The Forbes list of the World’s Richest Persons for the year 2011 is now out. Familiar names and faces dominate the Top 10, with one woman securing a spot after a drought of several years.

Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim Helu is still the world’s richest man, adding $20.5 billion to his net worth last year, thanks to a stronger Mexican peso, rising stock market, and profitable investments by Helu’s conglomerate firm.

Next is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who also ranked 2nd to Helu in the 2010 World’s Richest list. Forbes Magazine says, however, that Bill Gates’ No. 2 position is due to his enormous philanthropic donations. It is estimated that Bill Gates has donated around one-third of his entire fortunes to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Had he not made those donations, his net worth would be around $80 billion, making him the world’s wealthiest man.

No. 3 is the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet. Buffet’s net worth is up $3 billion this year, largely due to the rise in stock value of his company Berkshire Hathaway.

The only woman on the list is Christy Walton, widow of John T. Walton, who was the son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. Her net worth stands at $26.5 billion.

Four Filipinos are on the billionaires list, up from two last year:

• #173 – Henry Sy ($5.8 billion);
• #512 – Lucio Tan ($2.3 billion);
• #540 – Andrew Tan ($2.2 billion);
• #1057 – Enrique Razon ($1.1 billion)

Top 10 World’s Richest Persons – 2011

#1. Carlos Slim Helu

Net Worth: $74 billion (up from $53.5 billion in 2010)
Age: 71
Fortune: Self made
Source: Telecom
Country of Citizenship: Mexico
Residence: Mexico City, Mexico
Industry: Communications
Marital Status: widowed, 6 children
Education: BA/BS, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

The world’s richest person for a second year in a row, the Mexican telecom mogul is also the year’s biggest gainer, having added $20.5 billion to his fortune and widened the gap between him and no. 2, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, to $18 billion. A 19% rise in the Mexican stock market, a stronger peso, and successful mining and real estate spinoffs from conglomerate Grupo Carso all contributed to the astonishing increase. He also merged his fixed-line telecom company into America Movil, Latin America’s largest wireless carrier; the Slim family stake in that holding accounts for 62% of his net worth. He has other holdings in retailer Saks and the New York Times.

#2. William Gates III

Net Worth: $56 billion (up from $50 billion)
Age: 55
Fortune: Self made
Source: Microsoft
Country of Citizenship: United States
Residence: Medina, Washington, USA
Industry: Software
Marital Status: Married, 3 children
Education: Dropout, Harvard University

Microsoft mogul, futurist and America’s richest person has, with help from billionaire buddy Warren Buffett, convinced nearly 60 of the world’s wealthiest to sign his “Giving Pledge,” promising to donate the majority of their wealth to charity either during their lifetime or after death. He is no longer the planet’s richest person, but that’s because he’s given away $30 billion to his foundation. The Gates Foundation, the world’s most influential charity, tackles tuberculosis and polio and funds famine-resistant crops to fight hunger. Gates holds 70% of his wealth in investment fund Cascade, dabbling in everything from autos to hedge funds to Mexican Coke bottler Femsa; the rest of his wealth is held in Microsoft stock.

#3. Warren Buffett

Net Worth: $50 billion (up from $47 billion)
Age: 80
Fortune: Self made
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Country Of Citizenship: United States
Residence: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Industry: Investments
Marital Status: widowed, remarried, 3 children
Education: MS, Columbia University; BA/BS, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Warren Buffett’s firm Berkshire Hathaway climbed more than 15% over the last year adding $3 billion to his to fortune. Along with bridge partner Bill Gates, the Oracle of Omaha is coaxing America’s richest to pledge half their fortunes to charity. “Too often a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner. The asset I most value, aside from health, is interesting, diverse and long-standing friends.” Buffett faked breathing problems when he was 12 so he could move back to Omaha from Washington, D.C., where his father was a freshman congressman. He had read every book about investing in stocks in the Omaha Public Library by the time he was 12. He met value investor Benjamin Graham at Columbia; bought textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965, and transformed it into massive holding company: food, insurance, utilities, industrials. Buffett acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion in 2009.

