San Beda College

Mendiola, Manila

An Action Research

submitted in partial fulfillment of

the requirements in the course

THED 5: Social Justice and Lay Apostolate

Submitted by:

ABDULLA, ABDEL JEFFRI JR. C.

ARRIOLA, ARMALYN H.

EVANGELISTA, REINA MAE A.

PALAY, CHARLIEMAGNE B.

TAN, LANCE ADRIAN G.

VILLAS, MILLET U.

Submitted to:

Prof. Frederick Sanchez

May 25, 2018

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to thank God, Our Almighty for the guidance and protection

throughout our immersion. The ability to do work and the positive insights we have

during the immersion despite of the intense heat and exhaustion comes from God and

we are very grateful for that. We would not accomplish this immersion without His

guidance.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our advisor, Professor Frederick

Sanchez, for his guidance throughout this course which is entitled as Social Justice.

We are also thankful for his support, motivation and the knowledge he shared to us

that changed our view in life.

We are grateful to the people whom we had the chance to work with during our

immersion. Each members of the Puso sa Puso Foundation has provided us extensive

personal and professional guidance and taught us lessons in life which we will not

learn in the four corners of the classroom. We would like to especially thanks to

Joceline Basconcillo, the one who is giving our assigned task for the day and Linda

Zapanta for being with us all the time when we are doing our assigned task.

We are also thankful to our block mates for making the immersion more meaningful

and giving us an experience that is full of learnings. We will definitely treasure this

experience forever.

We would like to thank our family whose love and guidance are with us every day.

We are thankful for the support financially and emotionally.

May the Almighty God richly bless all of you.

 INTRODUCTION

Social Justice is the title of this course. Social Justice is important because it promotes

equality and diversity in the society which yield to opportunity, growth and social

well-being. A student studying social justice should examine themselves, others and

institutions to find the patterns of inequality or discrimination. A student should

experience the actual problem and explore to give possible solutions. In the classroom

the students can have the glimpse of the kind society that we could live in and

studying social justice may help them to practice tolerance of diversity, and facilitate

fair and reasonable resource allocation. It is a subject that will wake you up in reality

that is hidden by walls and boundaries and understand the different problems that

people face in society. It shows how wealth can make people change and how it can

change others life. It is not just a subject that is based on literary pieces but also on

facts that will help you not just to become a better person but to be a better citizen for

others. A person should be visiting homes, sitting down with family members, and

talking about their problems to be able to facilitate a strong relationship and show

social justice.

Since San Beda University is always included in top schools with expensive tuition

fees, Bedan students have privileges over other people. It is important to every Bedan

to be involved in these activities to have realization about the problem of those who
does not have opportunities like them and to have knowledge about the matters

outside San Beda University. Bedans will not know the feeling and understand the

situation of less privileged people without experiencing such life or knowing such

people. Bedans apply the principles of Social Justice in their work with everyone they

do everything to make sure these people in the society are treated like human beings

and with respect in the process. A bedan studying social justice in the classroom is not

enough, he should be involved in the society to know its problems and apply social

justice.

This course teaches students that there is so much more than stereotypes created by

people’s biased judgments and are believed by the majority. This course may not

change the mindset of everyone, nor will it eliminate the problems of the society.

However, it can raise awareness to the students, specifically the privileged ones, of

the problems of the society and how each and every one can provide solutions even in

a simplest way.
Statement of the Problem

In the Philippines, Metro Manila is the heart of the business industry and it is a place

that mostly consists of busy people dealing with their own matters. Nowadays, almost

everyone has only one direction to focus to and they tend to forget other matters that

need immediate attention such as the various social problems that is currently holding

our country back from further developing. Poverty is one of the undying social issues

that affect the Philippines. There are many who are greatly affected by this social

issue and there are also many who are less or even not affected by such. Our group

wanted to further expose ourselves on this social issue and to discover the untold

stories of those affected by it to be able to better understand how people cope up with

this kind of issue. In amidst of what they say as development of the Philippines, there

are still forgotten areas waiting to be discovered and be resolved such as Payatas and

many more. Behind the mountainous trash of Payatas are different stories and

sentiments of people waiting to be told and be heard. Most people know the meaning

of poverty but they choose not to know what the reality is and who are behind

poverty. Although there are some who are trying to reach out, reality still shows a

small percentage of positive change coming from these areas, it’s as if their efforts are

not enough to have these places be with other places in development. If Payatas and

other places in the Philippines continue to be ignored or forgotten, the development of

the country will show less or even zero positive result. Our group will be under the

guidance of the organization of Puso sa Puso in assessing the place of Payatas. We

will conduct a house to house interview to be able to know the stories of the people in

