At least I have 160 pesos

Remixed songs! Boom Parana Mama Boom!! Tiktaks! Bing! Cling! Click! Tsak! These were the sounds of the remixed music. Oh yes! These were the sounds caused by rain, Coca-cola, Sprite, Royal, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and C2 plastic bottles, cans of Purefoods, Argentina, Century Tuna and bottles of Ginebra, Tanduay, Emperador and aluminum, zinc, iron and newspapers, magazines and paper boxes etc. These are the singers and dancers.
These were the things around the junkshop, known as “Pastor Pantaleon Junkshop”, of my Tito. These were what greeted me upon arriving yesterday and in the morning. But of course, it was with coffee with milk, fried rice and egg, the breakfast served by my cousin.

Workers and all the staffs (my tito, tita and cousins) woke up early as they prepare themselves for another day of work. At 7:00 AM, they are already working and those will be the sounds you will hear all day. These people, especially the workers, work hard all day to have a meal be prepared for the day. The popular maxim or saying is, “Isang kayod, isang tuka” (One toil for one feed). Yes indeed, this the reality. This is the life of most Filipinos.

Last night, as I listened to the story of my brother, who happened to be a worker in the junkshop, I cannot help but to harden my heart and keep holding back the tears that would fall anytime. We were sitting in his little room. A room made of plywood. Drops of rain were falling in the roof. It’s good that it has electricity and electric fan. You can see other people in the other room with the hole in the wall! haha! My brother, Yosie, is the sixth of the twelve fruits out parents. He just finished grade three (3) in elementary. He is now twenty-three years old and has a son.

He said. “It is better to be here than in our house, in the farm, working hard and keep risking with the unpredicted weather. It’s been thrice that our farm was flooded. Too much money was wasted. Now, all the money that they are using there, either for the farm or everyday meals is all from debts of our mother who keeps searching every day. Very lucky if she has something to repair, like pants. Other than that, she cannot find another source of our living. If I’ll stay there eating everyday and nothing is coming in, it will just increase the debts of our mother. Instead of I, who will be eating the food, it is better to be eaten by our little sisters and brothers and my wife and son. It is better to be here sacrificing, working hard. At least I have 160PHP everyday. I am budgeting 300PHP per week for my meals. Sometimes I will ask my advance pay so that I can have more food and have merienda. If I will not eat more, I will be hungry and weak. I’ll be pitiful and cannot work. I could not hold, carry and bring those heavy irons (bakal). Food is very essential for this kind of work as well as in the construction though they have higher salaries than us. It is better to work there. Last time, I got an extra work with them and they give me 300PHP and I am very happy. I went home at once and bought 1 kilo of rice.”

Then he continued, “Even those who are just sitting can feel hungry, how much more for us who exert much force, all muscles are working. The work is also dangerous. A few hours ago my finger should have been cut-off, if not for my wedding ring. Look what happened to my ring, deformed isn’t it?” Indeed, a mark of wound was there and the  fleshwas still in blood too. I think his bones were broken, but he strongly and pitifully said, “No! Look I can still move, though I can’t feel my finger, hehe.” And he continued, “This is the life here, the more work; the more you eat but the less you are paid.” He paused for a few seconds and said, “Another thing is that, whenever I go back home, Anay (our mother) or all of them think that I have enough money. They don’t know that the little money I have was just an advance pay of mine. I will be force to go back, to work and pay the debts. It is alright at least I can give them a little. Though they don’t know how hard my life here in Manila. They thought it’s easy to live here, but not.”

Those words are really depressing! However, thinking of  its positive side, he, as my younger brother has developed his being a responsible man.

Education is a profession or a career. Education equals life. This is the life trend here in the Philippines. There is nothing or no one to be blamed. All is the product of all these causes: of being born in a poor family, living in this new era of the poor ones, being born in the Philippines with rich natural resources but poor and corrupt government, with little education, of wrong “diskarte” of life, of laziness, of the natural calamities, cause of the unfair capitalist, cause of the many selfish persons and the like. These are some of the causes that lead to a poor living.