Times are tough for many in Mindanao
Children join other scavengers who dig for scraps on Christmas Eve at a garbage dumpsite they call the “poverty hill” in Lumbangan village in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga. They say Christmas is just an ordinary day for them — rice and salt on the table — and often times, even rice is scarce. (Sun.Star Zamboanga/Al Jacinto)
Before we filipinos believed that Marcos was
the most corrupt president, he was demonized
by the foreign media and his wife Imelda was
considered the Marie Antonette of Asia because
of her extravagant lifestyle but we are all
wrong, It is Gloria Arroyo who deserve to be
called Marie Antonette of Asia.
There is lots of hunger now not only in Mindanao
but the whole nation is suffering from widespread poverty. I am afraid if the ongoing
economic crisis affecting every sector except
the very rich continue for several more months
how long can filipinos handle hunger and poverty? Right now the country is sitting on
top of a boiling social volcano, soon to
erupt and it will be a big explosion, a possible revolution, not a superficial middle
class people power but a bloody revolution,
when people’s stomachs are empty, no one
can prevent social unrests not even the military
and police who are still loyal to the corrupt
Arroyo government.I feel sorry for filipinos,
from the beginning they were ruled by greedy
politicians. But nothing last forever.Thanks
Hi Marcus – I remember when I was a kid and we lived in Louisiana. Many of the very poor people lived in plywood shacks. But, they had Cadillacs parked out front! I couldn’t believe it. Nowadays, you see people in the States who are considered poor, and they have Cable TV and other luxuries (considered needs these days). It really saddens you when you see the truly poor, and they don’t have even rice to feed themselves or their kids. It’s a shame.
Juan – Yes, it is sad when these people are searching for even a grain of rice, while some of the corrupt in the government are living off of the things they stole from the people.
I agree with Marcus. Those people digging for scrap in Zamboanga City have nothing on their table, and local officials dare not to visit the garbage dump the scavengers call hill of poverty in Lumbangan village! Tsk tsk tsk too bad!
People talk about how poor the underclass in the US is. I have often pointed out how this is nohting more than a matter of perspective that in too many parts of the world even the poorest here in the US would be considered robber barons in other parts of world.