On the approach to Payatas, a slum on the northern outskirts of Manila, a large mountain looms on the horizon. It seems geographically improbable in a landscape which otherwise seems fairly flat. It’s not until we get closer that I realise it’s not a mountain at all – it’s a colossal pile of rubbish.
To outsiders, the mountain is an eyesore. To locals, it’s a source of shelter, income and food. In the couple of days we spend in the slum I notice new dwellings, made out of plastic bags and scrap wood, springing up on top of piles of rubbish. I hear stories about how people brush away maggots from food they find on the mountain.
Many people spend their days scavenging on the mountain for items they can sell to junk shops, earning 80 pesos (A$1.80) for a long day’s work if they’re lucky. I also hear that some women in the community have turned to prostitution.
Ordinarily, this kind of place would make me despair. But I’m here with TSPI, Opportunity International Australia’s partner in Manila, and I’m meeting women who have been able to make another choice – a choice to start a business and make a new start. They’re able to work in a safer environment and generate a steady income.
After two days in Payatas, my eyes are stinging from the burning plastic bags and the next day I’m sick. It’s nothing that I won’t recover from quickly, but it makes me realise that for the local people, there is no respite from this challenging environment. Aside from the physical side effects, I know Payatas is leaving me with a more lasting impression - the stories of people who are moving, if not from rags to riches, then from rags to a safer, more hopeful future.
Zoe Hogan
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