Tales From The Dumpsite: Christmas Random Stories On The Lives Of The Scavengers In Cebu City Sanitary Landfill

RAISE FROM POVERTY

 “Gusto ko nga mahaw-as sa kalisud, (I want to be out of poverty),” Michael (real name withheld being a minor), 10, a son of scavenger’s parents in Cebu City sanitary landfill in White Road, Barangay Inayawan, with a stern look in his face told Metro Cebu News (MCN) last Thursday afternoon.

He was accompanied by his 13 year old elder brother during the interview, where they sat on a sack of collected scrap which they scavenged from what used to be called the Inayawan dumpsite, about two kilometers away from the envisioned multi-billion generating investments of the city government, South Road Properties (SRP) where SM City and real estate giant FilInvest Land Inc. are presently constructing their mega-projects.

MCN is withholding both of the brothers’ identities but the visibly determined Michael was the more vocal of the two when asked within the vicinity of the make shift junk shop of Jessica Ignacio, a scrap buyer who is a relative of Inayawan barangay Captain Lutherlee “Lotlot” Ignacio-Soon.

Asked what prompted him to utter the brave and bold statement, Michael revealed that the turning point was when he got hold about two years ago a toy car in one of the trashes that he scavenged in a pile of garbage that he believed to have come from a well-off family in Cebu City because the toy was “expensive” when he showed it to one of the junk shop owners in the area.

As a child, he loves toys and although he would have love to keep it, he was forced to sell it because it was brought at P200, his highest earning to date since he became a scavenger at six years old. He claimed that as a child it inspired him realizing that if someone could buy a prized toy, he can probably do it too.

His vow to rise from poverty–EDUCATION–revealing, he goes to school every afternoon, from 12 noon to six in the evening, the afternoon session class at the Inayawan Elementary School after helping his father, along with his elder brother, in the morning in scavenging. On weekends, the three of them could scavenge for the whole day.

By about 10 a.m. on weekdays, he can already earn P30, where he would remit it to his mother who in turn would provide him a portion for his “balon” (allowance for school).

Michael who is in grade four said he wants to finish at least high school and would be a working student later on to pursue a college degree. Inayawan dumpsite, he admits, where poverty abound in the neighborhood has been their home since birth.

Kids like him have practically grown up in the sanitary landfill, finding their way to earn way for education for their life’s ambitions. (Image credit: bruceliron.photoshelter.com)

“Wala pa koy ambisyon kung unsa nga kurso basta makahuman ko ug eskwela mao ra akong pangandoy” (I do not have any ambition yet as to what course, for as long as I will finish my schooling, that is my dream),” he said, this time in near tears as he added that, they have four other siblings, ages 9,7, 3 and 1.

Their house apart from some pieces of good lumber that served as the posts and braces and G.I. sheets as roof has been made out of scavenged scraps, thick cartons, pieces of plywood and some Styrofoam. It is actually a shanty which serves as their sala, kitchen, dining room, bed room, rolled into one.

Lilia Llanto, president of the Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK)-Lihok Pagtinabangay Multi-Purpose Cooperative which counts of members of majority of the scavengers in the area revealed that the religious group, the Society of Divine Word (SVD) congregation that operates the University of San Carlos (USC) are offering a scholarship for deserving students. She said Michael could be endorsed later on.

Through the help of the SVD community Llanto claimed, some has finished college as their parents were also given alternative livelihood and has availed of low cost housing program.

“Depending on the parents of the child, the SVD fathers can help, there are others who already finished their college,” Llanto, fondly called Daday in the community where she lives since 1980, said in Cebuano. Apart from managing the cooperative, she is also operating a junk shop.

SIMPLE CHRISTMAS WISH

Rowena Villaso, 28, a mother of four and eight months pregnant, has other priorities though. Her immediate concern is the celebration of Christmas where she revealed her simple wish.

Rowena even has a revelation, their daily earning from scavenging has dwindled when the segregation of waste has been implemented and that the sanitary landfill only accommodates a certain volume of waste while some are being disposed in the Consolacion landfill, a northern Cebu town next to Mandaue City, Cebu City’s neighbor.

It was because under R.A 9003 (Solid Waste Management Act of 2000), the volume of garbage that has been dumped in the area has decreased. (MCN even spotted some city government leased and barangay garbage trucks that are still loaded with trash and continues to use the facility despite a supposed closure order of the facility in 2011 of Mayor Michael Rama. City officials claimed later that the landfill has not been totally closed and hence control dumping is being implemented because of a pending waste to energy project by a private entity).

“Wa koy laing gipangaliya, Sir, makauban ang akong pamilya karung pasko unya basta maayo lang ang among lawas (I have no other wish Sir, to be with my family this Christmas and to have good health for all of us),” she told MCN in a separate interview outside of their own shanty where she lives with her husband, Manuel, who is two years older than her.

She admitted that both of them lived in Inayawan dumpsite, literally all their lives, being neighbors.

