this is a common topic I love debating with my friends. I live in Valenzuela, a city surrounded by cities where the squatter's areas are the main attraction. Every single day on my way to work I would pass by these areas and can't help but notice the usual sights of children as young as 2 y/o without underwear running around the place barefoot not minding the always wet and muddy ground and the running cars just a few steps away from them. Also there are those ranging from 7 y/o up wandering up a mountain of crap scavenging for things like plastic, metal, or if lucky left over food. Then on the other side of the street, you see mothers cooking up chicken. What a surprise right? They are heating up chicken that looks like those in fast food chains. Glancing a little over beside the mother is a black garbage bag with which you could see a little of what seems like styrofoams of Jollibee. Yes, they took fast food's chickens from the garbage then re-heating it for that fresh-from-the-oven taste. This made me sick to my stomach. I can't believe these are the things parents would make their children eat!

I've always been fascinated and stressed at the same time with how squatters live their life. Back when I was younger, I pity them especially children of my age seeing they do not go to school and can't eat or do things that my age would enjoy. As I grew older that pity became curiosity especially with the alarming exponential increase of their kind in the city. In college, we had the subject Sociology and were asked to submit a thesis about current social problems. I saw this as a chance to finally find out about it personally, therefore never had 2nd thoughts on what topic I shall be involving myself with. For the 1st time, I'm finally making a research about something I'm so engrossed with at the same time is essential in fulfillment to the requirement of my professor.

After gathering enough courage, I finally forced myself to go down in their area to conduct interview with some "locals" (if this term is applicable to them). I talked to some of them asking questions like what they do for a living, where they originally came from, what they think is the cause of their status in life and what they plan to do about it. Most of the women said their husbands are the only one bringing money in the family, for they are left taking care of the children (take note: minimum number is 3). Job description of husbands? Jeep barker (earning less than 100 per day); cargo carrier (1 peso per sack of rice transferred from the ship to the cargo truck) <-- this made my jaw dropped! a guy needs to carry a sack of rice hundred times just to earn at least P100 at the end of the day!; the rest of them were carpenters, construction workers, industrial contractors, etc. (all under the minimum wage). My mind stopped grasping the rest of their words for I just can't imagine how in the world they survive everyday if they have so many mouth to feed with less to spend. I'm doing the math in my mind and I kept ending up to the simple equation of any number divided by zero. Answer is: indefinite. It would result in error in the world of logic. It just wouldn't work. Realizing I'm already unconsciously shaking my head in anxiety, I listened again. From their tales, most of them came from the provinces of Visayas who took the chance of finding a better life here in Manila. Ran away from their so-called miserable and hopeless lives of being just farmers or fishermen, they opted to try their luck here but ended up worse than before. When asked what they thought caused all of these to them, 1st in their list is the govenment. According to them, the gov't. doesn't provide enough for people less fortunate like them. 2nd, the companies discriminate them just because they are poor thus not trustworthy enough to give them a job (what a mind set!). Then some other reasons that they seem to never run out of. And how about what they plan to do about their life? Ideally, they want their children to finish school so that they will have better future. But are their children going to school? Uhm, either just one of them or none at all. The reason: their family needed more money so the children are working to have some additional income. Plus, they couldn't afford to put them to school because what they have is just sufficient to buy them food to get them through the day. During this point of the interview, my handwriting becomes heavier every second. I want to say out loud what my head is screaming. "You can't afford to send kids to school, couldn't even afford to feed your own selves adequately, then why in God's name do you still produce so many children?!?!" I wanted to ask them this but I know I shouldn't. This will not convey a good thing for them.

After talking to the adults, I went on to chat a little with the kids. I found them running after another. Just enjoying their time, this is a lot since they don't go to school. I asked them to answer a few questions for me and I'll promise to give them P20 each after the interview. Without hesitations they agreed. I only had one question for them: what do they think about education. Surprisingly, they said they don't need it. "I'm better off working than to waste my time in school.", "None of my parents went to school so why would I?", "We can't afford it.", one girl said "I used to but my father said I'm not bright so we're just wasting money for my school supplies that's why he stop sending me to school.". I sat there astounded with mixed emotions. I just need to get some air. I need to be out of that place.

This, my friends, was my appalling personal experience of it. The mind buggling perspective of these people towards life and towards education. Is it still wrong for me to feel unnerving about them? I still feel sympathetic for the children. I really do. But I feel exasperated about those in their proper age already and mature enough to think on their own. The offspring deserve better chance of survival by having them become educated. The only dilemma with this is that they have nobody to motivate them to aspire for more. They look up to their parents who are just contented of what they are consequently the kids see life as it is and aims for no more than what their parents lived to love. It's not innocence that's rotting our economy but indolence. There are ways to live life to the fullest. There will always be ways to improve your state of living if you would only strive in looking for them. Life is a jungle. You don't expect to be spoon-fed to reach a desirable existence.

It was never your fault to be born poor, but to die poor is.

Hi Jacques08,

I feel your concern over our poor countrymen who lives by the shanties. I am a Filipino too and I have seen the sights myself. Personally, I don't think I can blame any of them from trying out their luck in the city though I can't exactly comprehend why the situation has completely gone out of hand. It is obvious that coming to the present day, the governing bodies have had a hand in not addressing the problems stacking before so this is the end result. I cannot generalize nor pick one reason why they've multiplied their dilemmas as time went by but what I'm sure of is that none of them wanted to die poor and most of them had to at least try. It is apparent though that over time, most of them, if not all, lost hope and gets frustrated thus the direct effect on urban crime rate becomes obvious.

