some groups involved with
entrepreneurial violence (“Sulu’s Peace and
Development Initiatives,” no date).
Thus, the poverty situation in Sulu can be
understood as strongly linked to the conflict
and security situation in the province. It
is within this context that we sought to
understand how ordinary people in Jolo, Sulu
make sense of poverty and in the process,
highlight the implications of these meanings
on peacebuilding in the region.
Ordinary People Making Sense of
Poverty
The Muslim, Christian, and Badjao residents
of Jolo, Sulu shared a common understanding
of poverty as involving multiple dimensions.
In particular, poverty was understood as
linked to the lack of an individual’s basic
needs particularly pera (money), pagkain
(food), bahay (house/home), and trabaho
(job). However, the Jolo participants did
not merely describe poverty as the lack
of basic necessities. In making sense of
poverty, they also highlighted the following
multiple dimensions of poverty: (1) poverty
as economic, (2) poverty as psychological,
(3) poverty as a weakness in character, (4)
poverty as social, and (5) poverty as political.
Research Process
Participants of this study consisted of 87
residents of Jolo, Sulu representing the
three major social groupings in the locality –
Muslims, Christians and Badjaos. We asked the
participants to answer the following questions:
(1) In your own opinion, what is poverty? (2)
How would you describe poverty? and (3)
What comes to your mind when you hear the
word poverty? Although the questionnaire
was originally written in Filipino, participants
were encouraged to use the language that
they are most comfortable with. More
importantly, they were free to provide
as many answers as they could. We then
encoded and translated the data to Filipino,
in order to facilitate comparisons across the
three social groups. In analyzing the data, we
read, re-read, sorted and re-sorted the data,
in order to find meaningful themes.
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Poverty is a Lack: Kawalan
Poverty was mainly seen as kawalan (lack)
and as paghihikahos (destitution). People
made sense of poverty by primarily referring
to people whom they considered “poor”
– the pobre (poor) and dukha (destitute).
Poverty was also understood as a lack, a
shortage, or a scarcity. This means that
people who are experiencing poverty are
seen as wanting for money or wanting for
food. The Jolo participants also understood
poverty in terms of poor people who have
no permanent place to stay and who lack
employment. The insufficiency of money
meant that poor people can hardly buy
food to be able to eat three times a day or
afford a place to stay, scarcely have proper
medication when sick, and can barely pay for
“People who are
experiencing poverty are
seen as wanting for money or
wanting for food.”
education. Having no permanent place to
stay meant that the poor have no recourse
but to live in slums, to transfer from one
house to another, or to live in the streets.
Batang-kalye (street kid) is a term used to
refer to kids who virtually grow up in the
streets. They are also sometimes labeled
Table 1. Poverty is a Lack
• Themes
• Responses
• The poor
• Pulubi (beggar), pobre (poor), dukha (destitute)
• Palaboy (vagabond, vagrant), batang kalye (street child)
• Iskwater (squatter)
• Poverty as lack, shortage, scarcity and
deprivation
• Patay-gutom (starving)
• Kapit sa patalim (clutching a knifeblade)
• Paghihikahos (hardship)
• Kagipitan (financial hardship)
• Isang kahig, isang tuka (whatever people earn for the day is barely enough for their daily needs)
• Uhaw at gutom (thirsty and hungry), isang beses lang kumakain sa isang araw (eats only once a
day), Hindi nakakain ng masarap (not able to eat delicious food), hunger
• Walang trabaho (unemployed), walang hanap-buhay (no source of income), walang pagkakakitaan
(no source of income), tambay (bum)
• Walang damit (no clothes)
• Walang pera (no money), namamalimos (begging), beggar
• Walang pamasahe (no fare money), walang baon (no allowance)
• Way sin (no money), way panyapi (no source of income), way panyap (no money)
• Kakulangan sa kagamitang pampaaralan, pang-ospital, at pangteknolohiya (lack of educational,
health, and technological materials and equipment)
• Walang sapat na nutrisyon (lack of nutrition), walang pambili ng gamot (no money to buy
medicines), malnutrition
• Walang edukasyon (no education), way iskol (not able to go to school), hindi marunong kung
paano pagsulat (does not know how to write), walang sapat na kaalaman (does not have enough
knowledge)
• Natutulog sa malamig na kalye (sleeps on the street), walang permanenteng tirahan (no
permanent home), butas-butas na tirahan (house has plenty of holes on it), nakatira sa bahay na
gawa sa kahon (house is made up of boxes), nakatira sa lansangan (lives on the street)
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Meaning Making in Mindanao