And justice for all

NOTE: Re-blogged in commemoration of the 4th anniversary of Mamamayan Ayaw sa Airspray (Maas)--residents of Lower Sirib, Calinan, Davao City, victims of development aggression we hosted here in the city.


IT HAD RAINED all afternoon that day, cold and soggy, she tried to push the thought out of her mind.

She had been tossing and turning on her banig most of the night. Somehow she could not rest easy, all the more—sleep. She felt as if two thousand crickets were sniveling from all directions.

Finally, she sat up and gaped blankly at a portion of a lit parol that managed to sneak its multi-hued lights into their rip-ridden tent.

Alas! Sleep still eluded her.

The night, conversely, was deafeningly quiet. As expected, no cargo trucks passed the road that could have easily engulfed them with dust and petrol fumes. Even the stars that night seemed to shine brighter than she had gazed them for the past month.

But, like her thoughts that night, the draft of the chilly December breeze that crept into their makeshift shelter, was an unwelcome interruption that made slumber for her even more difficult.

Except for their assigned night-watch and her, all of their members were fast asleep—albeit cramped inside their 4x2 meter-shelter.

It was the eve of the 24th of December, and it was her first time to be away from home on such an important evening. Evenings like these are meant to be spent with kin and loved ones. Not this year, at least for Gina and her neighbors.

“Really, I don’t mind spending my Christmas Eve here, away from my family,” blurted Gina.

Home for Gina and her neighbors is Purok 3, Lower Sirib, Calinan, Davao city.

Gina and her neighbors have been encamped just beside the street—over a canal—a few meters from the Court of Appeals here in Cagayan de Oro city. Her group, Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spray, are on a drive to defend their right to life and healthy environment. Theirs is a basic struggle for sobriety amidst chaotic social structures.

You see, from where Gina lived, near a banana plantation, have been constantly sprayed—along with the bananas—with agro-chemicals.

Gina suffered skin rashes. These worsen, she observed, when the plane that sprayed the agro-chemicals meet crosswinds where the agro-chemicals would definitely drift unto Gina’s neighborhood.

Her other neighbors had it much worse. Many suffered from pulmonary diseases while some mothers gave birth to sickly children. The aerial spraying in the little community beside the banana plantation has adversely affected their way of life.

Theirs is a community of peasants and agri-workers. Their well-being is their only capital for their livelihood—toiling the earth.

Long ago, three years to be exact, they won a battle when the local legislature in their city enacted an ordinance banning the practice of aerial spraying in banana plantations.

When the banana growers questioned the legality of the ordinance in a regional trial court, Gina and her neighbors won yet another battle. The circuit court ruled that there was nothing wrong with the ordinance and that it even upheld the constitutional right of every person to life and a healthy environment.

But the banana growers, having all the resources at their disposal, lodged a question on the constitutionality of the city ordinance to a higher court—Court of Appeals.

It was becoming clear to Gina that they may have won some battles but the banana growers would not easily give up the war.

At that instant, Gina and her neighbors decided that they have had enough of the aerial spraying.

“Dili mi mga peste,” was to be their battle cry.

They decided to take their struggle a notch higher. They decided to come here where the appellate court holds its office.

When they arrived in Cagayan de Oro city, they immediately went to the Court of Appeals and set up camp a few meters away.

After more than a month, Gina and her neighbors had been shouted and glared at, pushed and shoved, harassed and arrested, promised and lied at. But the struggle continues, Gina vowed.

She did not mind having to spend this year’s Christmas Eve away from her home. She did not mind the dust and petrol fumes every time a cargo truck passes their encampment. Gina does not even mind that they have to cramp themselves in their makeshift shelter by the road whenever they have to eat, hold a meeting or sleep.

It was not because she was cold and soggy that night. It was not because of the draft in their makeshift shelter every time the chilly December breeze blew that she could not sleep that night.

Gina did not mind being away from her kin this Christmas Eve because as she reasoned: “What we are doing here is for all of us, so that this thing that has been slowly killing us will be stopped.”

What bugged her this year’s Christmas Eve was her realization that the environment including its inhabitants are being raised to the altar of greed and profit and yet it takes so agonizingly slow for “learned” individuals to see what is right in front of their noses.

Gina could not sleep thinking that as the rights of the people are being trampled wantonly; the supposed vanguards of truth and justice are as lame as their excuses and counter proposals.

