Feature: A Different Perspective

12/11/2017 09:05:00 PM Media Center 0 Comments

Growing up, most of us don’t have to worry about basic necessities like food, water, and electricity because we get them without any difficulty. When our class visited the community of Kaingin 1, Baranggay Pansol as part of the immersion component of our Community Development course last November 25, 2017 I realized that this was not the reality that all of us faced.

WIDE SMILES. Before leaving, my classmates and I pose with our nanays for the day at the basketball court in Kaingin 1, Barangay Pansol. Photo Credit: Brenson Andres.

As the area was quite congested, we had to walk towards the hall for the orientation. At around 8 in the morning, we were traversing the muddy and uneven pathway to the destination. The drizzle and the heavy goods we were carrying made it harder to go up but we persevered since we know there were people waiting for us.

Our destination was a community learning center or daycare furnished with a bookshelf, plastic chairs, and tables. Once we were gathered inside, some members of the Kaisahang Ugnayan ng Mamamayan (KUM) introduced themselves, telling us how many children they have, where in the area they lived, and even jokingly mentioned how many husbands they had. We were then divided into smaller groups to be deployed to each of the members’ houses. As we strolled around, we observed their way of living and I had a few observations along the way.

There were animal feces and pieces of trash littered on the ground. There were flies swarming in some areas. Some of the houses were made of makeshift materials and were the size of a bathroom. A little boy with a dirty face went out of the house and stomped in a muddy puddle, unaware of the consequences of his actions.

When my partner and I were finally received by our host family, we were met with hospitality. While waiting for our “nanay” for the day, Nanay Mau, the KUM leader, we had a good chat with their 21-year old son. He mentioned that he recently stopped going to school because they had no more money to support his education.

While we were exchanging stories, the electricity went off and it was then that we found out that not everyone in the community has access to electricity.

His brother then shared that there are times that they eat “adobo” for lunch, a euphemism for using oil or soy sauce as a viand to eat with rice.

They also shared that whenever students from different schools stay with them, the students are enthusiastic in doing house chores like cooking and cleaning because they never get to do this in their own homes. There are even times that students cry at the end of the day because it was the only time they felt that they had a “nanay”.

For our late lunch, our host family made scrambled eggs and heated a can of sardines. My partner and I decided to contribute so we bought two cans of tuna, two sachets of iced tea, and ice from the sari-sari store. While eating, I noticed that they did not eat the tuna and I think they thought it was only for me and my partner, so I offered them some. After eating, we brought the dishes back to the basin which functioned as a sink.

Around 3PM, everybody gathered at the community learning center where Nanay Mau announced that we will be sharing our experiences with each other. She picked one of us and asked him, “Sinong nanay mo?” referring to the “nanay” that adopted him in the community. He then answered the real name of his mom. We laughed at this, and it was a good start.

A lot of us were able to bond with our host families thru playing with the kids. A few of my classmates had little kids with them in the gathering. The little kids were either holding hands with them or being carried. One classmate even said, “Nakangiti ako buong araw”, and the whole class went “aaawww” upon hearing this. Other stories included little kids saying that my fellow students looked like local teen celebrities, telling them that, “Kuya kamukha niyo sina James Reid at Daniel Padilla.”

Another experience was cooking for lunch. There were some who cooked lunch themselves and prepared vegetables, giniling, and more. But most of the nanays made lunch for them like tinola and squid while some just bought from the nearby carinderias. Several of us also contributed to doing household chores like folding clothes and setting the table. All of us shared happy stories and experiences with our host families and learned more about their situations like the lack of water and electricity supply, financial problems, family problems, and more.

FAMILY. My partner and I learned so much from Nanay Mau (second from the left), the leader of KUM, and her son (rightmost). Photo Credit: Carlos Laderas

Yes, we grew up not having to worry about the bare necessities, but it doesn’t mean we will not worry about those who do. We ended the day with a group picture and saying our thanks and farewells to each other for that short, memorable day. We parted ways with lessons learned, knowledge gained, stories earned, and wide smiles from such a heart-warming experience. //by Layla Wadi