Payatas. Through Puso sa Puso, we will encourage those out of school youth to value

education as it is the initial step in fulfilling their dreams. 


PARTICIPATION

Background of he Area

Payatas is characterized by a steep and sloping terrain, crisscrossed by creeks, rivers, ravines,

and low-lying areas near the Marikina River. A fault line runs through its eastern boundary. A

large part of the area is classified as medium residential zone that includes housing

subdivisions, depressed or informal settlements, and undeveloped areas.

Covering a total land area of 774 hectares, a greater portion of Payatas is privately owned

(681 ha, or 88%; see Chart 1). Government-owned land, which includes the four-hectare

national government complex (NGC) and the Quezon City property, covers a smaller portion

(12%; 93 hectares) of the total land area. While portions of the privately owned area were

already developed into residential subdivisions, a vast area (80%) has yet to be fully

developed. Nonetheless, despite the poor access and lack of services and facilities, these

areas continue to attract a large number of informal settlers from various areas of Metro

Manila.

The institution named as Puso Sa Puso Edukasyon, Inc.. they stated their mission as:

“Right to Education is proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a

fundamental right for every human being and included by the United Nations in the eight

Millennium Development Goals. That's why Education should not be reserved to a privileged

minority, but should be a reality for everyone, especially the children all around the world.

We, as members and staff of PUSO SA PUSO EDUKASYON, INC. strongly support this

idea, and we are convinced that Education is the way forward to improve human
development in a sustainable way and to tackle other fundamental problems the inhabitants of

developing countries, like the Philippines, have to cope with, including poverty,

unemployment and the lack of opportunities in society.”

2. General Overview of Immersion

Since students are not available during weekdays and the center is closed during weekends,

students are tasked to conduct a survey around the area and to introduce the Alternative

Learning System which would encourage out of school youth to finish primary and secondary

education. The students also went to Payatas during holidays and do the similar task assigned

like survey. No worries will feel when conducting surveys since Ms. Linda, a purok leader, is

there to assist and guide the students.

Students sometimes went there during weekdays when they are available and puso sa puso

center is open. At this days, students are tasked to go to Sagrada Familia Church which is

conducting a feeding activity to children. Students will help there to prepare the meal of the

children and other student will clean the church to finish the work of the volunteers there.

Students from different section experience having a foster family wherein the whole group of

student will be doing the daily chores of their foster family. Sadly, we didn’t experience it.

Some students also go with the German volunteers to have a house to house tutorial. It has

different task the will surely excites you if you have really have a heart. It is a great activity

that will let you experience the daily routines of ordinary or poor people.

PAYATAS. Retrieved April 5, 2018 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payatas

3. Location of Immersion

a. from San Beda to the area

b. the area itself

!
 c. Google Earth of the area

!
SEE

Community Profile of Payatas

The root of the problem in the barangay Payatas is poverty. A data in 2014 shows that

official statistics show that poverty afflicts nearly one in four Filipinos (25.8%), and one in

five Filipino households (20%). According to the most recent statistics released by the

Philippine Statistical Authority (based on the 2014 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey

[APIS]), the poverty incidence among Filipinos in the first semester of 2014 was estimated at

25.8 percent—marginally higher than the 24.6 percent poverty incidence among Filipinos

recorded for the same period in 2013 (PSA 2015) (see Table 1). On the other hand, the

poverty incidence among Filipino families according to the 2014 APIS was estimated at 20

percent—a slight increase from the 18.8 percent poverty incidence among Filipino families in

the first semester of 2013 (Ibid.) (see Table 1). These families could not meet their basic food

and non-food needs because their incomes fell below the official poverty threshold, estimated

by the government in the first semester of 2014 to be PhP 8,778 a month for a family of five

(Ibid).