It is already fourteen past two in the early morn of Christmas day but sleep still evaded Gina.

Hence, Gina made a solemn oath on her very first Christmas Eve alone, without kin but with kindred spirits, to continue the struggle not only for her rights but more so the rights of those who are downtrodden. Those who have been stripped of their dignity and opportunity by the very people who have sworn to serve them.

What started for Gina as a struggle for her right to life has blossomed into a warm and resolute fervor to serve the people.

Unexpectedly, Gina yawned.

She smirked when she finally felt sleepy—probably weakened by her internal debate that seemingly long dreary evening.

She felt relieved as she laid her head to sleep thinking that tomorrow will, yet, be another day of struggle and that she should be well-rested if she was to continue to struggle for our rights and justice for all.

Wanted: “Angels”

Note: I am reblogging this old Christmas featurized news I wrote four years ago. I was working as a staff reporter for Sun Star Cagayan de Oro Daily, then.

ROSE Abrogar rises each day just before dawn. After a hot cup of diluted coffee, she goes to Cogon Market, taking the trisikad her father rents, to sell two peso-plastic bags to people picking fresh fish and vegetables.

Stephanie is ten years old. At ten years, she goes about her routine to augment her family’s income. For her labor, she earns P20 a day.

Stephanie lives with her three other siblings in Bolonsiri, Camaman-an and she has been selling plastic bags for as far as she can remember. She said she often wondered how it is to be in school and play with classmates.

Her father is a sikad driver who, on the average, nets P50 a day. Her mother does laundry for their rich neighbors but that does not happen most of the time, leaving Stephanie and her three other siblings to work in order to survive the daily grind.

When asked what she really wants for Christmas, she says, without batting an eyelash, “rice.”

Early this month, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD 10) launched a survey to the 100 rescued child workers on what specific items they would want to have for Christmas. Items ranging from complete school uniform, educational supplies, shoes, to basic needs like what Stephanie asked for.

Christmas came early for Stephanie and ninety nine other child workers as last Thursday the children were given gifts they wished for when they were rescued early this month by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE 10).

Stephanie is one of the 100 rescued child workers who are the pilot batch to benefit from DOLE 10’s “Project Angel Tree.”

In a simple ceremony held in the Provincial Capitol grounds dubbed “Angel kisses and Gift giving,” child workers received the gifts they wished for plus a bagful of educational supplies.

They were treated with a dance number from mascots of a popular fast-food chain while eating their lunch with their gifts in their little hands.

David Bustig, 13 years old, a child worker from the municipality of Binuangan, Misamis Oriental, told this paper, he had not had fun like last Thursday in all his life. He recalls how his back ached every time he would carry hollow blocks from the factory to the delivery trucks.

“Karon pa ko nakabati ingon ani nga kalipay. Unta magpirmi ning angel tree,” Bustig wistfully says.

Governor Oscar Moreno, who was at the event, is grateful for the project adding that he is particularly proud because the Province of Misamis Oriental is the only province that had adapted Project Angel Tree in its council. Vice Governor Norris Babiera authored the provincial resolution adapting the said project as part of the social welfare and development program of the province.

Although only five out of the 25 municipalities of the province participated in the said project, Moreno said there is always room for improvement even as he challenged the rest of the municipalities to join the network of the project.

Project Angel Tree, in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD 10), has been the pet project of DOLE 10. It took off late June of this year and culminated this December. DOLE 10 started the project as an advocacy in January of this year. It is a network of benefactors coming from different sectors of the region.

Rodrigo Deloso, chief labor employment officer of the technical support and supervision division of DOLE 10, says he hopes next year’s Project Angel Tree will include a scholarship package for the rescued child workers, even as he invites people to join their advocacy in rescuing child workers and giving them something to hope for.

“As of now, we have established a network of benefactors which we call angels. It’s a combinative effort of department offices, private non-government organizations, business sector, local government units and individuals. Because we plan to expand the project to include a scholarship program for the child workers, I am invited everyone to share their time and money to the project. Share your blessing to these children, be an angel to them,” Deloso said.

Last Thursday’s gift giving was sponsored by Federacion Internacionalé de Abogadas (FIDA-CDO chapter), Province of Misamis Oriental, City of Cagayan de Oro, League of PESO Managers.