The big polluted capital-Manila

Trip Start Mar 27, 2004
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10
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Trip End Jun 27, 2007


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Flag of Philippines  ,
Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Ah the busy, busy city life, everyone in a hurry bustling around with people to meet and things to do. In this particular city though, it is hard to miss those who are not so busy-the homeless. No shelters here just homeless children, elders and whole families sleeping on cardboard on the sidewalks. Dirty mass polluted people both in body and spirit. One memorable child was lying in the dead mans float position on a covered stairway napping- I hope. He was barefoot, barely clothed, yet covered in black grease, dirt and smog. No one bothered to check his pulse, I'm sure not even the many nursed that are trying to go abroad to make enough money to support their families. Currently even Filipino doctors, engineers, etc,.. are going back to school to get a nursing degree to go abroad to the USA or Europe. My host sister just told me that Bush signed an agreement with the Philippines accepting 4,000 more Filipino nurses into the USA this next year.
The children and adults beg for money of course. But I could not bring myself to give money for fear it would end up in someone else's hands or purchase of illegal goods. Saturday Night in fact, Another PCV and I were chilling at a street cafe having a San Migel (The only Filipino beer company) and enjoying our chicken and pork on a stick. Four homeless (looking) kids approached us and asked for money. The other PCV started talking with the eldest and asked if she was hungry with an offering of pork. She shook her head no as the youngest opened her mouth. Thus began the feeding which lasted about half an hour until the police drove by pausing to disperse the kids. The other PCV informed me it was his 2nd or 3rd trip to manila and he has learned that most kids have a 'pimp' who they beg money for, so if he/she sees the kids eating they might get in trouble for not spending the time getting cash.
Many people come to Manila in search of a better job, if from the visayas where it is very expensive to return home, they sometimes get stuck in Manila and once they run out of money with no job they end up on the street because they have no family to help them in the city or credit opportunities. They end up with not even enough cash to make it home. A lot less money is made in the provinces of the visayas apparently. It seems, even though credit is a small speck of a difference it creates a much larger window for job opportunities.
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