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Ted Aljibe / AFP - Getty Images
A resident swims among debris and rubbish looking for recyclable materials after a fire gutted an informal settlement overnight in Malabon City, suburban Manila, the Philippines on April 7. Around a thousand residents were affected by the fire, but no casualties were reported.
Ted Aljibe / AFP - Getty Images
Residents look for recyclable materials among debris and rubbish on April 7 after a fire gutted their settlement in Malabon overnight.
This is the fourth time in as many months that we have reported on a devastating fire affecting the residents of slum housing in the Philippines. Last year, the East Asia Forum published an article on the challenges of providing better-quality housing for low-income Filipinos, reporting that public expenditure on housing is less than 0.1 per cent of the country's GDP. Without sustained investment, desperate scenes like those occuring in Malabon this morning seem likely to be repeated again and again.
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Clean water? We don't need no stinking clean water.....
This shows the disparity between the wealthy and the poor in the Philippines. The situation could be greatly improved by the government providing job skills training to the poorest people. Training in job skills like welding would allow the Philippines to develop a larger workforce of skilled workers which would allow the country to become a greater player in the ship-building industry. The country might also use those same skills for building equipment to develop ocean wave energy which could make the Philippines energy independent and make it a leading supplier of such equipment since their labor cost is so low. More imagination is needed in the national government to pull the country out of economic stagnation. The low labor costs are definitely a great advantage to enterpreneurs wanting start profitable manufacturing operations. Ignoring the plight of the poor can only make it a breeding-ground for the spread of communism. The people a very good spirit in the face of adversity. Their spirit should be rewarded with a chance for decent work. They should not be ignored.
Correction: The people HAVE a very good spirit in the face of adversity.
'm not sure I understand where the water is coming from? tryign to put out the flames? or are they in a harbor?
Wht we neeg in Philippines is a new GOVERMENT that can make sure that the FILIPINOS are taken care of. I am FILIPINO born and race, i came to America 30 years ago, I feel blessed that i am now living in this country where the GOVERMENT actually cares about their CITIZENS...Americans are very fortunate to have a country like this. PHILIPPINES is so corrupted that rich people are getting richer and poor people are gettin poorer. They need to creat a good paying job oue their, have some type of MEDICARE FOR THE POOR, THAT CAN NOT AFFORD TO GO TO HOSPITAL WHEN THEY ARE SICK. GIVE THEM FOOD STAMPS, HELP THEM PAY THEIE UTILITY BILL WHEN THEY NEEDED HELP. ALL I AM SAYING IS IF UNITED STATE OF AMERICA CAN DO THIS FOR THEIR CITIZENS WHY NOT THE PHILIPPINES GOVERMENT...GOD BLESS TO ALL MY FELLOW FILIPINOS THAT WAS AFFECTED BY THIS TRAGEDY.. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS AND KEEP EACH AND EVRY ONE OF YOU..
foodstamps? medicare? subsidized utilities? you gotta to be kidding me? do you think money grows on trees?
the medicare thing is the problem why the US is in great debt anyway....just a thought.....think before suggesting anything
Military more than Medicare friend. Two Wars on the other side of the globe, Paying Billions to multiple Dictators in the ME, Saving Big Banks and TARP, and Toxic assets. Funded programs are down the list a ways.
These photos clearly shows the despicable living conditions in the slums of Manila, Philippine Republic. These are good people, albeit no self respect. Good people who will swim in filth to gather recyclables to make money. In the slums, they don't care about sanitary conditions, they eat, they sleep, they play and even make babies in those conditions! What is wrong with these people? What is wrong with the government? What is wrong with the so-called Filipino "Roman Catholics" who pray and worship every day? I'll tell you what's needed there, a revolution to get rid of corruption. The nation should be cleansed and purged from top to bottom. In my lifetime, will I ever see a hero to lead this nation out of this filth?
People swimming in filth to recover recyclables are not there to make money. They are there to salvage whatever they can get to rebuilt their homes. I have seen slums in Los Angeles. Your description of "sleeping, eating playing and making babies " apply to almost all the larger cities in the world. Yes, they care about sanitary conditions, but if you do not have the infrastructure to get rid of waste materials and by-products, how do you deal with it? Even huge corporations here in the United States dump their toxic waste illegally. The only exception is you do not get to see it until children and babies, and yes, even animals get sick in large numbers. I agree, the goverment has to do a lot more. The change has to start from the top and not from the bottom.
the root of the problem is the catholic church in the Phils....they keep blocking family planning....and all the politicians are so stupid to realize that if the catholic church is gonna excommunicate them, then might as well convert to something else
This is so sad. Why can't our government invest on better housing for the needy instead of paying all these corrupt officials high salaries that they do not even deserve!! When is CHANGE ever going to happen in our country? The very reason people leave the Philippines to seek better lives and by that I don't just mean financially but also a MORALLY sound environment where they are treated fairly and with RESPECT. Filipinos are hard-working and when given the opportunity can rise above the ranks. For a person or group of people, to allow these inhumane conditions to continue is not in his or her right frame of mind and should not be in the position of authority.
I am a Filipino, a physician in the United States, and will retire to the Philippines in a few months. I built 32 units (homes)last year for the poor people in Negroes Occidental and gave it to them as a gift. I returned home a few months ago for a visit and the trash pit is full .The residents did not bother to cover the hole. Trash was overflowing especially when it rains. It was a disappointing visit. The government gave the land and I built the homes. I know many wealthy Filipinos ,and the government ,who have made attemps at making the life of poor Filipinos better.
yes, military expenditure too, but the bulk of it is medicare, medicaid and SSS=50% of the budget...but I agree, the wars would have been better done....TARP, when paid back actually only cost $25B out of the $700B originally lent