Showing posts with label slum. Show all posts

Ang Arenolang Pitsel sa Buhay Ko

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Noon ay may napanood ako sa pelikula ni Dophy tungkol sa arenolang ginamit na pitsel upang timplahan ng gin, kalamansi at ice. Totoo palang nangyayari talaga dahil nadanasan ko nang pasyalan ko ang isang kaibigan sa Baseco Compound (Tondo)….umiinom pa ako noon ng alak.

Tuwang-tuwa ang kaibigan ko nang dumating ako na may dalang pulutang tulingan. Niluto sa gata ang tulingan upang may pang-ulam din ang mga bata. Habang nagluluto kami ay may kinuha siyang arenola….at nang mapansing gusto kong magtanong, siya na mismo ang nagsabing, “malinis ito, pare”.  Nagpabili ako ng tatlong beer grande at ice na inilagay namin sa arenola. May dumating na dalawa pa naming kaibigan, tadtad din ng mga tattoo ang mga katawan, yong isa ay Nazareno ang tattoo sa likod.

Dahil apat kaming uminom ng beer mula sa arenola ay hindi inabot ang laman ng kalahating oras, pero napansin kong patingin-tingin sa loob nito ang misis ng kaibigan ko at nang mapansing kaunti na lang ang laman ay kumuha siya ng tabo at doon inilipat ang laman. Dinala niya sa loob ng kuwarto ang arenola at may narinig akong sumasagitsit na tunog at isa pang tunog na parang tubig na bumabagsak….umihi pala ang misis sa arenola. Maya-maya ay lumabas at sabay sa matamis niyang ngiti sa mister ay inabot ang arenola na may takip na tuwalya. Lumabas ito at itinapon sa malapit na kanal ang laman at dumaan muna sa isang di-kalayuang gripo at binanlawan ang arenola.

Pagdating sa umpukan namin ay inilagay ang arenola sa gitna, sabay sabing, “o…isa pang set”, ibig sabihin ay maglalagay uli ng tatlong beer at ice sa arenola. Hindi pinag-usapan kung anong ginawa sa arenola habang nag-iinuman uli kamo. Basta nang dumating ang pinabiling beer at ice ay itinuloy namin ang inuman na naging masaya pa dahil may nahiram kaming gitara. Ang una naming kinanta ay, “May Pulis sa Ilalim ng Tulay” na itinuro ko sa kanila…maraming binanggit sa kanta tulad ng aso, PC, Navy, pati Malakanyang, kaya tuwang-tuwa sila. (Isi-share ko ang mga lyrics ng kanta sa susunod na blog).

Dahil ayaw nila akong pauwiin pa, ay sa bahay na rin ng kaibigan ko ako natulog….tabi-tabi kami sa sala, katabi rin si “Burdagol” na aso nila. Okey lang dahil kinabukasan ay Linggo kaya walang pasok. Yong curious kung “sino” ako sa kanila, pwedeng mag-pm.

ANG IBA’T IBANG URI NG KAHIRAPAN                                                        

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Nakakakita na ngayon ng iba’t ibang uri ng kahirapan dahil sa internet. I-google search lang image of poverty o slums ay lalabas na ang mga larawan. Subalit iba ang aktuwal na nakikita…iba ang epekto. Dahil sa mga karanasan ko, masasabi ko na ang kahirapan ay mayroong iba’t ibang uri or mukha, tulad ng sumusunod:

Hindi lahat ng naghihirap ay nanlilimahid ang ayos. Kahit ang mga nakatira sa bangketa o kariton ay nagpipilit na maging malinis. Ang mga hindi naglilinis ng katawan kaya nanggigitata dahil sa animo ay “grasa” na naghalong pawis at alikabok ay ang mga nawalan ng katinuan ng pag-iisip dahil nalipasan ng gutom. Nakakabili na kasi ngayon sa ukayan ng mga damit sa halagang Php10 kaya kahit naghihirap na namamasura ay may kakayahang bumili.

May nai-blog ako noong mag-ina na ang nanay ay nagtitinda sa bangketa at doon na rin siya natutulog nang nakaupo. Ang anak namang dalagita na nag-aaral sa kolehiyo ay sa maliit na kuwartong inupahan nila sa di kalayuan. Sa sobrang liit ng kuwarto na 6feet by 10feet, halos mapuno na ito ng mga gamit nila. Halos hindi na rin makagalaw ang anak na babae sa loob ng kuwarto kung siya ay magbibihis. Single mom ang nanay.