Profile of Whole Population in Barangay Payatas Quezon City

Sex Distribution

The distribution of the whole population between the sexes is more or less equal. This

reflects the national figures as well as the results for Nagkaisang Nayon.

Table 1. Sex Distribution of the Whole Population of Household Members

 Frequency Percent
Male 1009 50.1
Female 1005 49.9
Total 2014 100

Age

The average age of 23.43 years shows a population that is very young. This also reflects

national figures and the results of other surveys done.

Table 2. Average Age of the Whole Population of Household Members

N Minimum Maximum Mean

Age of member 2014 0 97 23.43

Civil Status

Most of the individual household members are single just like in Nagkaisang Nayon. This is

not unexpected since the population is quite young as noted earlier. This is followed by those

who are married.

Table 3. Civil Status Distribution of the Whole Population of Household Members

Frequency Percent Kamanava

Single 1225 60.8 59.9
Married 616 30.6 29.3
Widow/er 42 2.1 1.9
Separated 31 1.5 1.4
live-in 100 5 7.4
Total 2014 100 100
However, among those of marriageable age (18 years and above) more than half are already

married.

Table 4. Civil Status Distribution of the Whole Population of Household Members Who Are

18 Years Old and Above

Frequency Percent
Single 284 26.5
Married 615 57.4
Widow/er 41 3.8
Separated 31 2.9
live-in 100 9.3
Total 1071 100

Over half of those considered as part of the labor force (15 to 65 years old) are not working.

Significantly, one-fifth (20.0%) are self-employed.

Table 5. Employment Status of Household Members Who Are 15 to 65 Years Old

Frequency Percent
Not working 616 51.9
E m p l o y e d R e g u l a r 140 11.8

(permanent)
Contractual 175 14.8
Self-employed 237 20
Retired 15 1.3
Homemaker 2 0.2
Unemployed because 1 0.1

disabled
Total 1186 100

Compared to the national figures, labor force participation in Payatas is very low since only a

little more than half of those who should be working are actually working.

Individual Monthly Income

The average individual monthly income among those who are in the labor force in Payatas is

only P 2,602.9680. This is more than a thousand pesos lower than the average for Nagkaisang

Nayon which is P 3,695.3240.

Table 6. Individual Monthly Income (15-65 Years Old)

N Minimum Maximum Mean

Buwanang kita 1186 0.00 32,000.00 2,602.9680

Including NW

Educational Attainment

The educational attainment of those in the working age population is quite low with only

5.8% having college degree and only 32.4% finishing high school. This confirms what most

studies have shown. Educational attainment is crucial for this population because obviously it
will determine in large part the kind of work they will have and consequently the income they

will get. Most employers require at least a high school education.

Table 7. Educational Attainment (15-65 Years Old.)

Frequency Percent
None 6 .5
Elementary 103 8.7
Elementary graduate 132 11.1
High School level 287 24.2
High School graduate 384 32.4
College level 157 13.2
College graduate 69 5.8
Vocational level 10 .8
Vocational graduate 37 3.1
Others 1 .1
Total 1186 100.0

Educational Attainment and Income

As noted earlier, educational attainment affects individual income. The study confirms what

many of us know: that indeed the higher the educational attainment, the higher the income.

Thus, those with college degrees have the highest average income of P4365.7971. This is

more than twice that of the education level category with the lowest income.
However, the study also reveals something else - having vocational skills contribute to the

level of income as shown by the fact that those who graduated from vocational courses rank

second after college graduates in terms of average income. They are even higher than those

with some college education.

The policy implication seems to be that vocational courses which are relatively cheaper than

going to college should be made available as a cheap but effective intervention in raising

incomes.

Table 8. Educational Attainment and Income (5-65 Years Old)

Educational attainment Buwanang kita

None 800.0000 (6)

Elementary 2461.1650 (103)
Elementary graduate 2484.6970 (132)
High School level 1731.5331 (287)
High School graduate 2761.4323 (384)
College level 3114.2675 (157)
College graduate 4365.7971 (69)
Vocational level 2410.0000 (10)
Vocational graduate 3492.4324 (37)
Others 0.0000 (1)
Total 2602.9680 (1186)
The average household size is 5.27 members which is more or less the same as the national

average. More than half are male-headed households.

Table 9. Household Head Distribution by Sex

HHH Sex of Household Head Total

Male Female
53.93% (206) 46.07% (176) 100.0% (382)

Average Unmet Need for Family Planning

In general, the families want more children than they actually have now. This is the same

finding in Nagkaisang Nayon.

Table 9. Average Unmet Need for Family Planning (All Households)

N Minimum Maximum Mean

Nais na Bilang 258 1.00 12.00 3.5233

ng Anak
A k t w a l n a 258 .0 9.0 3.140

Bilang ng Anak
U n m e t N e e d 258 -10.00 5.00 -.3837

for FP

Among those who do have an unmet need (those who expressed wanting less children than

they already have), the average unmet need is 1.9 children. In other words, they have two

children more than they really wanted.

Table 10. Average Unmet Need for Family Planning (Households with Unmet Need)

N Minimum Maximum Mean

U n m e t N e e d 40 1.00 5.00 1.9250

for FP

Immigration History

Many of households are recent migrants. In fact, 31.6% (20.9% plus 10.7%)

settled in their present address after 2000 as shown in Table 15. The average length of stay in

present address is 13.1 years so that on the average, the families migrated only around 1994

while the average length of stay in Quezon City is 16.77 years. Both figures are more or less

the same as those in Nagkaisang Nayon.

Perhaps, this phenomenon of recent migration should be studied and regulated because such

unexpected and unregulated waves of migration will affect the ability of the barangay as well

as the city government (but specially the barangay) to provide services that, as it is, are

already wanting.

The percentage of individuals with disability is low. This is a positive finding as well as a

surprising one since disability and poverty tend to go together in a vicious cycle as studies

have shown. In other words, disability tends to cause poverty (because of limited economic
opportunities open to PWDs) which in turn contributes to the likelihood of disability, thereby

creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

However, considering that there are more than 200,000 individuals in Payatas, this low

percentage still translates to about 1,600 persons with disability. And their needs would have

to be addressed more aggressively considering that none of them received any assistance

from anyone according to the survey.

Educational Institutions

Day Care Centers and Elementary Schools are accessible (geographically) to 91.36% and

89.53% respectively of HHs while High Schools are accessible only to about 59.95% of HHs.

Although much better than the situation in Nagkaisang Nayon, there is still much room from

improvement here.

Physical accessibility of educational institutions is important because it has direct

implications on the ability of households to send its members to school. If schools are far,

then transportation costs will likely prevent children from going to school since it will eat up

much of the already low household income. Of course, this inability to send children to

school will also have implications on the ability of the household to sustain itself

economically in the long term.

It must be noted that there is no access to educational institutions offering college degrees nor

to vocational institutions which as noted earlier seem to be a fast, open, cheap and effective

way of gaining skills that translate to higher income.

Table 11. Availability of Nearby Educational Institutions by Type

D A Y ELEM HS COLLEG V O C A - Total

CARE E TIONAL
Public 314 329 217 0
90.0% 96.2% 94.8% 0
Private 2 2 1 0
.6% .6% .4% 0
Both 33 11 11 0
9.5% 3.2% 4.8% 0
N o t 1 0
100.0 0
Indicated
Total 349 342 229 1 0 382
91.36% 89.53% 59.95% 0.3% 0 100.0%

Only 3.7% of HH members between 7-16 are not studying. The main reason is financial

difficulty.

Table 12. Drop Out Rates

May dapat ba Frequency HHs Percent F r e q u e n c y Percent

na nag-aaral na Individuals

di nag-aaral? (7-16 y.o.)

Meron 15 3.9 19 3.7

Wala 367 96.1
Total 382 100.0 519 100.0

Only about half categorically say that their community is peaceful. This is about the same as

in Nagkaisang Nayon. About a third say that it is moderately peaceful and only 14.4 percent

say outright that it is not peaceful at all. However, this latter figure is significantly higher than

in Nagkaisang Nayon where only 2.8% say outright that their community not peaceful at all.

Fortunately, this did not translate to a higher number of households with members who were

victimized by crime since only 0.5% of HHs have members who were victimized within the

community.

Table 13. Perception of the Peace and Order Situation in the Community

Payatas Nagkaisang Nayon

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
Tahimik 187 49.0 165 51.1
Magulo 55 14.4 9 2.8
Katamtaman 140 36.6 149 46.1
Total 382 100.0 323 100.0

Table 14. Ranking of the Most Important Issues for the Household
 Frequency Percent
PABAHAY 199 52.1
HANAPBUHAY 107 28.0
EDUKASYON 27 7.1
TUBIG 17 4.5
KATAHIMIKAN 13 3.4
KALUSUGAN 8 2.1
KURYENTE 6 1.6
PALIKURAN 3 0.8
Total 382 100.0

12.8% experienced hunger at least once in the last 3 months. This might not seem much but

the magnitude of the problem comes out when this percentage is projected onto the total

number of households in the whole of Payatas. This translates to 5,120 households who have

experienced hunger in the barangays in the last 3 months due to financial reasons.

Table 15. Experience of Hunger

Di nakakain ng 3 beses sa Frequency Percent

isang araw sa nakaraang 3

buwan dahil sa kakapusan

ng pambili
Meron 49 12.8
Wala 330 86.4
88.00 3 .8
Total 382 100.0
The result of such poverty problem is an increase in workforce in Payatas dumpsite. The

Payatas dumpsite is the major source of livelihood of more than 5,000 individuals (including

approximately 2,000 engaged in waste picking and around 3,000 in the underground

economy). Waste pickers enhance the City’s Waste Diversion Program with the recovery of

around 7% recyclables from incoming waste, further reducing volume of garbage being

dumped at the facility. Ironically, the City’s strict implementation of RA 9003 has led to

reduction in the quantity and quality of the recyclable content of waste brought to the

dumpsite, leading also to drastic reduction in the income of waste pickers.

To prevent infighting among the scavengers and enhance their recovery efficiency, the waste

pickers are organized into formal groups which are accredited, regularly consulted with and

whose inputs are seriously considered in the formulation of operating systems in the

management of the dumpsite. Sorting and recycling areas are allocated to these groups to

facilitate their livelihood. Junkshop operators are given assistance in legitimizing their

business or operation. Through networks and linkages developed and facilitated by the City,

scavengers, recyclers and junkshop operators can avail of financing, education and skills

training, that would enable them to earn additional income and/ or embark on alternative

livelihood. Some groups are amortizing trucks to become collectors of garbage in nearby

communities, thereby raising their income prospects.

Population Profile. Retrieved April 2018 from https://philssaqc.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/barangay-payatas-survey22.doc

I.Observation As To How The Data Is Validated

Payatas is known for being a very poor area and for its dumpsite. It continues to attract a vast

number of informal settlers from various areas of Manila due to the lack of services and

facilities and poor access therein. The Census shows that there are 120,000 people living in

the area, but since many people living here are squatters, the number of people in the area as

estimated by Gaillard and Cadag, is 500,000 people. Based from the survey we conducted,

most people living here was not able to finish the tertiary level of education due to poverty,

only being able to finish the secondary level. Thus, the earnings of a family living in Payatas

does not suffice their family needs. As a result, the most children in these families are

deprived of the right to education and are forced to work to help the family.

Payatas is a place for accumulated garbage collected around the metro. Payatas Dumpsite is

still the largest open dumpsite in the Philippines. Though we still not able to see the said

dumpsite, it is evident that this is a place of dumpsite due to the several number of garbage

trucks running around the place, carrying with it tons of trashes. Scavengers and other

residents of the area depend on the dumpsite for their livelihood.

The researchers validated the date above based on experience on doing survey and walking

around the area. Based on interviews with the residence in the area, majority of the

interviewee has a relative or family member or even themselves are not finished in school.

