Tagle: Where’s poor in inclusive growth?

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has called attention to the widening poverty in the Philippines even as it urged Catholics to increase their involvement in the welfare of the poor to fulfill inclusive growth.

Speaking at a conference on integral development and social responsibility here on Thursday, Tagle said the poverty level in the country remained the same, after the government realized a 7-percent growth in the national economy.

“Poverty is widening so what kind of growth was that? Who benefits from the growth? Is that real growth if does not benefit the bigger portion of society, the poor?” he said.

Knowing right and wrong

Tagle addressed more than 300 leaders from nongovernment organizations, business chambers and civil society, people’s and religious groups gathered by the Archdiocese of San Fernando.

Citing the views of St. John Paul II and Pope Francis who wrote on social realities, Tagle said working for inclusive growth “requires an ethic-inspired view of society, economy and development,” which means knowing what actions and values are right and wrong.

“There is a form of giving that dehumanizes the recipients. There is a type of giving that violates the recipients because it is not an act of love towards them. It is really trapping the recipients into a senseless gratitude,” Tagle said.

He said achieving inclusive growth should not be treated as a sociological and political endeavor.

“It’s theological. Our motivation is God. We don’t need an ideology to promote an economy of inclusion,” he said.

Focus on reality

Tagle urged leaders to heed Pope Francis’ view that “reality is greater than ideas.” This, he said, is a “way to focus on our hearts and allowing our consciousness to be moved by reality. These are persons, not numbers, categories. They are persons like us with feelings, dreams, hurts and dignity.”

Because the poor are often left behind, the cardinal said he wondered whether or not those who craft antipoverty policies and programs mingle with or learn from the poor.

Commitment to growth

“Personal encounters could make us more committed to inclusive growth and be more creative in finding responses and solutions to causes of exclusion,” Tagle said, particularly calling attention to urban poverty and overseas migration.

In the same conference, social housing advocate Antonio Meloto and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo gave insights on how to solve poverty.

Making poor people partners have better success rates in poverty alleviation, they said. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon