LONGER DAYS OF STARVATION: The ‘new normal’ for homeless Ilonggos

By Sean Rafio

If there’s such a thing as the “new normal” in the lives of homeless Ilonggos, these are longer days of starvation and dehydration.

In 2019, there are about 4.5 million homeless people in the Philippines (population: 106 million), and hundreds of them are in Iloilo City, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

As of this writing, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected 12.1 million people according to Worldometer, a provider of global COVID-19 figures.

This infectious disease has forced government officials to implement quarantine measures to control the spread of the virus. Since March 16, 2020, the Philippines has been under different community quarantine levels.

Manong Raul who stays in Molo Plaza would sleep in a waiting shed along with his dog.

He had no clue of what is happening. He has a face mask with him, and I asked him why he was not wearing it, and he replied by asking me why he needed to wear one.

I informed him about the virus and why everyone stayed at home. He then replied saying, “wala gid ako kabalo sang nagakatabo, sir. Muna gale wala na tawo sang san-o” (I had no idea what was happening, Sir. That’s why no one was outside the last time).

Manong Johnny has been living with a mental illness. He also wondered why no one was in the streets of Iloilo City.

He was unaware of what was happening, until recently when a man approached and informed him about the health crisis.

Manong Johnny wears a mask while begging for food in the streets of Iloilo City Proper. Since the lockdown measures were implemented, he slept with an empty stomach and a dry mouth.

Manong Raul and Manong Johny are among the hundreds of Ilonggos who had no choice but to stay outside because they had no homes of their own.

 

Considering that the community quarantine measures have been ongoing for months now, there should be aid to these homeless Ilonggos.

But five months later, they are still hungry, homeless, and vulnerable to the disease.

Homeless people don’t have a roof over their heads to isolate themselves from the virus. No one knows the struggle of these people. They walk the streets of Iloilo not even knowing the danger they encounter every day.