Ang nakakabilib ay malinis ang ayos ng mag-ina, makinis ang kutis ng anak dahil alaga niya ang kaniyang katawan, lalo pa nga at siya ay estudyante, kahit wala siyang ginagamit na pampakinis ng balat. Kinunan ko sila ng retrato pati ang inuupahang maliit na kuwarto at ang puwesto nila sa bangketa.

Sa halip na matuwa dahil sa kuwento ng buhay nila na puno ng pagsisikap, ang isang kaibigan na nakakabasa ng blogs ko at madalas magpadala ng tulong ay nagtanong kung talaga bang naghihirap sila dahil “mukha namang maayos ang kanilang hitsura”….na ikinabigla ko dahil marami akong ini-post na larawan pati ang kuwarto at puwesto sa bangketa. Para bang hindi nag-iisip ang kaibigan ko. Ang gusto yata niya, basta mahirap, dapat ay nanlilimahid na o marumi ang katawan at yan ang dapat batayan sa pagbigay ng tulong. Ibig sabihin, kung “maayos” ang hitsura ay hindi na deserve ang tulong. Ang mga sumunod na padala ng kaibigan ko ay hindi ko na tinanggap.

Maraming taong tulad ng nabanggit kong kaibigan. Sila yong naghahanap ng kadamay sa kanilang pagdurusa. Dahil sila ay nalulungkot, ang gusto nila ay malungkot din ang mga kaibigan nila o ibang tao. May problema sa buhay ang kaibigan ko…iniwan ng asawa dahil sa kayabangan kaya mahilig mamintas o manglibak. Nang marinig ng asawang nilibak nito ang magulang niyang “no read, no write” iniwan siya at binitbit pa ang kanilang mga anak!

ANTONETTE…NAKADANAS MANGALAKAL AT

TUMIRA SA BANGKETA, NGAYON AY ESKOLAR SA KOLEHIYO

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Si Antonette ay nag-iisang anak ni Minda na nagtitinda ng kape, tinapay at tsitserya sa bangketa malapit sa Sta. Monica St. ng Ermita na nai-blog ko two days ago. Nahiya akong tanungin noong unang nag-usap kami kung single mom si Minda pero mabuti na lang at siya mismo ang nagsabi na maliit pa si Antonette ay namatay na ang tatay nito nang magkita kami uli. Bumalik ako sa puwesto ni Minda upang maghatid ng kumot at ilang gamit. Mabuti rin at napaunlakan ang pakiusap kong makita si Antonette kaya walang kaabug-abog na sindundo siya ni Minda mula sa inuupahan nilang maliit na kuwarto.

Sa mabilis na pag-uusap namin ni Antonette, nalaman kong eskolar pala siya, kaya sa isang semester ay mahigit lang ng kaunti sa sampung libong piso lang binabayaran sa Universidad de Manila subalit malaki ang nagagastos pa rin sa mga project at iba pang requirements para sa kurso niyang Business Administration. Ang allowance niya sa isang araw ay 150pesos. Second year na siya at napansin ko ang hawak niyang lumang cellphone na inamin niyang ginagamit niya sa kanyang pag-research. Tulad ng ginagawa ng ibang mga kinakapus na estudyante, naghahanap siya ng libreng wifi site upang makapag-browse. Hindi nila kaya ang bayad sa internet café na ang singil ay hindi bababa sa 30pesos kada oras. Hindi ko na tinanong kung saan galing ang cellphone dahil baka isipin niyang masyado akong maurirat.

Nang makiusap ako kung pwede akong sumama sa kanya sa inuupahan nilang kuwarto ay malugod niya akong pinagbigyan. Mula sa puwesto ng nanay niya ay nilakad namin ang di-kalayuang kanto ng Sta. Monica at pumasok kami sa isang maliit na sidestreet. Naalala ko ang mga eskinita sa Baseco compound na pinapasok ko habang binabaybay namin ang eskinitang maputik at sa isang gilid ay mga barung-barong. Akala ko, nang pumasok kami sa isang maliit na pinto, nandoon na ang kuwarto. Ang ground floor ay marami ring maliliit na kuwarto. Pumasok pa kami sa isang maliit na pinto bago itinuro ni Antonette ang butas sa itaas na animo ay manhole lang sa laki. Ito ang “lulusutan” papunta sa “second floor”.

Sa tabi ng matarik o halos patayong hagdan papunta sa “second floor” ay may isa pang kuwarto na ang pinakatakip ay kurtina. Hahawiin ko sana out of curiosity kung hindi ko narinig ang, “may tao pa kuya”….CR pala! Unang “lumusot” si Antonette sa butas papunta sa “kuwarto” niya at sumunod ako. Dahil sa kalakihan ko ay halos hindi ako kasya at kinabahan pa ako dahil sa dulas ng matarik na hagdanang gawa lang sa maliliit na pinagtagpi-tagping kahoy.

