Reflections from the Philippines

So we've been in the Philippine's for three and a half weeks, it's probably time to write about our experiences here. There is lots that could be said, and way too much to recall it all, so there'll be some snippets that stand out.....

As with visiting or starting anything new, the first few days and especially hours are most pronounced in my memory.

Charlene's brother-in-law Jerry picked us up from the airport at around midnight. Driving home was all over the road- not due to Jerry being a bad driver, but that is how people drive in the Philippines. Lanes mean nothing. Cars and trucks and motor bikes pull into oncoming traffic to overtake anyone and everyone. Despite being in the middle of Manilla there were no signs, no reflective markings, and in a lot of places no street lighting (even though there were street lights). Pedestrians and cyclists were on main roads without lighting or reflectors. It was mayhem and I backseat drove like my life depended on it. Jerry in his calm way kept driving with a gentle smile on his face. He was embarrassed at the disrepair of his country, explaining that greed and corrupt leaders were the reason the lights weren't turned on, the brand new airport had not been opened despite being finished 5 years ago, and despite the natural wealth of his country- the country is impoverished.

This is the Philippines. Kids play on the streets. If you are poor, your front door may open on to a busy road. A jeepnie or tricycle (motor bike with side car) not blowing plumes of blue smoke is an anomylie. Security guards carry sawn off pump action shot guns. Teenage boys sing karaoke in the middle of shopping centres. People are patient and in the midst of everyday life keep a smile on their face.

Somehow, a lot of this stuff seems normal to me now. People are people where ever and however they live. What ever their skin color, language. The essence of humanity is the same. These are people that breathe, as we breathe. Love as we love.

Charlene's sister Crystal is involved at a medical clinic in a poor area beyond Antipolo on the long road into the Solid Cement factory. Along this 5km road are bamboo and concrete shacks, small stores, bare bummed toddlers, smokey fires, trikes on their side in various states of repair, women sweeping endlessly the fine cement fallout. Men grooming their prize cocks for the next fight, children climbing along the top of cement trucks collecting the last bit of waste cement to sell, mangey dogs, open repair shops, and people sitting, chatting, waiting for the next good story.

I got to work with four Philipino men over the course of a week at the medical clinic. The roof had been leaking, the ceiling had cracks, water was coming in under the door during the wet season, and being all white was a little sterile. So the clinic was closed for one week and I had the privilege of working with Gemo, Jun, Ray and JR as we performed renovations.

These guys were great- they were all part of one extended family. The 3 younger men in there 30's were all brothers-in-law, while Ray is the god father to two of them. They all work together when possible and look out for each other. Jun was the leader, having the most diverse experience, Gemo the plasterer and painter, JR the stone mason, and Ray... did the hard yards. As an engineer, I appreciated their ingenuity. As a person who doesn't like to waste I was astonished at their resourcefulness.

Their tools included one power drill, an extension cord made of multiple single strand electrical wire taped together, two or three drill bits, a rivet gun, and a grinder. There were a couple of chisels, punches and hammers. Other then that we borrowed a welder and they bought a hacksaw blade. They rocked up the first day with their tools in a plastic bag :) Considering this is their profession, I cannot describe how minimal their kit was. Yet they worked fast and did immaculate work. We needed to produce a 8mm hole in a piece of steel flat for a pivot and they only have 1/8in drill bits. No worries... burn the hole using the welder arc... and a perfectly round hole at that. they were scrounging old rusted roof guttering for sheet metal, pieces of pvc pipe already used in the sewer venting that were a foot longer than they really needed to be were cut short for other needs. All the fibro used in the ceilings that had to be pulled down was reused and at the end of the week the pile of rubble would fill one wheel barrow.

I was impressed. These guys were skilled. They worked hard. They were friendly. They thought about how to do things well and for their work each day earnt 500 pesos or about $12us each (a generous wage compared to the usual building sites, and with so many people vying for work, it is not always reliable). 2/3 of the worlds population have similar lives working hard to place food on their families table, build shelter and hopefully be able to afford their children's education.

These guys live in an urban area (squatter area, slum area) where they have built their small house (maybe 4 x 6 m) from concrete blocks, unfinished rough cut wood, and corrugated iron. We were able to visit Gemo, his wife Edna and there children (Edna works as a nurse at the clinic with Crystal). Despite so little, what they have is kept immaculate, swept daily and clean for their family of 5. They recently built an addition upstairs where they sleep on the family mat and keep their dearest possessions above the yearly flood waters that sweep through the down stairs area. These are intelligent, hard working people, no different to most people in canada or australia, just that they were born into country with corrupt leaders where it is quite difficult to get free from the cycle of poverty. What they have is not guaranteed either - the owners of the land may decide to bull doze to make way for condos, fire may tear through their village, as well as the threat of 6ft deep flood waters with associated disease and wild animals that come with it. I don't envy their life.

It does raise a lot of questions though. How are we to respond to what we see? It's not an easy question. These are the kinds of things we are chewing over.

Most of the rest of our time is spent with Crystal, Jerry and the boys... which we are thoroughly enjoying. More on that another time.