As Iloilo city continues
to develop into a beautiful city, urban poor communities are caught in the
middle of things often; they are displaced and relocated by the urban planning
efforts of the local authorities. With the assistance of Kadamay, our group of
10 was able to take a walk through the urban poor area of the dumpsite and
slums in Calajunan, Mandurriao and Lapuz Norte, Lapuz respectively.
It takes a short climb up a
hill to reach the Calajunan dumpsite, where all the rubbish collected from the
city is brought. Small huts can be seen scattered among the mountains of
rubbish around the dumpsite. We were introduced to four workers at the site,
who talked to us frankly about their lives.
Men, women and children
are seen at this dumpsite. There are approximately 200 workers working here,
with families of around 5 to 7 members. Frequently, husbands and wives work
together here and sometimes, their children will come along to help out.
