Sympathy

I had a long and exhausting day. This afternoon our group (there were 10 of us) visited one of the AKAP Bata daycare centers in Tondo, Manila. After dropping down in Divisoria we walked along narrow streets packed full with crowds of people. People where everywhere. There were street vendors to my right and jeepneys were passing on my left. It was claustrophopic. We had to walk in a line following Ms. Percy as to avoid the hustle and bustle of the area. Given the fact that there are a lot of snatchers in the Philippines we were extremely cautious of surroundings. Somehow it reminded me of Souq back in Abu Dhabi. Vendors where everywhere selling every kind of goods imaginable. I even caught sight of a stall selling sex toys. Isn't that illegal here? But then again nothing really is illegal here. People will find ways to break the law no matter the consequences. Take piracy for example. In that area alone there were dozens of vendors selling pirated DVDs and VCDs. People will do anything just to make a living. Who can blame them? It's a jungle out there. Everybody needs to do something to survive.

We walked a long distance and before long we were standing in front of a house built under a bridge. At first I thought that we were at the teacher's house and would discuss the program there before heading out to the daycare center. I later found out that the cramped space inside the house was actually the daycare center itself. Ms. Percy said that she had thirty students. There were ten of us and we were already having a hard time breathing inside. I couldn't imagine twenty more staying under the same roof. Anyway after settling down we discussed certain issues concerning the children who attend in the center. That's when I found out that we weren't dealing with public school children but rather children whose parents can't even afford sending them to a public school. According to the teacher the children and their parents were "the poorest among the poor." One of the kids didn't have parents to support him anymore. Why? Because his father, a drug addict, was shot and died, while his mother, also a drug addict, is locked up behind bars. To whom does he go to? Unfortunately no one. He feeds only when generous people offer him food. He's half-naked and he doesn't even have a birth certificate. He's literally a non-existent citizen of the RP.

Our group's role in the daycare center is to come up with a Christmas program for the kids. We discussed the things that we need, the solicitations that we had to do, and the preparations we have to prepare. All of this so that we could somehow even just for a day, make the young ones happy. I could remember the faces of the kids as we left the area. One raised his hand asking for a high-five. I gave him one and the others started asking the same thing. As I walked away they were telling me, "Kuya, wag kang umalis." There was also this kid holding a plastic wrapper of an ice candy shouting as I turned my back, "Kuya wag mo akong iwanan. Babalik ka ha?!" I was heart-broken for a minute. No matter how much I pity them, I knew that pity won't help. At least we're doing an effort to make them happy even if it's just a while. I hope things would go well during the Christmas party on December 8.

On a jeep, as I reminisce on the innocent faces I saw just a while ago, a realization dawned on me on how lucky I am. I'm studying in one of the best academe in the country, enjoying the pleasures of life, and I have my parents to support me all the way. The others were not that fortunate, but is it their fault? Why do people have to suffer this way? Why does life have to be so unfair? I may never be able to answer these questions but I do know this. Hope is out there; and for as long as we continue to hope, our dreams are not that far-off. Dreams.... it's what keeps most of us alive today. If only we could rest in peaceful slumber, not afraid of waking up. If only we could dream for eternity..... that my friend is a dream in itself.

This entry was posted on November 24, 2004 at 11:48 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.