The miserable plight of the urban poor
7 March 2010
18 Comments
I was trying to write something – to blog. But I got stuck looking at this picture.
Who truly cares about the plight of the urban poor?
Do you care? Do they care? Should society government presidentiables the church we all just ignore them?
I wonder what all these presidential candidates have in store for them? Affordable public housing? Job creation? Or are they just mere numbers during election?
Meanwhile, I completely lost my thoughts on what I was writing.
Photo Source: GMA News
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reynz is one Uragon and a Filipino-American, has many years of public accounting & auditing, broadcast investments, housing tax credits and equity investments as his background. Based in the US, he maintains his personal and humor blog at reyna elena dot com. A graduate of Aquinas U, he went to GWU and Temple U in the United States.
the sad part about it is these politicians were once so concerned and idealistic that they sought and worked for these govt positions. but once they’re there in their seats, all the ideologies vanish, all concerns, for the poor specifically, are forgotten. for how can one good apple not be rotten in a bag of rotten apples? though they’re not apples in the first place he he
and all their platforms are all FOR THE POOR, for the BLAH BLAH BLAH its tiring. it’s all the same since time immemorial. the ads, annoying. the give aways to the poor, insulting. whereas the picture above? heart wrenching.
It’s a haunting image, how she’s clasping the Sto. Nino and rosary. Pero sana wag maging “ipasa-Diyos” na lang. But wait, on the other hand, mukha ngang mas okay na yun kesa naman umasa sa mga trapo, simply because wala kang aasahan. Philippine politics needs to reformation talaga. Let’s hope 2010 will bring a true leader.
Reynz,
Check mo yung Lina Law which is dubbed as the dumbest law in the Philippines. Ito yung nagpapalakas ng loob sa mga squatters kasi through this law, they can demand for a relocation or payment. Madami na ang nagrereklamo sa mga squatters, tapos ng perwisyo nila, kelangan bayaran or bigyan mo pa sila ng relocation.
The problem of the urban poor stems in the migration of the rural folk with the belief that they can earn big money in urban cities.
Because of the SEVERE mismanagement and repressed development in some rural areas in our country, napipilitan ang mga kababayan natin to migrate to urban cities, causing population problems and other societal concerns like squatters.
If there is a strong development in the rural parts of our country, palagay nyo e pupunta pa ng urban cities ang mga yan? Malamang hindi. Hindi kasi binibigyan ng sapat na opportunities ang mga rural folk dahil ang kadalasang patakbo sa mga provinces natin e parang feudalism in style. Tingnan nyo ang Maguindanao. Humihilata sa pera ang mga punyemas na Ampatuan: nakakapagtayo sila ng mansyon samantalang ang kanilang mga constituents e namumuhay in contrast sa kanila.
Isa pang example ang mga kababayan natin sa Negros Occidental. Karamihan ng mga tao dun e walang sariling lupa, karaniwang sakada ang trabaho. All of the huge patches of land are being governed by elite hacienderos. O di ba? asan ang equal access to opportunity noon.
And then there goes the politicians here. Kada election, they croon the masses with their fake and hypocrite promises. Syempre, vote rich ang mga masses and these politician would love to don the cape of a poverty messiah. Now, that is some shit going on.
These politicians continue to exploit these common people para kada election may boto sila. Pagkatapos ng election, kalimutan na yan at focus na sa pangsariling agenda para makakurakot at makabayad sa mga election financiers.
Bottomline: gusto nilang masadlak sa kahirapan ang common people, lalo pang i-deny ang mga opportunities sa kanila in order to make them desperate, to instill self-pity in them and to look for a messianic figure who can save them daw from poverty. And presto, konting makeup at toothbrush lang, itong mga politicians na ito ang magprepresenta sa sarili nila bilang messianic figures kuno. Yeah, messianic figures in a sardines can.
So I dont think democracy is in the works in this country. We are running in a capitalistic and opportunistic system that has poverty as a package deal. Syempre, only 20 percent of the population controls 80 percent of the resources. Now where’s the equal access to opportunity again??
Lecheng plastik talaga ng ibang politiko dito sa atin. Isama pa ang bulok na sistema ng gobyerno.
tsk tsk tsk! i have no more clue about all these. pretty depressing
i remember the SONA, was it super-regions sum’tin?
do you have any idea what happened to this GMA program?
No idea about it reynz.
Isama pa yung mga pangako na itaas ang sweldo etc. Aba! malaman ko sa balita na 20 pesos lang ang itinaas ng sweldo in the past 3 administrations!!!! Grrrr.
Really sad… That could be me or any of us here. I came from a godforsaken barrio too and worked my tail off to survive in the urban jungle of the country’s capital. I was chasing any opportunities that my hometown never offers. I grabbed every chance that came my way.
There were many of us who share this story. I am one of the lucky ones who made it thanks to hardwork and perseverance. Those who weren’t as lucky need help. And it takes total community involvement. No leader will ever succeed without the people pitching in. Mahirap kay Juan dela Cruz, pag naka elect na ng leader, we expect the leader to do everything for us – cast a spell or wave a magic wand. Kelan kaya tayo matututo?
“I came from a godforsaken barrio too and worked my tail off to survive in the urban jungle of the country’s capital.” HAHAHAHA!