#4. Bernard Arnault

Net Worth: $41 billion (up from $27.5 billion)
Age: 62
Fortune: Inherited and growing
Source: Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH)
Country of Citizenship: France
Residence:Paris, France
Marital Status: Married; five children
Education: BA/BS, Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne

The Lord of Luxe easily retains title of richest European. Fortune surged by $13.5 billion as shares of his luxury good outfit, LVMH, rose by more than half over the past year thanks to strong demand for luxuries like Dom Perignon champagne, Cognac Hennessy, Tag Heuer watches and Louis Vuitton accessories, particularly in Asian markets like Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City. The group acquired 20% of Hermes last year. In March the Bulgari family transferred its majority holding in its brand to LVMH in exchange for LVMH shares and board seats. LVMH fired Christian Dior designer John Galliano after he apparently made anti-semitic remarks. Renaissance man also owns yacht builder Royal Van Lent, a hotel in Courchevel; has stakes in French retailer Carrefour and French tour operator Go Voyages.

#5. Larry Ellison

Net Worth: $39.5 (up from $28.0 billion)
Age: 66
Fortune: Self-made
Source: Oracle
Country of Citizenship: United States
Residence: Woodside, California, USA
Marital Status: Thrice divorced, remarried; two children
Education: Dropout, University of Chicago; Dropout, University of Illinois at Urbana

The Oracle chief sits atop a fortune that is $11.5 billion bigger than last year thanks to a 30% jump in the software company’s shares. In November, Oracle won a mud-slinging copyright infringement court battle against German software rival SAP worth $1.3 billion. SAP is contesting the outcome. Oracle has acquired 75 companies over the years worth $40 billion, and figured out a way to turn a profit on its latest big buy, Sun Microsystems, in 2010. One of the highest-paid executives in the U.S., Ellison reaped $960 million in compensation in the past five fiscal years, mostly from exercising stock options; he recently cut his salary to $1. Intends to give 95% of wealth to charity.

#6. Lakshmi Mittal

Net Worth: $31.1 billion (up from $28.7 billion)
Age: 60
Fortune: Inherited and growing
Source: Steel, ArcelorMittal ADS
Country of Citizenship: India
Residence: London, United Kingdom
Marital Status: Married, two children
Education: BA/BS, St Xavier’s College Calcutta

Net profits at his ArcelorMittal, world’s largest steel-maker, are up 18-fold to $2.9 billion in 2010 due to recovery in steel demand and higher margins. Group spun off its stainless steel unit into Aperam, a new listed company, and also acquired Canadian miner Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation. It has funded a 377-foot sculpture called ArcelorMittal Orbit in London’s Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics. Europe’s richest resident, he bought Alderbrook Park, a 340-acre country estate outside London, where he plans to build an eco-friendly country mansion for a reported $40 million. Daughter Vanisha acquired stake in Roc Capital Management, a New York hedge fund. Daughter-in-law Megha owns German fashion house Escada.

#7. Amancio Ortega

Net Worth: $31 billion (up from $25.0 billion)
Age: 74
Fortune: Self-made
Source: Zara
Country of Citizenship: Spain
Residence: La Coruna, Spain
Marital Status: Married; three children

Amancio Ortega stepped down as chairman of Inditex, the $15.8 billion (sales) fashion firm in January; he still gets 87% of his fortune from his stake in the publicly traded firm. The company, which operates under several brand names including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, has 5,000 stores in 77 countries. Ortega also owns properties in Florida, Madrid, London and Lisbon, a horse-jumping circuit, a stake in a soccer league; and has interests in gas, tourism and banks. Railway worker’s son, he started as a gofer in a shirt store. With then-wife Rosalia Mera, also a billionaire, started making dressing gowns and lingerie in living room. Daughter Marta works for Inditex.

#8. Eike Batista

Net Worth: $30 billion (up from $27.0 billion)
Age: 54
Fortune: Self-made
Source: Mining, Oil
Country of Citizenship: Brazil
Residence: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Marital Status: Divorced, two children
Education: Dropout, RWTH Aachen University

Brazil’s richest man is gearing up to take over the world. Making a play for foreign investors, Batista announced this year the opening of an office in New York and his intention to list some of his companies on the London Stock Exchange. Through his holding company, EBX, Batista controls businesses spanning mining, shipbuilding, energy, logistics, tourism and entertainment. After months of discussions, he was triumphant in February in taking control of Canadian gold outfit Ventana. Two-thirds of his fortune comes from OGX, the oil-and-gas exploration company he founded in 2007 and took public a year later. In rare recent setback, his planned IPO for his shipbuilding business (OSX), meant to be the world’s largest IPO in 2010, was a disappointment and has had a lukewarm reception in the Brazilian market. The son of Brazil’s revered former mining minister who presided over mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce got his start in gold trading and mining. Onetime champion offshore powerboat racer; formerly married to Playboy cover girl. In media interviews he’s been warning Carlos Helú Slim that he’ll soon take his spot as the world’s richest man, but he still has a long way to go.

