De La Salle University-Manila

Rural-Urban Migration in the Philippines

Group 1
Submitted by:

Arce, Earl
Declaro, Zores
Frias, Cera
Osida, Rexwin
Wee, Dustin
Why do you think people continue to migrate from rural areas to urban areas despite the slim

chances of finding their ideal job? Explain.

People continue to migrate from rural areas to urban areas for the reason that rural areas

have poor living conditions, poor healthcare and education compared to urban areas, most likely

the rural areas are prone to natural disaster, lacks access to amenities despite the slim chances of

finding their ideal job in the urban areas they will still take the chance instead of settling with

what is in the rural area.

People residing in rural areas are dissatisfied with what they have even if the cost of

living is cheaper they still seek what the area lacks resulting them to migrate to urban areas, there

are no big industries in rural areas which can provide job opportunities compared to urban areas

where there are a lot of industries looking for employees and this provides better opportunity for

job seekers. The slim chances of finding their ideal job in urban areas is not really a factor for

them not to move because people who migrate from rural to urban just want to have a better job

earning enough to provide for themselves. A job that provides opportunity to learn, progress and

contribute to the organization is not what they really seek but a job that gives better incentives

and wage for them to cover their wants and necessities once they moved in to the urban area.

A big factor in the people’s movement from rural to urban are the failed attempts to help

develop the provincial areas. Take for instance the Hacienda Luisita incident. In connection to

the land reform act a piece of land in Hacienda Luisita was to be given to the farmers but due to

the conflict between the farmers and the Aquinos on Nov 16, 2004 a number of workers were
killed by military/police forces and the majority left wounded. The failure of the agrarian reform

lead to more damage to the people rather than serving its purpose of providing land in which

farmers may work and earn a living for their families.

Do you find this pattern in the case of the Philippines? Illustrate the important points by using

relevant data.

This pattern can be found in the Philippine context as the Philippines has been

undergoing rapid urbanization which continues to this day. Based from an article done by

UNESCO Bangkok (2017), the urban population increased at an annual average of 3.3% from

2000-2010. This makes the Philippines one of the fastest urbanizing countries in the Asia. In

2010, 41.9 million of the Philippine population lived in urban areas with cities accounted for

over 70% of the GDP of the country, (UNESCO Bangkok, 2017)

Urbanization has affected the structure and functions of the various social institutions in

the Philippines in a negative manner such that the unemployment and underemployment rate

have increased rapidly while wages have decreased during to uncontrolled migration and

inflation. Uncontrolled migration in the Philippines has also led to the proliferation of slums,

squatter areas and sidewalk shops. It because of uncontrolled migration that the urban poor are

experiencing hardships due to the high cost of living, financial difficulties, unstable jobs, lack of

capital, limited educational opportunities, inadequate health and sanitation, and a shortage of

housing (Sanidad-Leones, 2006).

with 28% of the total long-distance movers (1.4 million) from 2005-2010. Metro Manila

garnered 20% of total long distance movers, with Region III having 13% (CPH, 2010). The

rural-urban migration pattern effects also spills over the neighboring provinces of the highly

urbanized areas, as the provinces with a level of urbanization higher than the national level are

all located near and around the highly urbanized areas, namely Rizal (92.7%), Laguna (71.9%,

Bulacan (70.9%), Cavite (63.9%), Davao del Norte (63.1%), Negros Occidental (58.4%),

Pampanga (56.5%), South Cotabato (49.4%), and Bataan (48.4%) (POPCOM, 2010).

In the Philippines, I believe that there is also a pattern as to why people migrate from

rural to urban areas in search of a better future. One angle that can be looked upon would be the

low wage pay for the agricultural sector particularly the farmers that is why even they seek more

growth in the urban areas.According to (Dy,2019),”The average income of farmers (farm, off-

farm, and non-farm) would be around P100,000 a year.” This figure may look big in amount but

in reality if this is to be distributed among all our on farm farmers before their migration, it

would not be enough even for basic commodities. According to Bangkok Unesco, “Rural and

agricultural poverty has driven internal migrants to seek opportunities in urban areas (IOM

2013). Agriculture’s share in total employment declined from 43% to 27.7% between 1991 and

2017 (World Bank 2018), and its contribution to the country’s GDP dropped from 23.2% in 1990

to 13.9% in 2010 (IOM 2013) and 9% in 2017 (Philippines Statistics Authority 2017)”. This can

be seen as one of the reasons why people like these farmers seek a better future for their families

and they would give their all just to be able to go to the cities.
 In a statement made by Charles Buban, he states that “The Metropolitan Manila

Development Authority in 2010 has estimated that there are already 2.8 million informal settlers

—that’s 556,526 families—living in Metro Manila. Of this number, 104,000 families are

occupying areas identified by the Department of the Interior and Local Government as danger

zones, such as railroad tracks, garbage dumps, canals, rivers and creeks”(Buban,2015). In

relation to this, the increasing number of informal settlers would be a result of the migration of

people from rural areas to urban areas in search for a better future without knowing that the risk

they will take is not for everyone. In a brief description made by Bangkok Unesco, “Internal

migrants in the Philippines constitute a significant population. Approximately 2.9 million

Filipinos changed residence between 2005 and 2010. 50.4% were long distance movers (had

changed province), 45.4 % were short distance movers (had changed city), and 4.2 % were

international immigrants (Philippines Statistics Authority 2012).” The number of long distance

mover is large in percentage compared to short distance movers as well as international migrants

and this has significantly affected urban areas due to overcrowding and the lack of housing for

these families.

REFERENCES
Buban, C. E. (2015, September 5). Informal settlements as new growth areas | Inquirer Business.

Retrieved from https://business.inquirer.net/198531/informal-settlements-as-new-growth-areas

Dy, R. (2017, April 11). How are Filipino farmers faring versus Thai farmers? Retrieved from

http://bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=how-are-filipino-farmers-faring-

versus-thai-farmers&id=143569

Overview of Internal Migration in Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://bangkok.unesco.org/sites/default/files/assets/article/Social and Human

Sciences/publications/philippines.pdf

Sanidad-Leones, C. (2006). The current situation of crime associated with urbanization:

problems experienced and countermeasures initiated in the Philippines. Resource Material

Series, (68).

Perez, J. A., Iii. (n.d.). Filipinos on the move: Current patterns and factors of internal migration

in the Philippines[POPCOM Philippines].

Olea, R. V., Luisita, Luisita, Luisita, Philsteel, & Pilipinas. (2010, August 15). The Hacienda

Luisita Massacre: How It Happened. Retrieved from https://www.bulatlat.com/2004/11/28/the-

hacienda-luisita-massacre-how-it-happened/
UNESCO Bangkok. (2017). Overview of Internal Migration in Philippines. Retrieved from

https://bangkok.unesco.org/sites/default/files/assets/article/Social%20and%20Human

%20Sciences/publications/philippines.pdf