Ang kuwarto ay talagang maliit. Kung ako siguro ang hihiga sa loob ay nakalabas ang mga paa ko sa pinto. Para lang itong malaking cabinet. Walang bintana at ang pinanggagalingan ng hangin ay isang maliit na electric fan.  Ang upa sa kuwarto ay 1,500 pesos isang buwan, libre nga lang ang tubig at ilaw kaya pinagtitiyagaan ng mag-ina. Ang nakakabahala lang ay kung magkaroon ng sunog. Siguradong lahat ng nakatira sa lugar na yon ay masasawi.

Nang bumalik ako kay Minda, tinanong ko siya kung bakit wala halos siyang paninda ganoong maaga pa. Wala raw siyang pambili at ayaw pa muna siyang pautangin ng Bombay at nagpaparinig pa daw ito na mahirap maningil kaya dapat ay magbayad pa daw muna siya ng balance. Nag-alala nga daw siya dahil sa sinabi ng anak na aabot na sa mahigit 600pesos ang mga kailangan para sa kanyang mga kailangan sa eskwelahan. Mabuti na lang at hindi ko pa nagastos ang 500pesos na pambili sana ng mga payong kaya inabot ko na muna sa kanya upang magamit nila. Pati ang payong na gamit ko ay iniwan ko kay Antonette dahil wala pala itong payong. Dahil kulang na ang pamasahe ko pauwi sa Cavite, pinagkasya ko ang mga barya hanggang sa Buendia (Pasay) at dahil umuulan ay patakbu-takbo ako upang makarating sa bahay ng isang kaibigan na inutangan ko ng pera para magamit sa pagbili ng mga payong sa Baclaran bago umuwi sa Cavite. Mabuti na lang at inabot ko ang kaibigan kong paalis na sana kung hindi bumagsak ang ulan. Ang mga payong ay para sa mga pinangakuan kong mga estudyante noon pa, at ang iba ay pambenta ng mag-asawang may sanggol na nakilala ko sa Luneta.

Babalikan ko sina Minda upang dalhin kay Antonette ang mga gamit na naitabi ko na magagamit niya tulad ng laptop bag dahil ang ginagamit niya ay maliit na backpack lang….

Crimes Are Not the Brainchild of the Impoverished

...as what the “comfortables” insist!

By Apolinario Villalobos

It is like the vicious cycle which has no clear answer, as to which came first, the egg or the chicken. There’s a popular belief that poverty creates crime, as the need of the impoverished to survive forces him to earn via crimes. But what has not been taken into consideration is the “second party” or the people who “use” the impoverished for their selfish motive. Simply put, drug lords organize “educated pushers” to explore the impoverished areas to recruit “uneducated runners”, as well as, entice the gullible residents – young and old to be hooked to illegal drug.

In my long years of association with those living in depressed areas, I learned and observed personally that they can go by with even just one meal a day. Committing crime is far from their mind as they are a contented lot. But when illegal drugs entered their life, and they became hooked to them, they were forced to find ways and means to “earn” so that they can go on with their newly-found habit. In this regard, some of them learned easy-to-earn trades such as snatching, sex peddling or hooking, shoplifting, killing for a fee, petty burglary and drug-running. When they came to Manila, they had no vices except occasional drinking. Foremost in their mind was to work hard with part of their earnings to be sent back home to their families. But, then, well-to-do and impressively educated newfound friends gave them ideas how to earn fast and live comfortably in the city.

It should also be noted that in far-flung provinces, life is very simple. Having vegetables and rice for meals is not considered a way of the impoverished. Students walk their way to school. Life is laid back. But when illegal drug is introduced into communities, some of which still have no street lights, a drastic change occurred in the life of the “probinsiyanos”. In this regard, some news heard over the radio and seen as broadcast on TV are about unknown barrios and towns with drug dens raided by authorities, and drug pushers cornered and caught red-handed with marked money!

Illegal drugs are residues of progress. For people to enjoy progress, heavy prices must be paid ...with the future of the youth that goes puff with every sniff of the melted crystals... or, with the crumpled values and honour, long nurtured in the heart of the gullible squatting residents and “probinsiyanos”.

