The Sidewalk She Calls “Home”
Val HAM (Philippines)
One day, while I was on my way home, I passed by the shanty near our place in Manila.
There, I literally ran into the usual overwhelming number of street children runningaround and playing on the sidewalks, while their parents lazily lounged around displaying
some trinkets or snacks for sale by the sidewalk, or were doing laundry. It just seems they
were always doing laundry, albeit because of the many children they have.
Then, all of a sudden, this girl cut in front of me while I was walking. I asked her name, andshe said it was Gina. I saw her and her siblings run around and play on these sidewalks
whenever I passed by. They were quite a naughty bunch, screaming and playing,unmindful of the pedestrians who had a look of disdain whenever they were cut off by them.
Having a few minutes of free time on my hands, I decided to make an impromptu interviewof Gina and her other siblings. She was the second eldest among them, but seemingly themost mature of them all. I asked her about what does she does everyday, and she looked atme with puzzlement. Then she told me she just spends time with her siblings, not able toelaborate on what activities they do.
As we continued our little one-on-one conversation, Gina looked to her side, and thensuddenly ran off, only to return in a moment’s notice with a younger girl. I asked Gina
who was she. She said she is Leny, her younger sister. I decided to ask Leny the samequestions I have been asking Gina. Not to my surprise, I received the same look ofpuzzlement from her. This time, Leny did not even give a response to my question. I am notsure whether she understood me or just had nothing to say, as she seemed to be the quieterof the two.
Later, a boy, seemingly a little older than Gina, literally came into the picture while I wastalking to Gina. He was jumping around and staring at me, while looking curiously at what
I was talking to Gina about. I asked him who he was. He said his name was Patrick, andthat he was Gina’s older brother. He was quite the hyperactive one, a bundle full of energy,
as opposed to his more subdued sister.
Again for the sake of comparison with his other siblings, I asked Patrick what he does
everyday. He excitedly told me that he builds houses! I looked around the area to see what
he was talking about. Upon not finding any semblance of a construction site, I asked him
where the houses that he built were. He pointed to a pile of plywood by the sidewalk. I thenjust smiled at him. After a while, Patrick suddenly left, maybe because he became bored,and went off to where his younger sister Leny was, and played tag with her.
As the day wore on, it was getting late. But before leaving, I asked Gina where the rest ofher family was. She said her father is out earning a living as a Pedi cab driver. She thenpointed to a bench a bit away where two women were, each holding a baby. She told me theone on the right was her mother, and the baby was their youngest. Finally, she pointed tothe rather large elderly woman by the sidewalk washing a huge number of clothes, which
she said was her grandmother doing all of the family’s laundry. Gina’s mother andgrandmother also earn some money on the side, selling cigarettes, candies, and somesnacks by the sidewalk.
As I bid the children goodbye and went home, I thought to myself what will become of thesechildren once they grew up. More likely, they will not finish secondary school, let alone go
to college. Many of the children in their situation grow up to become petty thieves, drug
users, or worse victims of physical and sexual abuse by others. Only time will tell, as
everyday, Gina and her family continues on, wondering what awaits them from thesidewalk they call home.