#9. Mukesh Ambani

Net Worth: $27 billion (down from $29.0 billion)
Age: 53
Fortune: Inherited and growing
Source: Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas
Country of Citizenship: India
Residence: Mumbai, India
Marital Status: Married, three children
Education: Dropout, Stanford University; BA/BS, University of Bombay

His oil and gas conglomerate Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company, just forged a partnership with BP, selling 30% stake in 23 oil blocks in India for $7.2 billion and forming a marketing joint venture. The deal is being touted as one of biggest foreign investments in India. He’s also betting on shale gas, having bought stakes in three American energy firms for $3.3 billion last year. He and wife Nita host parties at their recently completed 27-story sky palace in Mumbai, but have still to move in permanently.

#10. Christy Walton and family

Net Worth: $26.5 billion (up from $22.5 billion)
Age: 56
Fortune: Inherited
Source: Wal-mart
Country of Citizenship: United States
Residence: Jackson, Wyoming, USA
Marital Status: Widow, one children

The widow of John Walton inherited her wealth after the former Green Beret and Vietnam war medic died in an airplane accident near his home in Wyoming 2005. Now world’s richest woman, she got an extra bump in her fortune because of her late husband’s early investment in First Solar; shares up nearly 500% since 2006 initial public offering. But bulk still comes from her holdings in Wal-Mart, the retailer founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. Today Wal-Mart has sales of $405 billion, and employs more than 2.1 million people. The philanthropist supports museums, education and organic gardening.

Source: Forbes

              Poverty is the condition of having an insufficient amount of resources or income, the primary factors that may lead to poverty is over population, the present trend of population growth in our country is quite alarming, it can be noted that more young people engage in early marriage and premarital affairs, also customs and traditions that promote big families likewise contribute to increase in population.

               

        In developing societies where technologies advances very slowly, rapid population growth usually means lower per capital income growth, this results in small savings and massive property; population growth also may create problems in economics, and because of the population growth enrollment in the primary, elementary and high schools levels will increase, the budget for the education of the youth should also increase ; a rapid in population may result to increase of pollutants and this came from waste products from factories, garbage from houses and human waste may be found in waterways, unemployment of the head of the family will result to the members of the family suffering from hunger, children may be compelled to look for jobs, thus school drop outs may increase, unemployment also may lead to juvenile delinquency, crime rates may increase, shanties in urban areas may multiply and lead to overcrowding. And if there will be less job opportunities for the population then it will be difficult for many to build their own houses especially in crowded cities, people will have no choice but to build houses everywhere like near the river or beside the roads since they will not be able to afford owning a descent house.

              

      Since the issue of poverty creates huge problems especially in over populated areas , it is important that government should create a better solution, they should create a better program for the people that can help for they can be guided or given an information about the problem that we faced today. 




 --- Lilibeth Español

Many says that poverty is not a hindrance to success, but if we come to think of it, poverty is really a number one factor that hinders to success.

There are people who reached their goal because of their struggles and sacrifices that they made in order to be free from poverty. And there were once also that was given an opportunity of those people who are compassionate at heart in order to reach their goals in life, because for them it was an untiring goal to achieve.

For some they don't believe that poverty is not a hindrance to success, like the picture that was shown above. We can't say that poverty is not a hindrance, of course it is and it will always be, and its up to the person how to manage himself and go with the flow in oder to succeed.

--- Jorelie Bautista

Nowadays, the country is experiencing to much poverty causing a lot of Filipino to experience lack of Physical and Biological needs.. We, people have seen and observe this kind of problem in our country, and even in the other country experienced  this big big problem whom nobody, no one can solve ….. 

