The other day, we had “tuyo” or dried fish for breakfast. Pedring was in full rampage that day, the drone of raindrops hitting the roof and the loud whishing of the wind was terrifying. Since it was raining and there was no electricity, we decided to eat something easy to cook, “tuyo” it is.
“Tuyo” (some called it daing) with a cup of rice “na sinabawan ng kape” is one of our family’s favourite foods when raining. While I was watching the fish over candlelight, I remembered something. I remembered the rows of fish lined on a net, displayed under the sun in Vitas-Katuparan.
Vitas-Katuparan is a housing project in Tondo, Manila. In the 1990’s, under the administration of former president Corazon Aquino, the Katuparan Housing Project was built to serve as socialized housing to impoverished Filipinos. It is located in the heart of the Smokey Mountain.
Residents living in the tenement are working in the informal sector, mostly selling in side streets, in a small sari-sari store, selling dried fish which they caught from the sea, drives a padyak or works in the pier. But most of these families rely on pangangalahig ng basura for their daily needs.
With such destitute conditions, they are finding it difficult to pay the monthly amortization for their units, which ranges from Php 500 to Php 1,200. Failure to meet the payment deadline could cause a family (sometimes, families) their homes.
I lived there for a few months as part of my organizing and volunteer work for GABRIELA in 2007, and I had experienced the economic difficulties these families experience. The fear of losing their homes and how to provide for their next meals were always on their minds. It was just a matter of how can they survive that day.
In 2010, a large television network exposed that housing projects in Tondo, the Diosdado Macapagal housing project, was already condemned. But families continue to live on the said building. This year, families were forced out of their homes without proper relocation.
Families living in the tenement for offered relocation in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, which was several hours away from their jobs. Residents don’t want to relocate for several and justified reasons. Gaya-gaya, San Jose del Monte relocation site does not even have a hospital, a school, or basic amenities like running water and electricity.
Over the years, the National Housing Authority has been collecting mortgages and making promises. Promises of fixing the building from the renters’ payment. Apparently, those were empty promises. Since, the Diosdado Macapagal tenement remains condemned.
What will the future hold for these families? President Aquino’s proposed 2012 budget shows that there is nothing different from the past administrations. The budget allocated for social services, like housing, is the least priority. The military receives about PhP 113.1 B and foreign debt service gets a huge chunk with PhP 738.6 B. How about housing? A meager PhP 7B.
I remembered a student asking a mother who lives in Vitas how they were able to survive such harsh conditions. And the mother responded, “Sa hirap nang buhay, sa liit ng sweldo ng asawa ko, saan naman kami lilipat. Ito na lang naman talaga ang kaya namin. Kung kayo kaya ang nasa pusisyon namin, wala na kayong ibang magagawa kundi ang piliting magtagal."
I haven’t visited the place for a couple of years now. Perhaps things have changed, several units repainted, the smell of the slaughterhouse no longer overwhelming, perhaps mud puddles are already dealt with.
But beneath these superficial renovations, the conditions remained the same. Probably, there are still tuyo lined in nets. Several batches will be sold, and several will remain to sustain the family for days. Until the roots of poverty are completely removedand true equality is achieved, the struggle between the classes will continue. The poor becomes poorer and the rich becomes richer.
