Poverty – what is the cure?

I am irrefutably crestfallen with the underlying poverty scene in the country. I happened to watch a poignant episode of The Correspondents last week entitled “MANINIMA” – it moved me in a somber way that now I am finding myself eliciting sympathy by writing this entry. The documentary underscores the poverty-stricken families in Pampanga whose lives depend on a limited number of leftover mud crabs and prawns that they could catch in a nearby private fishpond.

Brgy. Sagrada, Masantol Pampanga considering its geographical location – it is close to Manila bay and it is along the shores of Pampanga river –  harbors quite a number of mud crab farms. These mud crabs are harvested after reaching its marketable size, the owner then would invite the neighboring people (maninima) to catch the leftover. The film showed a family of maninima composed of a father and his five juvenile sons, who compelled by indigence have to wake up at dawn, walk a few miles and start a strenous day of catching mud crabs. Some of these kids do go to school but constrained by the fact that they have to have the necessities of life; they would rather ask their teacher to allow them to get excused from class just so they could help their parents catch crabs. The stern reality of life has deprived these children to experience childhood.

The average catch per day is from six – eight mud crabs and would cost PhP300 which would then be used to buy their food for the entire day. There are times when competition is stiff or caused by inevitable circumstances, they couldn’t sell their catch, they would simply trade it off with any food just to fill their stomachs and yes they are literally down-and-out. The place is not as far as you think it is, as it is only two hours away from Manila but consider the treacherous, long, muddy, unpaved road to reach Brgy. Sagrada you would think that it is far-flung and out-of-the-way. The place has one hospital with barely seen one doctor and a resident has to spend PhP200 on transportation just to go to a neighboring town to get grocery supplies or visit a doctor.

Hunger is a ramification of poverty and surely Brgy. Sagrada is not the only place in the Philippines grieving for such dysphoric situation. I wonder, what has government given in the last considerable years to help these people? Is it that hard to reach out to our poor brothers and sisters who spent all their lives finding food for subsistence. The government has proudly announced that they have built the first elevated Uturn slot in the Philippines along C5 Kalayaan, when in fact there is no need in building it as it made the lives of every citizen who passes through the said highway worst because of unbearable traffic. You would understand what I mean if you come and take a look at it. They should’ve spent all that money they spent for the unsought elevated Uturn slot on building the road to Brgy. Sagrada or wherever else is in dire need.