THERE IS a saying that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. For ex-drug offender Alex Eusebio, he never knew what he was going to get was a food cart as a second chance at life, despite his troubled past.
Somewhere along Quiapo, Manila, Eusebio appears to be like any other vendor, enticing thousands of locals and tourists to give his aromatic street foods and chilled juices a try.
But when roaming customers are greeted by the tarpaulin attached to his cart with words like “captive” and “jail” inscribed on it, it makes him stand out from the rest.
As a former inmate at the Manila City Jail Male Dormitory (MCJMD), 41-year-old Eusebio thought he was done for. Life after imprisonment was difficult to get back on track since he felt that nothing but a criminal record defined him as an individual.
“Medyo mahirap po kasi e, syempre, galing [ako] sa loob, walang magtitiwala na trabaho,” he said.
(It’s hard because, of course, I just came from prison, no work would be entrusted to me.)
Eusebio was only incarcerated for eight days; however, he had to undergo drug rehabilitation at the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Sta. Mesa, Manila for six months as part of his plea-bargaining agreement.
That’s why a food cart filled with P10,000 worth of street food as a means of livelihood was the last thing he expected to receive after being released.
Initiated by Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) 31 Presiding Judge Maria Solidum-Taylor, “Kariton ng Bagong Buhay at Pag-asa” (Pushcart of New Life and Hope), was launched on April 2 to give former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) a second lease of life. Its beneficiaries are PDLs with drug-related cases that were lodged in Solidum-Taylor's sala.
“These are people; these are not [just] numbers in my docket. They are real people, warm bodies, they have so many problems, and these are the poorest of the poor,” Taylor told the Manila Pulse.
Made of plywood, metal, and motorcycle wheels, the mobile livelihood unit was constructed by MCJMD inmates.
All recipients of the program are given permits to start their food cart businesses in different corners of Manila.
Eusebio, now in greener pastures, considers himself lucky to be able to sell in one of the busiest and most crowded places in the capital: Villalobos Street near Quiapo Church.
“Sino ba naman ako? Ipu-pwesto ako sa lugar na ganito e yung mga puwesto po dito, napakamahal. ‘Yong may mga pera lang talaga ang nakakapagpwesto dito,” he said.
(Who am I to be stationed in a place where the spots are very costly? Those with a good sum of money are the only ones who can really secure a spot here.)
“’Pag Friday, Saturday, [at] Sunday, ang kita talaga dito is ‘di bumababa ng libo,” he continued.
(Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the income here does not get any lower than a thousand.)
Before his life as a detainee, Eusebio used to earn a living by selling street food in a stall in front of his home.
So, when he was told that he could choose what kind of food he could sell, he did not hesitate to return to his old routine as this was his way of restoring a piece of him that he was “proud of.”
“Naging normal na po [ulit] ‘yong buhay ko, bumalik na po ako sa normal na pamumuhay,” he said, referring to his mother and siblings whom he can now support financially.
(My life became normal again, I went back to the normal way of living.)
However, certain conditions need to be met to keep the kariton. Beneficiaries, without prior notice, will be randomly visited by court staff for drug testing to ensure that there is no probability of relapse.
According to Taylor, if a recipient tests positive more than six times, the food cart will be confiscated.
Light at the end of a tunnel
While Eusebio is thriving in his kariton venture, Taylor said not all can sustain the project, like another former inmate whose business failed in the face of hardships the inmate faced.
Taylor said this inmate was the “driving force” for her to start the program after he personally sought her help after the police confiscated his unauthorized food cart, which was his only hope of feeding his wife and children after being released from jail.
However, when she offered the kariton filled with food packs to Victor during its initial launch, it only took less than a week for him to abandon the business.
“Binabalik niya na ‘yong kariton kasi ’yong mga paninda pinakain sa mga anak. Kasi nga, they are the poorest of the poor,” she said.
(He returned the food cart because he fed the food packs to his children instead. As I’ve said, it’s because they are the poorest of the poor.)
Taylor stressed that the lack of drug treatment and rehabilitation centers (TRCs) for former drug users and the stigma associated with drug addiction are contributing factors to why people like the former inmate she mentioned do not feel empowered to be “productive citizens” of society.
On top of the scarcity of TRCs, according to the Department of Health, there are only 32 government rehabilitation centers available nationwide in 2023. These facilities are also short of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers providing professional care and services.
Taylor said that some of her ex-detainees had been forced to wait for one to two years before they were finally transferred to and accommodated in rehabilitation centers.
“Drug addiction is not a crime; it is a recurring disease, a sickness—that is curable but with the help not only of family members but the community as a whole,” the judge said.
At the end of every tunnel, there is a light; and Taylor hopes that the kariton would serve as a vehicle towards a renewed life for more PDLs still in jail.
“Naging okay ang relasyon ko sa pamilya ko, [at] okay na ang [pakikitungo] ko sa ibang tao… Hindi ko po sasayangin ‘yong pagkakataon na ‘yon at tiwala na binigay sa akin,” Eusebio said.
(I’m finally on good terms with my family, and my relationship with other people has become better. I will not take this opportunity and the trust that has been given to me for granted.)
As of April 12, the kariton has been granted to four released PDLs, including Eusebio.
According to Taylor, she is seeking to extend the aftercare to the Manila City Jail Female Dormitory this year. – Cali Asajar/Manila Pulse
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