PI Trip Blog 2: Knowing Your Place

The poor here are so very poor—it’s criminal. The rich are so rich—it’s obscene. Those in power must know this and pretend not to see. Why and how does mass poverty get perpetuated for generations? What will it take for a country like the Philippines to build a strong middle class? The tired old dogma of land redistribution hasn’t broken up much of the traditional family monopolies and corporate inbreeding. And what about jobs and the economy?

The Philippines graduated 90,000 nurses this year but the country can only absorb 10,000 of them. That means the remaining 80,000 graduates are unemployed, underemployed, or go overseas as guest workers. It’s the same story for engineers, doctors, teachers. The government encourages outsourcing of its human resources. In fact, the government has a policy of finding other overseas employment for 30,000 Filipinos who have lost their jobs in Dubai due to the global economic downturn. Minimum wage here is 400 Philippine pesos a day, the equivalent of $8.88 US dollars. (It puts in perspective the 300 pesos I tipped the porter for 3 pieces of luggage at the Manila airport) And what about commerce and transportation? The smaller towns and cities we pass through have a proliferation of sari-sari stores and roadside vendors. Many residents walk directly on the roads because there are inadequate sidewalks. Cars seem a luxury reserved for the rich, as motorized tricycles, motorcyles, mopeds, cabs are the vehicles most seen at petrol stations. Would it really help the masses if the economy undergoes structural change as one presidential candidate (out of a total of 89 candidates) vows to do?

The Philippines is not made for an American-style democracy, R tells me. And the people are fine with knowing their place, he concludes. R says that maids are grateful to have a job and that drivers are highly valued as the highest paid domestic help. One of our drivers has a wife and children who live hundreds of miles away in the province. He sends money home regularly and sees his family once a month. He is happy with his lot, R insists. He knows his place in society and accepts it. Perhaps I am just wearing my American perspective on my sleeve, but it bothers me that children and senior citizens beg on the streets. That homeless families live on the sidewalks. That many go without clean water and basic shelter. They can't all be happy knowing their place in society. That's the outdated myth of the happy brown peoples of Oceania. From Manila, to Leyte, to Cebu (and probably Davao, Palawan and Ilocos, too) the dichotomy of the very poor and the very rich is glaring. The politicians must see this. Do they pretend not to see? Or they do see it, but choose to live with the people's familiar place in society?

Footnote: As a Philippine-born outsider, a westernized Filipino-American female, what should I know about "my place" in Philippine society? Our American group has stayed at some of those very rich people’s homes and have been waited on by their maids and drivers. We’ve experienced the expanse of green lawns and high walls topped with glass shards to keep others out. We’ve also stayed at hotels that are steps away from the everyday life of the very poor. We’ve also felt at home in clean and simple abodes and bonded with middle class families. BTW, every pig needs to hide when we’re in a town because inevitably someone will throw a party for us featuring lechon, no matter how upscale or humble the venue. Whether we are in a town or a city, whether the people are rich or poor, we have been met embraced with open arms and hearts. The friends, neighbors, kinfolk connections, students, dignitaries, families and staff we encounter have shown incredible hospitality and generosity. But I cannot fully buy into the notion that everyone is happy knowing their place in society.

There is an undercurrent that makes me want to raise my fist and foment revolution. Or at least help stir up some good old fashioned discontent.