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.