Ayan na naman tayo! Sa ating TALAHIB Highways! hahaha! Sino ba?! Sinumpa kamo ang Barrio namen, kaya nga 7,107th island kami dahil walang ginawa ang mga leche nakawin ang pondo sa barrio, ultimo tulay nanakawin pa.
BUT! merong update!
Nasemento na ang tulay. Mataas na sya. So, when it floods, hindi na inaabot ang tulay. Ang ganda, i saw the pictures.
BUT! me kulang.
Ang lecheng kalsada papunta sa tulay talahib pa rin! Hahanapin mo pa sya!
Ay vonggacious, may tulay na kayo, buti pa kayo *inggit mode*. Kami hanging footbridge pa rin. Ang traysikad mula sa bayan hanggang dun sa isang side lang ng ilog, siyet. Tapos lalakad ka sa footbridge na gawa sa tatatlong kawayan na tinalian ng baging sa magkabilang dulo, HAHAHAHAHA! Tapos sakay ka uli sa other traysikad or kung nagtitipid ka, rarampa ka na lang sa talahib avenue, hehehe.
Ang masakit pa, pag na break na naman ang giyera between government and the MILF, takbo ng walang lingon likod! Kausap ko nga yung isang kaibigan at kababayan ko – he was recalling how he ran during the war, naiwan pa kabilang tsinelas niya pero nabitbit niya ang sinaing hahahaha, half cook habang tumatakbo – kaya hindi nagutom ang kanyang alindog, wahahaha!
Alam mo, mahirap ang buhay kahit saan ka sa Pinas. Ibang klaseng hirap sa baryo, iba rin sa urban areas. Importante talaga resilience, dapat positive outlook palagi. Huwag iasa sa kahit kanino ang kapalaran mo, take ownership of your future.
hahaha! i actually find it hilarious na pag-usapan ang kahirapan and everything na dina-anan natin nang panahon, you from Cotabato, me in Bicol, dito sa US, iba’t ibang province sa Pinas plus me friend kaming tiga Vietnam and when we start talking about stories like this, mamatay matay ako nang kakatawa sa mga survival antics hahaha! yong story mo with war breaking out between gov’t and MNLF eh parehas nang kwento nung Vietnamese friend namen hahaha! but think about it, we look back and we laugh at it like crazy
Definition of terms:
Sa mga hindi alam ang trasikad…. bisikletang may sidecar sha, hehehe, padyak ba.
nung panahon ko, we didn’t have that. walkaton 5 km papuntang bayan mula national highway, dinanas ko yun kahit bagyo
Cotabato ingenuity, hehehehe. Ay, minsan de motor pa yang mga traysikad na yan. Yung mga nagtitinda ng kape, may motor man yung galingan nila Day. Sus sa umaga, ginagamit yan para panggiling ng kapeng barako paninda. Then in da apternun, sirado naman ang tiyendahan, ikabit ang mga motor sa bisikleta at para hindi mapagod kakapadyak pauwi, hehehehe.
Anyways, ang totoo lang nyan, kailangan nga tulungan itong mga urban poor. Pero they MUST also be held accountable for their decisions. I Agree with Silver, Lina Law is one contributing factor dito sa proliferation ng mga squatters.
Hindi naman lahat ng squatters mahirap eh. Ang iba sa mga yan, can afford to pay rent sa mga apartment pero bakit ka marerent ng 500 bedspace kung meron naman libreng tirahan, pwede ka pang mag negosyo? No joke, yung kapatid ng friend kong taga Samar, nandiyan iskwater sa Proj. 8, humahakot ng libo libo sa gabi gabi nagpapainom at videoke! Sa iskwater nakatira pero sa Samar ang bahay nila mansion.
Ni relocate na ito minsan sa may Bulacan – wala ibinenta lang ang bahay nya dun tapos balik ulit sa Manila area kesyo nandun yung kabuhayan nya. Hindi sa nilalahat ko pero kung may iskwater gawa ng kahirapan, meron ding iskwater by choice. Pero the fact na iskwater sila, ibig sabihin, alam nilang hindi kanila yung lupang kintitirikan ng bahay nila. Pag pinaalis sila, eh dapat huwag ng mamilit kasi naman pinakinabangan na nga nila ng libre yung property na hindi naman kanila.
two things that i know:
1.) i also know people na nakatira dun dati sa Floodway squatters who have some really nice houses sa probinsya. true, they don’t pay rent dun – naka squat lang.
2.) i also know someone who was relocated sa Silang, Cavite then i learned (rumor) dahil wala na sila dun, binenta daw ang bahay.
of course, given na yong mga extremes na mga ganito but i guess unless na effective yong relocation program, babalik at babalik pa ring mag-squat ang mga yan (dun lang sa truly mahirap) because what i know doon sa Silang was that, there was no work available, malayo sa school and malayo also sa ospital.
wa ako knowledge much sa lina law na yan
can someone link that lina law? gusto ko rin ma-read.
tae.. i sound like bading here..
In Bayani Fernando’s Marikina….there are no squatters all with political will.
But well the Philippines isn’t ready for DISCIPLINE and POLITICAL WILL but will harp all day about the “plight of the urban poor”….
Nakakita na ako ng Link para sa Lina Law.
here it is:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Lina_Law
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