Friday, October 17, 2008 Antalan: World crisis and the local poor By Roger P.Antalan Dateline IGaCoS
TODAY, the whole world is in a very deep and disturbing financial crisis.
Curious about how this global economic turmoil swirling around the capitals and big cities of the world is affecting the rural folks. I went around and made a quick and random survey. How does it look in their little corner of the world?
The answers of the barrio residents reminded me of the reactions of a senior citizen when told about how he looks. "Don't flatter me that I look young. It is not true. Don’t tell me I look old, the truth hurts. Just say that I look the same since the last time you saw me."
The answers of the respondents vary and are at the same time similar to that of the senior citizen. Many of course are not aware of the raging economic meltdown happening in the financial centers of the world, except for a few who follow the news on TV and radio.
Perhaps it is too early to tell whether the global economic crisis has filtered down to the local areas. Who would be most likely affected in the near future? The poor, especially those below the poverty threshold line.
As of 2006, the latest official report of poverty incidence among families for Southern Mindanao is 30.6%, according to the NSCB (National Statistical Coordination Board).
For Davao del Norte, of which IGaCoS is a component City it is 37.7%.
The poverty threshold per person per year is Php 14,942. The poverty threshold however for a family of 5 persons, the average family number, is Php 6,226 per month or Php 205 per day.
Even at the present situation, how then do people below the poverty line manage to survive? Let’s go back to our informal survey. The answers can be loosely categorized into three: 1. “ Pareho lang”, the same as in the past years. 2. “It is getting worse”. 3. “Things are getting better.”
For now, the most common answer is “pareho lang.” “What crisis are you talking about?” “Hard times have been with us for a long time.” But all those interviewed often add: “Depende lang sa diskarte”. As the American saying goes: “It’s the bird, not the cage.”
In a family of five, all those who can contribute, does his share in contributing to the family income.
Most of the residents do not have regular work with above minimum wage pay. So they take on all and any kind of work available. The most common work is the “hornal”, at Php 150 per day, cutting grasses at nearby farms, climbing coconuts for harvest, and other jobs assigned to them.
The breadwinner and other capable members of the family work as carpenters in construction companies, as waiters in resorts, as tricycle drivers, bus drivers, house helps, laundrywoman, run sari-sari stores, and all kinds of work just to make ends meet.
Everybody now appreciates the widely- advertised city slogan. “Kung kita molihok lang gyud, dili kita maglisud” (If we only work hard, we will not be hard-up).
Other local sayings have motivated them: “kakugi ang kapital” (Industriousness is the capital). “Walay gutomon kung dunay paningkamot” (Nobody goes hungry with persistence and determination).
The second response, “It is getting worse” is really disheartening.
A Barangay Captain declared: “Ang krisis naa lang sa mga tapulan” (The crisis belongs only to the lazy).
In another place, the farmers are really uninvolved because they do not own the land. “With all the open spaces and the long shoreline, it is hard to get hungry in Samal”, another barangay leader commented.
The third response surprised me a little bit.
At least two barangays reported that things are getting better. One barangay reported a good harvest of palay, and the weather was cooperative all the planting season.
The other barangay said that the fishermen have made good money because the illegal fishing practices have been stopped. The fishes are coming back.
The local Department of Agriculture has reported increased participation in backyard gardening.
The tabo-tabo or bagsakan is now regular in Babak and Kaputian Districts every Sunday, and in Samal every Wednesday.
Barangays are growing vegetables, root crops and bananas. And there is now a regular market outlet for their produce.
As of this moment, the DA has distributed 65,000 hills of bananas to the farmers. Things are really looking up.
To conclude, the Bible says that the poor will always be with us. Jules Feiffer enumerated a number of words to describe the poor: needy, deprived, underprivileged and disadvantaged, and he continued to say: “I still don’t have a dime. But I have a good vocabulary.”
World crisis or not, whatever word is used to describe them, it is always wonderful and refreshing to see the poor rising up to the challenge of poverty.