I am a former Sampaloc, Manila resident and though not a squatter myself, behind our former house is a squatter's area. Their common denominator is survival... same as our's.

I believe that it is wrong to turn our backs on them because they do deserve a chance to share or gain a better life but I do not condone squatting or settling on land unlawfully due to lack of land title. I don't believe though that solutions hasn't been devised because like I said earlier, this is a problem ages ago so whatever the best solution, it should be implemented soon and everybody should be willing to cooperate.

Thank you, Jacques, for your thoughtful piece!

This is a very complicated issue. But I think we can safely assume that people generally do not choose to remain poor. Assuming that, we are left to consider whether people indeed have the chance to move up the ladder in a society.

Of course there will always be some success stories - and that is good! But that does not mean that most squatters by will are able to make a better living for themselves. In most countries social structures are hard to fight. I think you will see that also in the Philippines, where a few powerful families have held so much formal and informal power in the society.

I have been to several of the slum areas in Manila myself as a journalist. The situation for the children there is indeed very bad. But I think you are wrong, Jacques, when you assume that most parents can just decide to move their children out of this poverty and miserable life.

Life as squatters just isn't that simple.

I think.

John

As an American who has visited the Phil 8 times i am always interested in how the people of the Phil look upon their less fortunate bretheren. Some of my chatmates tell me anyone there can help themselves by just applying themselves and trying hard to improve their life. Others seem to blame the goverment for their plight. My personal opinion is that the Catholic Church has to accept some blame for their insistance that their members do not use any artificial birth control and thus so many children are born to parents who can hardly feed themselves much less give a better life to their children. I just wonder if anyone has asked the Church about this issue and if so what is their reply.

i dont think that the church has something to do with this. realistically, these people couldn't afford artificial birth controls such as pills or stuff like that. Their daily income that's normally USD2.00 is not even sufficient enough to feed them. So every cent is as crucial as life and death. the only issue we can somehow throw against the church is that they dont do much about the problem. they keep talking about it and pushing people to pity the poor and that we should all reach out and help. but are they? the church confine themselves inside their walls. sure they do charitable missions but obviously those are not enough. catholic churches are seen everywhere in the phils. and every church has its priest and his assistants. if only they would do something about the community around their church. preaching alone is not enough. to lead by example is the best way to influence people. i hope that they could fulfill their spiritual calling not by praying and devoting themselves to the lord alone. they will serve a better purpose if they would go out and start giving other people some paradigm shift towards life. <br><br>Post edited by: jacques08, at: 2007/07/16 07:25

i dont think that the church has something to do with this. realistically, these people couldn't afford artificial birth controls such as pills or stuff like that. Their daily income that's normally USD2.00 is not even sufficient enough to feed them. So every cent is as crucial as life and death. the only issue we can somehow throw against the church is that they dont do much about the problem. they keep talking about it and pushing people to pity the poor and that we should all reach out and help. but are they? the church confine themselves inside their walls. sure they do charitable missions but obviously those are not enough. catholic churches are seen everywhere in the phils. and every church has its priest and his assistants. if only they would do something about the community around their church. preaching alone is not enough. to lead by example is the best way to influence people. i hope that they could fulfill their spiritual calling not by praying and devoting themselves to the lord alone. they will serve a better purpose if they would go out and start giving other people some paradigm shift towards life. <br><br>Post edited by: jacques08, at: 2007/07/16 07:26

After thinking about the last post of Jacques08 ,I agree that the poor in the Philippines do not have the money necessary to practice birth control even if the Catholic Church allowed them to. Maybe this is where GMA and her goverment needs to step in and offer the condoms and birth control pills at clinics. Of course the Church would still have to give it's blessing before people would avail themselves to using what the clinics could offer.

symphathy will not get you nor the squatters anywhere.

The problem of this breadth and depth can never be solved or addressed in our generation.

It will take a super leader and garnatuan citizen nation wide effort, similar to what Japan did after World War 2...to solve this issue once and for all.

I lived and breathe squatter's air from when I was in highschool until I finished college.

We are not squatters anymore and it took a lot of conscious effort to get ourselves from the mire...but we are still poor folks..

a little comfortable and a little more dignified way of living but still poor nonetheless..if you are born out of a generation of poor folks...you cannot be rich overnight unless you have given up your values and character or sold you soul to the devil.

what I am trying to drive at is that not all squatter's people are lazy and clueless as what most of you are preempting here.

some maybe be lazy...some maybe hardworking but still clueless..i dont blame..nor sympathize..i do whatever i can whenever I can to alleviate my ex-neighbours plights...it does not mean doling out..but giving sensible advices..

i think most of you are too detached from their plight..that you are really looking from vantage point of a crow perched on top of a tree...

quote: jacques08

It was never your fault to be born poor, but to die poor is.


ruth:

am not sure what you are trying to say, the Philippines, there are just two kinds of people. THE POOR and the RICH. There is no middle class anymore. It was gone since the time of Marcos.

Now I wonder, what you mean by dying poor is someone's fault.

On a more spiritual note, one can die poor materially, but can die rich spiritually.

Back to economics, I still cannot fathom, how a poor invididual born of a poor family and only have poor friends (no connections, no networks) and poor relatives...can die rich in his or her lifetime.

If you know how..can you teach me how?