Foreword

Rosalinda Pineda Ofreneo, PhD

Amaryllis Tiglao-Torres, PhD

Poverty in the Eyes of Children

Excelsa C. Tongson

Abstract     Filipino preschool children’s views about poor people, and what they can do to help them are explored in this paper. Results show that children can make sense of the poor’s experiences with various forms of deprivation. Confined to short-term solutions, their responses about helping the poor are derived from observations of how their parents have provided assistance to hep them. This study recognizes children’s rights and their capabilities to express their views and participate in decision-making on matters that affect their society. Understanding poverty through the eyes of children who have not experienced poverty may inform our awareness on how they construct meanings that may have implications on how they regard the poor and the vulnerable; as well as how they may build alliances and partnerships with them to eradicate poverty, achieve sustainable communities, and create a world fit for children and future generations. Further research may be geared towards discovering the views of children from both urban and rural areas and indigenous communities, and of children experiencing poverty that inform not only the ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues confronting research with children but how actions can take shape in the social development arena.

Surviving in the City through Home Gardens: A Case Study of Home Gardeners in Barangay UP Campus

Teresa Villamor-Barrameda

Abstract   This article demonstrates the potential of home gardens as a food security strategy that could be adopted by urban residents and as a mechanism that could be integrated in resettlement plans and programs. It examines how gender relations are linked to food security and the right to food, as well as traces the historical development of small-scale home or communal gardens as responses to food insecurity in different localities and time periods. The case study featured in the article surfaces the voices of 13 women and men as they discuss about the economic, social, health, and nutrition benefits of home gardens to their households as well as the problems they face in gardening other peoples’ lots. It concludes that home gardens can be a sound strategy for food security in urban communities as well as in resettlements. It also asserts that, for home gardens to be sustainable mechanisms for urban food security, a strong people-government partnership should be forged and the participation of women in decision-making in such partnership should be taken into account since the majority of home gardeners are women.

Surfacing Gender Issues in Housing: Insights from a Case Study in Angono, Rizal

Rowena A. Laguilles

Abstract     This paper looked into the experiences of women from the Pambansang Kalipunan ng mga Manggagawang Impormal sa Pilipinas Home Owners’ Association (PATAMABA-HOA) in Angono, Rizal as they responded to their urban poor housing situations. It raised the question of housing issues as gendered, and focused on the need for a consistently gendered approach in ensuring housing for all. The case study employed qualitative data-gathering methods including the focus group discussion, key informant interview, and document review. Among the paper’s findings is that the housing policy approach of prioritizing the legalization of informal settlers over ensuring the quality of living conditions for the people greatly determines the gender issues found in women’s urban poor housing situations. It also found women organizing to be central in PATAMABA-HOA’s response as it made possible not only a nuanced understanding of housing issues but a truly community-led response that both challenges as well as provides an alternative approach to urban poor housing.  

Women, Cycling, and Sustainable Cities

Maritess D. Cruz

Abstract     Research shows that gender parity in cycling rates is a crucial indicator of a cycling-friendly city. However, encouraging women to cycle proves to be more complex than previously anticipated. Within the Philippine context, cycling adoption by women is made more challenging by intersecting inequalities brought about by their class, gender, and race; a top-down approach to urban transport development; and the high incidence of poverty. Through a review of related literature, the paper identifies safety of roads and public spaces, material and symbolic access to cycling, and women’s participation in transport governance as the key dimensions in promoting cycling as a transport mode to women in Metro Manila.  

Paths to Power: Case Studies of Filipino Women Transcending Dynastic Politics

Camille Genevieve M. Salvador

Abstract     This article presents case studies of four incumbent Filipino women politicians who are not members of any political dynasty, focusing on their backgrounds as these bring to light possible alternative paths that may also be open to other women. Highlighting their education, professional background, affiliations, and political and civic experience prior to their political careers, the article examines how the intersecting social identities arising from these factors have paved the way for their entry into politics. An important entry point for women is their involvement in the women’s movement and in various socio-civic organizations through which they gain the credentials that would allow them to be recognized as possible political candidates or leaders.  

Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this journal are solely the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the College of Social Work and Community Development.