Category: WM Special

Amidst the many human dramas the urban slum dwellers face, you’ll find also in them many virtues and a tradition of sharing that has much to teach to the rest of Filipino society. And, when organized,
the people power of the poor can have an important role in changing the country’s politics.

Incomes in the Philippines are so unequally distributed that the richest 1% has at least as much income as the poorest 30%. The phrase, at least, must be stressed since incomes from criminal and/or corrupt activities – the incomes that most deserve to be redistributed to the poor – would certainly be concealed from interviewers of the government’s income survey.

It is good for Filipinos to imagine that they are taking a visitor around, and the Visitor is none other than Jesus Christ. Bring Him to Payatas to see the scrawny figures of scavengers – children, as well
as men and women – scrounging through mountains of garbage. Let Him hear the story of the trash-fall of some 20 years ago, when a mountain of garbage collapsed on the huts of scavengers living beneath it: more than 200 bodies recovered and many still unaccounted for. Then take the Visitor to an upscale subdivision to see the massive homes and manicured lawns and swimming pools.

Charity and justice do have many points in common. They both refer to a reality where the person has the opportunity to grow, to have good relationship with people and God, and where his needs are taken care of by sharing. Frequently the poorest and vulnerable do not want to be challenged in changing their lives and accept their role in transforming attitudes and behavior. In these cases, the Christian community needs to make tough choices. Tough love is not easy, yet it is necessary to drive people away from apathy or lack of initiative and become protagonists of their own lives.