In this photo a boy stands beside a push cart full of scrap materials collected on the streets in Quezon City Metro Manila, We can relate that nobody can’t escape in this problem. Many families are suffering; more families can’t afford to feed themselves... Have you asked yourself what’s the main cause of this? Or Have you encounter this kind of problem? , then who can solved this problem? Do we have the solution? Until how years & decades are we going to experienced this?  Yes, We are very lucky compared to them, We can eat 3 times a day, but have you realized that there are Filipino people who suffered and find there ways  just to sustain their daily  needs? “POVERTY can be compared to a contagious disease, It can be passing generation to generation if cannot be cured”… 

We should not only speak but we must do an action to stop/prevent Poverty from coming, yet, we can’t solve this entire problem, but we must do and help each other as one “Action speaks louder than Words’’ and “ Every problem has a Solution’’

--- Erika M. Olivar 

EMINENT EGO OF POVERTY

Change is inevitable as well as poverty. Have you not asked about this social virus?  Or, have you remembered any president in our government who try to solve this enigma? The only thing we can remember about our respected presidents was their promises aligned with their platforms. Indeed, poverty still exists and is the antagonist of our economy. Poverty is slowly attacking every human endeavor. It does not choose its victim regardless of your social status whether you are a prominent person or you belong in an indigent family. In totality, it reached millions or even billions of dollars had been spent just to decline it yet, no positive effects had been seen. Wealthy nations in the first world category were not able to cite a solution and how much more our country? No one has solved and will solve poverty unless the venom of corruption will loss its toxic.

This picture does not convey a denotative explanation but rather, it connotes what is the current situation of our society. It concurs to the consensus that poverty is everywhere. Lastly, it synthesize that poverty in our country has surpassed our expectations. In order to concretize its message, according to the Philippine Statistics 2006, 32.9%(2006 est) of Filipinos belong to below poverty line. Furthermore, in the report of CIA World FactBook, Philippines has a total public debt of $104.59 billion in 2006 or in Philippine money, more than 4 trillion and is increasing annually. In addition, according to United Nations, Philippines is still a member of Third World Countries which vividly implies that the poverty situation in our country is getting worst and rampant in every locality. In relation, this picture is a single representation that summarizes the Philippines situation. It illustrates that poverty is such an unbeatable foe that neither laws and regulations nor wealth can jeopardize it. This picture is one of the few who tries to open the eyes of every Filipino about the power of poverty. The worst thing of this picture is that, it bespeaks the hidden reality that it is not only the older ones who will suffer but, the next generation shall inherit this shame and burden. If this will happen, expect nothing for the next Filipino civilization will be demolish for poverty will vanish our grandeur existence in the book of history.

I may have laid too much definition in this picture but it is because, I want is it to be valid for you to be convinced. As a whole, this picture elicits that there is only one problem that must be conquered and that is POVERTY. Hundreds of solutions were pointed out however; no single crusade had been launched. Sooner or later, we shall see the regime of poverty and it is we humans who will become the errand of sufferings.  We should stop acting as if we are innocent for the real suspects are humans. Let us all remember that poverty is unpredictable but remember also, it is not applicable that poverty cannot be solved. Let us not wait that poverty will dominate for we were warned of the eminent ego of poverty.

 --- Justy Tuquib

Poverty leads people to be criminals, especially in the Philippines. Let’s face the painful truth that some our brothers and sisters are hungry, some don’t have any shelter, some don’t have anything that will cover their bodies. How can we end this situation that they’re suffering?

     In this photo above, you can see how children are used to ask people for money not only the young child carrying a ...baby in her arms which in many cases is done on purpose for begging purposes you can also see on the top left an adult pulling a child’s arm to put out her hand to beg. A lot of the begging is professional and staged in a way to entice money out of people. In some cases, children are used by their own parent, that’s reality. Sad to say that people nowadays, will do everything just for them to live without knowing they are hurting their children. In other cases, some syndicate encouraged kids to go and ask for money by targeting the people they want the kids to approach. They know people are more likely to give to a child over an adult and thus it goes from poverty to a business operating on it. Poverty kills innocent people, some are just victims. Back to this photo, these children are living with nothing. I mean, they’re supposed to go to school and learn, they’re supposed to play outside and be with their family. But instead of going out, they’re in the middle of the street begging for something. Something that will fill their stomach and for their young ones. It’s the sad reality here in our country. Our government said they will do something about it, but it’s just their words and I think, until now, they’re doing nothing.

There are a lot of reasons why people in our country live in poverty despite the abundant resources present. The most common reason is the attitude of the people towards the environment and the lack of knowledge regarding the proper care for these resources. I just hope, time will come that these people that are in the state of poverty will soon overcome their suffering. 

---- Kris Cañete  ♥

 

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