SHELTERED ALONG the busy streets of Manila, homeless Filipinos search for hope to provide their daily necessities amidst the struggles.
At the age of 76, Dolores Ticala still regularly walks around Manila near Recto and Morayta to find a job despite being partially paralyzed.
Ticala used to live alone at Palmera Street in Legarda but was “kicked out” by the landlord as she could not afford to pay the rent.
She had no choice but to live outdoors for three decades with no relative to support her.
"Awa ng Diyos, kumikita ako dito 200, 300 sa panlilimos. Wala na [trabaho] kasi baldado na ako," Ticala said.
(It is with God’s grace that I earn 200 to 300 from money offerings since I can no longer work due to my disabled body)
Her physical condition does not stop her from seeking other livelihood opportunities, yet coin offerings from people remain her source of income.
"Ang pension ko 500. Ano gagawin sa 500 sa senior citizen? Sa gamot ko lang, ang mahal-mahal na; maintenance ko, sobrang mahal," Ticala said.
(My pension as a senior citizen is only 500. What will I do with 500? My maintenance medicines are already too expensive.)
Echoing the same concern, Florentino Mabulac Alias can only rely on alms from students, jeepney drivers, and customers from a convenience store in España where he usually resides.
Alias used to be a mason-finishing, before the pandemic where he always had a packed schedule.
Although he hoped to have an advantage from his years of construction experience, he still failed to land another job.
"Ganito pa rin, walang pagbabago, paulit-ulit lang [pero] umaasa pa rin,” Alias said.
(Nothing changes. Everything repeats the same, but I’m still hoping for the future.)
In 2023, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) started a program entitled “Oplan Pag-Abot: Reaching out, Rebuilding lives”, which aims to cater those who are living in the streets.
“The project aims to reduce the risk and vulnerabilities of children, individuals and families in the street situations through provision of various interventions, services and opportunities, improve social status, and fulfill fundamental rights for them to live productively in a safe, supportive and enabling environment,” the DSWD memorandum read.
Further details about the program can be found on the DSWD PH Assistance website under the DSWD Oplan Pag-Abot Program.
Hurdles in between
The slum areas have never been easy to live in, especially during natural disasters like floods, landslides, earthquakes, etc.
For a married couple Danilo Javier, 61, and Leny Javier, 48, dealing with typhoons was the most difficult experience of being homeless since 1997.
They must look for a high place to stay for days or even weeks, which is a struggle for people who don’t have vehicles like them.
“Nakaranas kami ng bagyo dito. Sisilong kami sa mga building. Naranasan namin na kahit ang hirap, pagsubok ‘yon, ‘di ba?” Danilo said.
(We experienced typhoons here where we go to buildings to take shelter. Even though it is hard, it is only a hurdle in life, right?)
Meanwhile, her wife shared that getting sick was also hard, especially that they are getting old without proper medications.
Leny remains hopeful from their collected alms that they saved in case they need to buy medicines like Biogesic.
Similar to the challenge of heavy rains, Ticala only relied on a small umbrella used for stalls even though it was not enough to cover her.
It was also hard for her to deal with people who are "disgusted” whenever she asks for coins, so she just made a sign board.
However, she still prefers to live in the streets given there is more “free will” rather than living in a home for the ages.
"Home for the aged sa Marikina, nadanas ko na. Wala, mas masarap pa, apo mag palimos [kasi] makakakain ka; kesa makulong ka, wala naman pagkain. ‘Di mo mahahanap anong gusto mo,” she said.
(Based on my experience in home for the ages in Marikina, it’s still better to be a beggar since you can eat freely, rather than being locked up with no food. You can do whatever you want.)
After a stranger unknowingly pulled her out from the place, she went back to Manila––still displaced.
According to the 2020 Census of Population and Housing by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a total of 57,281 Filipinos are in relocation areas while 12,615 were considered homeless.
In the same data, it was reported that over 60 percent of the homeless reside in Metro Manila as of the 2020 Census.
‘Inaccessible’ processes
Due to the fire in Las Piñas that destroyed their residence, Alias was not able to save any documents since he was also at work when the incident happened.
These lost documents affected his opportunities today where he could have a stable life, according to him.
"Walang hanap buhay kasi maraming kelangan ano eh mga police clearance, NBI, mga documents," Alias said.
(I have no occupation since there are lots of requirements to accomplish from police clearance, NBI, or other documents.)
Document rights were also Ticala’s concern since she has PhilHealth benefits, yet she still did not gain rights due to her loss of income.
Based on the PSA Helpline requirements, employers require applicants to submit general requirements such as PSA birth certificate, official transcript of records, NBI clearance, PhilHealth number, Tax identification number, NBI clearance, medical certificate, medical clearance, etc.
The long and complicated processes might not be easily understood, which makes another factor “inaccessible” as they echoed.
Danilo felt that everything was “insufficient” since they could not even afford to pay for the registrations of the aforementioned documents.
“Wala pag-asa ‘pag walang hanap-buhay. Wala ka makakakain kung ‘di ka magtatiyaga sa ganito [panlilimos],” he said.
(For me, there is no hope if you don’t have a job. You cannot provide food for yourself if you won’t be hardworking.)
Even with the loss of a stable source of income, they still hope that the small amount of alms everyday will nurture to a bigger foundation of future by trusting their continuous “perseverance.”
Clearing operations
The Department of the Interior and Local Government released a memorandum circular in 2019 regarding the clearing operations of roads including the City of Manila, which aims to remove illegal structures like street vendors who are also homeless and commonly resides in Divisoria.
Former Manila mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno assured that this is to ensure a “clean and organized community” as the city needs to be put back in order.
Beggars like Alias and Ticala said otherwise as their temporary place and things were taken by those in power like barangay chairmans.
“Minsan natutulog kami, hinuhuli kami. Utos daw ng gobyerno, bawal daw,” Alias said, noting that their personal information was also asked by personnels.
(There are times when we are awakened and arrested since the government ordered to do so.)
Given the nature of their livelihood, they will either find a new place to stay or go back to their temporary areas even after being dislodged.
According to the Javier couple, the DSWD is sometimes in control of captivating people in the streets, wherein they will provide a temporary shelter for them in Marikina, but not all of them still receive equal support.
“Dederetsyuhin ko, wala naman ano ‘yang gobyerno natin eh. Basta may pambayad lang ako ng bahay, makakabalik ako sa bahay. Talagang pera, pera pambayad ng bahay,” Ticala said.
(The government does nothing. If I have money for house rent, I can go back to my place.)
Contrary to what Ticala feels, others still “wished” for someone like the government to provide houses or a better system for the homeless.
Homelessness is caused by various reasons from employment loss, insufficient income, loss of home due to disasters as the international non-profit Borgen Project cited.
While different stories are shared by homeless Filipinos, one goal surrounds them––the flames of hope lit continuously amidst the struggles of living in the streets. – Manila Pulse
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