First of two parts

When a teaching module of the Department of Education (DepEd) portrayed a farmer’s family as poverty-stricken, there was a howl of protests from some educators, politicians and members of the media. The sad reality is that despite their protestations, the caricature is a depiction of the actual condition of our farmers and fishermen on the ground. Two out of three poor Filipinos in the country reside in rural areas. The poorest of the poor Filipinos belong to the ranks of farmers and fishermen.