This is really Pinoy ingenuity at work! My family and I were on our way to Davao City when we had to stop at Mangima Road, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. As it turned out, there was an ongoing road repair (I learned that from this huge tarp along the side of the road which prominently featured the face of President Gloria Arroyo instead of the facts and data about the infrastructure project…but ah, that’s for another post) and only one lane was open for passage.

As we waited for our turn to pass through, I noticed a lot of makeshift shanties. And then I spotted these:

Children and their parents offering just about anything to people waiting in their vehicles. From peanuts to steamed corn to “ice tubig,” (ice water) children as young as 5 years old would hawk their products, hoping that the waiting passengers would bother to open their windows and probably buy something.

So, yes, while this does show how ingenious Filipinos can be, it also mirrors a sad fact in our society. That not all children are in school and that even children are forced to do labor. Probably not because they were told by their parents but because they themselves know that every centavo counts and every little thing they can do can go a long way for their respective families.

So now I can’t help but wonder where these children will be once the road repair’s finished. Will they go back to school? Will their parents find jobs? Are those makeshift shanties their real homes or do they have a “real home” to go back to? Or will their families seek for another construction or repair site where they can sell products and just accept the harsh realities of life?

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