A self-confessed scavenger since 8 years old, she dropped out of school when she was in sixth grade. When Manuel impregnated her at 16, they decided to live together where they have four kids, ages 10, 9, 5 and 3, apart from her eight month pregnancy.

Being just with one another this Christmas would be enough, adding, their usual “Noche Buena” of spaghetti and sandwhiches and some soda and perhaps a pork ham courtesy of a junk shop owner who is their “suki” (buyer) of the garbage scraps that they collected every day.

According to Rowena, Melchor could just earn between P100-150 daily as an offshoot of the partial closure of the facility and implementation of R.A. 9003 as the garbage are already segregated when dumped. Back then, earning a minimum of P200 daily is certain as they can easily find recyclables like plastics, bottles and metals, tin cans, aluminum and jalousies, unlike these days.

A kilo of plastic according to Llanto is being paid P10 along with bottles, the tin cans which are mostly from canned goods are being bought at P4.50/kilo. Aluminum cans from soft drinks and beverages commands a higher buying price at P40 per kilo, also the price for jalousies.

Since her husband’s daily earning decreased, Rowena admitted, they could just barely meet their daily subsistence, consisting of three kilos of rice, some dried fish and noodles. Sometimes, they would have canned sardines and when Melchor earn some extra, they could have some fish from the barangay market and vegetables on the side.

“Igo ra gyud mi maka-kaon sa tulo sa usa ka adlaw, bahala nag unsay sud-an basta ang siguro, tulo ka kilo nga bugas, (Just enough for us to have three meals a day, no matter what our viand is, the most important is the three kilos of rice),” she further said while caressing in circular motion her impregnated belly .

Since she wishes good health for all of the family members, it includes a safe delivery for their youngest child in January so that she would also resume in helping her husband for scavenging.

“Inig ka sunod buwan nga manganak na ko puhon, maayo ra unta intawn arun makatabang na dayun ko sa akoang bana (Next month when I give birth, I wish it would be just fine so that I could already help my husband),” Rowena said thus.

ONE-DAY MILLIONAIRE

Rewind, five years back, one of the scavengers, a certain Napoleon Alburo, became an instant millionaire, albeit, only in one day, after he found several thousand dollars that was stuffed in a sack.

Now, after the incident in November 26, 2008, Alburo is back to scavenging, who, even refuse to be interviewed when sought, save for a nephew who volunteered and recalled the incidents.

Jomel  Compuesto claimed his uncle returned all the US$60, 000 that were placed in a sack that was thrown in the dumpsite  that was later discovered to be owned by Emiliano Tampin, a local money changer.

At P44. 50/ US$1, the amount could be about P2.6 MILLION these days, which could already categorize Alburo of being a millionaire but Compuesto claimed his uncle merely got hold of it for only a day. (Cebu newspaper reports then has it that some other scavengers who were around also that day also took some of the dollars and has exchanged it in peso)

Barangay Inayawan sanitary landfill. (Image credit: www.chrispforr.net)

“Igo ra gyud siya nakakupot ato, nagtuo man siya nga peke, pero tinuod diay, apan mao lagi igo ra siya naka-gunit,  (He just got hold of it, he thought it was fake but it was genuine but he just got hold it),” Compuesto, 22, who because of the lesser income of scavenging  decided to shift to being “trisikad (bicycle with sidecar) driver” told MCN.

He recalled Alburo hid for a while in Argao, a southern Cebu municipality, but decided to surface when agents of the National Bureau of Investigation had already started to look for him days after. Another relative whom Compuesto declined to name, allegedly was left with the dollar bills when Alburo fled, showing up later after seeking the assistance of a local radio station, DyHP,  through its station manager, Atty. Ruphil Banoc, who facilitated the appearance of Alburo before the (NBI) in December of that year.

Compuesto said contrary to speculations that his uncle has become rich, Alburo actually has been scavenging since then. There were also reports that only about one third of the amount was recovered but since the money was mistakenly thrown by the house-help of Tampin, Alburo was never charged of any criminal offense.

“Wala gyuy siyay natago mao balik na pud siya pangaykay gikan sa mga huwad (he is back again in scavenging from the dump trash because he did not keep any), Compuesto, narrates further to MCN.

There you are folks, in this Christmas season, those are at least some of the tales right there in the Inayawan dumpsite, going out of poverty, be with the love ones this holiday season, and a millionaire for one day. There are a lot of stories there. You can pick any as long as the Cebu City populace, which is already nearing a million (866, 171 per National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) 2010 census) will dispose their dirt in the area.  There will be plenty of tales within the dumpsite and they would not mind perhaps telling and retelling it to journalists, social workers, non-government organizations, philanthropies and charitable institutions. They are there and they scavenged for a living, literally honest at that, they toil for it with their own sweat and blood. They pick the dirts of every Cebu City resident, that is their life and who would raise them from that bondage one day is best thrown for public discourse to elicit further collective social action.

Image Credit: bruceliron.photoshelter.com