On the other hand, if one insists that poverty creates crime, he is like saying that there are drug laboratories in slums, or the poor can afford to buy and hoard high-powered guns, or they have immense garages for luxury cars used in delivering drugs to avoid detection, or they can afford to organize high-end concerts akin to “tiyangges” so that imported drugs can be sold easily at bargain prices, or they are so clever or well-financed enough as to negotiate for deliveries of kilo-tons of drugs from China, or that offices of illegal recruiters can be found in their midst!

Unfortunately, many Filipinos are so comfortably confined within the secured walls of their homes, hence, their knowledge of what are really happening “on the other side” of the country are derived from TV shows and pages of broadsheets. Despite that glaring reality, SOME, IF NOT MANY OF THEM, still have the gall to utter dismay and disbelief....of course, they cannot believe them, because they chose not to open their eyes to the realities of the big chunk of Filipino life!

Though how Progressive a Country is, there will always be

Poverty because of Corruption

By Apolinario Villalobos

Perfection should be ruled out in the reckoning of a progressive country, because there will always be poverty due to corruption somewhere in the system of governance. In other words, the glitter of progress cannot hide poverty. For ultra-progressive countries, the signs may be insignificant as they try to blend with the glamour of urbanity. But in other countries, especially, the third-world, the signs are very prevalent, so that there is always a massive effort to cover them up occasionally, literally, as it is done every time there are special occasions such as visits of foreign dignitaries. This practice is successful in the Philippines.

Practically, poverty is the shadow of progress, and literally, too, as where there are looming high-rise buildings that are pockmarks of progress, as not far from them are slums or homeless citizens who huddle together under bridges and nooks. These are misguided citizens who flock to the cities after selling their homestead, that have been farmed for several generations, to deceitful land developers, at a measly price. These are the urban squatters willing to be relocated but found out that the promised “paradise” do not even have a deep well so they go back to their sidewalk “homes”. These are contractual workers who have no job securities as they earn only for five to six months, after which they leave their fate to luck while looking for another job.

How does corruption ever be involved in the sad fate of the exploited? Simply, by the government’s negligence  in providing decent relocation sites with job opportunities and basic facilities to those uprooted from their city abodes for more than so many years; by its cuddling of the spurious contractualization perpetrated by greedy employers; by its failure to guide and protect the rights of farmers who sell their rice fields to subdivision developers at measly prices that are not even enough to sustain them for six months; by its failure to provide the citizens with the basic necessities as funds are allowed to be pocketed by corrupt officials; and practically by looking the other way despite the availability of laws against vote buying.

Third- world country leaders should stop using the word “progressive”, but instead they should use “surviving” to describe their respective economy. If a country’s economy cannot sustain, much less, provide a “comfortable life” to majority of its citizens, then it is still “ailing”…hence, expect poverty to be trailing behind, just a few steps away from the pretentious allegations!

A Closer Look at Poverty and its Causes

By Apolinario Villalobos

Poverty should not only be perceived in a person who is poor financially and wanting of the basic necessities in life, as well as, clusters of slums that pockmark the landscape of progressive countries. No country, even the most affluent is free from this social lesion that affects the economy and in a way, its overall security. A closer look at this human state may bring out causes that could have escaped the attention of the many, thereby, inadvertently disregarded:

Life can be complicated but it is up to us to adjust to the negative intricacies that come as anguish, misery, agony, affliction – challenges that may be overcome by the strong in spirit and body….and which is generally perceived as results of poverty. Such effort should leave out the choices for spiritual uplift, especially, the inherent indolence of the parasitical humans that has no “cure” in sight.

A  Glance at how the Impoverished Filipinos

Are Neglected by the Government

By Apolinario Villalobos

When impoverished Filipinos are born, their normal and healthy growth stops at a point where their mothers ceased to produce breast milk. Due to poverty, parents cannot afford infant milk, so they resort to feeding their babies from bottles that contain rice soup. As they are living in depressed areas crammed with makeshift homes of cardboard, scrap plywood, and leaky tin roof, children are practically exposed to the elements. Most likely, they get infected with skin diseases, their guts becoming home to parasites, and they slowly grow with weak respiratory system. Picture the impoverished children with bloated stomach, bulging eyes, and runny nose.

In a big urban area like Manila, the parents try to eke out a living from dump sites where thrown refuse sometimes yield recyclables that they collect and sell to junk shops. Some though, end up in their home to be used further. Some wake up at past midnight with their children and standby at dumping areas for reject vegetables in Divisoria to salvage what can be trimmed of unwanted parts, cleaned and sold. At six, after earning a few coins, the children go home to change their clothes for school, walking to which, they do without even a sip of warm coffee. Fathers peddle their service as stevedores, or pedal tricycles for a measly fare. And, still some brave the searing heat of the sun and sudden downpour, as they roam around the city pushing carts to collect junks from garbage bins.

In agricultural provinces, families suffer every time drought or flood occurs. Rice fields become useless so they resort to borrowing money from loan sharks. If there are pockets of forest still standing nearby, they resort to cutting of trees, even the premature ones, to be made into charcoal. As a result, they eradicate what could have been a watershed and protection of the topsoil that erodes with the onset of rain.

Those living along the seashores depend on fair weather for their fishing ventures out in the open sea, but the erratic weather system prevailing today, prevents them from doing this dangerous kind of livelihood most of the time. The worst scenarios are during the typhoon or monsoon seasons during which they have no choice but stay home. For their subsistence, they borrow from loan sharks.

It is true that the situations mentioned are similar to other impoverished countries. But what is glaring in the Philippines is the government’s neglect of the country as being agricultural. Lands are converted into quick money-making ventures such as real and industrial estates.   Also, instead of having its God-given natural endowments made use to the fullest by Filipinos themselves, these are practically offered to foreigners. The Filipinos are deprived of God-given opportunities by the very government that is supposed to protect them.

The government claims that its concerned agency, the Department of Social Welfare has programs for the impoverished families, one of which is the 4P’s, but this is shrouded with suspected corruption. Reports even prove that the program is not effective, as it just exacerbate the idleness of parents. Also, where are the social workers while children are sniffing rugby in street corners to stave off hunger? Where are the social workers while families living in carts are drenched by heavy rains?

As with the educational system, for so many years now, loopholes that have been shown by parents and concerned sectors are not plugged by the Department of Education. Today with the K-12 program, the parents are further pushed further down the mire of financial difficulty. Such ambitious program will eventually produce a new a generation of dropouts as impoverished parents can no longer afford to spend for their children’s education beyond Grade Six. The situation for inadequately- schooled Filipino children has just gotten worse than before, in which dropping out happens after graduating from high school.

The government refuses to acknowledge its inadequacies, and instead, it proudly shows a perfect image of the country that keeps its pace towards progress, which is a blatant lie!

Agrarian Strife…root of poverty

and Red Movement in the Philippines

by Apolinario Villalobos

During the pre-Spanish time, nothing was on record about any agrarian discontent in the country, as it developed only when the Spaniards came and imposed their “encomienda” system. The practice was maintained by the Americans who took over the grip on colonial reins, and worsened when the country became a Republic under corrupt Filipino leaders.

The country is an agricultural nation. But, because of agrarian problems in the provinces, the starving Filipinos sought a better life in the city, where they lived on pavements, under the bridge, along waterways, and slums. In the city they still suffer from poverty, but they are on their own, their life not controlled by landlords who bound them in perpetual debt. They rummage in dump sites for morsels of food and recyclable stuff that they sell to junkshops. Most often what they earn is not enough so that rather than stare at their children dying of hunger, they commit crimes – some petty, some grave. They resort to “running” drugs for pushers, go into prostitution, pick pockets, break into homes, and steal goods in groceries. Had life been good in the province where they tended rice fields and vegetable plots, they would have not spent precious savings for fare to Manila to seek a better life, but found another hell, instead.

The advocates of Communism saw an opportunity in the poor Filipinos’ discontent. They sowed the seeds of the Red ideology among them - successfully. The mass base of the Red Movement has become firmer and broader. Not content in Manila, young Red agents go to the provinces which before were peaceful tourist destinations, especially, the island provinces. In cooperation with the New People’s Army, they meld with the villagers who have been suffering from the exploitation of their landlords, and who did not need any elaborate persuasion….more success.

Meanwhile, instead of resolving the issue on agrarian unrest, the government since the time of Marcos is more interested in developing rice and corn fields into high-end subdivisions and malls. Foreigners in drove took the opportunity using their Filipino dummies. The idea of the government is to make the country at par with neighboring Asian counties that are resplendent in their progress, as well as, provide employment for thousands of graduates with sophisticated courses. Nothing came out of this idea due to corruption which evolved from bad to worst!

And, finally, the once rice-exporting proud nation has become an importer of rice from countries whose rice technicians derived their knowledge from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in Los Baῆos, Laguna – Philippines!

That is the gloomy picture and sad story of a country called, “Pearl of the Orient Seas”, somewhere in the Pacific. It is my country, but, I am still proud of it…though vehemently pray and hope that it will someday be transformed into a better place to live in, with the united effort of the persistent fellow countrymen who still remain “true” Filipinos…at all cost!