The community has a livelihood activities such as doing rags and having animals such as

chicken and pigs. People are sometimes afraid of talking to researcher since they did not

finish school. Some families has a small house but many children. Some people in Payatas

does not have job so in the morning you can see some of them drinking beers already.
II.How Did People Cope With Their Situation

As we’ve observe the communities in Payatas B, most of the people cope with their situation

by making sure that their families will have a decent lifestyle. Most of the people the

communities start their own businesses to be able to at least get an income to help sustain

their lives. Some also go to work at an early stage to provide income for their families. When

we’ve talked to some of the people in the area, they didn’t finish their schooling because they

have to be the income-provider of their families. However, even if they have become the

income-provider for their family at an early stage, they are still being schooled through the

help of the ALS Center near their location.

The other thing that helped them cope with their situation is the community itself. Every

people in the area know each other like they’re family. When one needs help, the community

automatically helps their neighbor. Even if their environment that they are living requires a

lot of effort to cope into, their happiness in their smiles never fade away and always ready to

help one another for the betterment of their situation in Payatas.

JUDGE

We have chosen the Symbolic Interaction Theory by George Herbert Mead and Charles

Horton Cooley. According to this theory, people give their own subjective meanings or

interpretations to objects, events and behaviours which are based on their experiences,

identity or knowledge of things.

Most of the people in Payatas have similarities with the way they act or the way they deal

with every situation such as having lots of children or experiencing difficulties caused by

their limited educational attainment and unemployment. One of the reasons why they act the

way they do is because they were born in a poverty-stricken area where they find it hard to

change their lives. An interviewee has mentioned that their situation has always been like

that, growing up in the area seeing no changes at all, causing them to lose their hope and will

to change their lives. Unemployed women in every family could mean that it is already an

established norm in their society that the men do the work to earn money while the women

take care of their children. They don’t seem to try to change their lives as they grew up with

the unchanging social issue of mainly poverty in their area.

According to the article written by Ashley Crossman (2018), people usually impose

subjective meaning to objects, events and behaviours because it is believed that they act

based on what they believe and not on what is objectively true. Today, people’s opinions on

different matters are often accepted as true and later on become a stereotype that has gained

the acceptance of others. In connection to this, our society can now be considered as

constructed by people’s opinions or arguments that continuously hinder us from knowing the

truth. Since people has the tendency to limit their understanding within their own beliefs,

they do not welcome new thoughts or ideas which in fact may help them to be informed of

the what is really happening in the bigger picture. Using the residents of Payatas as an

example, there were some parents whose children are not going to school due to financial

difficulty. Considering the different educational institutions offering educational services at a

cheaper fee or even for free, sending their children to school won’t really be a burden to

them. Unfortunately, with all those educational institutions offering educational services at a

cheaper fee or even for free, many parents have already inculcated in their minds that it
would be better not only for their children but also for the entire family to send their children

to work to be able to obtain additional income for the family. Also, many parents think that

sending their children to school is a waste of time and won’t bring any benefits to them.

Bible Verse

Proverbs 31:8-9 “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open

your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

This verse is not only about speaking up for those who can’t speak but for those, who by

reason of their poverty, can’t speak up for themselves because they don’t think they are

capable for a change and that their thoughts will matter. Speak up for those people who have

the capacity to do so but afraid because nobody else will. Not many people pay attention to

the poor or their plight. Few will listen to their stories but twice in this verse it says we

should open our mouth or speak up for the rights of the destitute.

We are to love justice and show mercy to the poor, just as God does. But before we can show

justice and mercy to the poor, we need to look around to be able to see what is going on in a

community. As Christians, we have a mission in this world, one of these is to help the needy

and defend their rights. If we keep our mouths shut for their cause, who will defend the

rights of the poor and needy?

Sometimes it’s just a matter of making people aware of the problem. To say nothing, is a

serious sin of omission, as James wrote “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to

do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). People believe they can’t help because poverty’s such a

huge problem. There’s just so much to do that most will choose to do nothing.

Leviticus 25:39-41 “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you

shall not make him serve as a slave: he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a
sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. Then he shall go out from

you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of

his fathers.”

Again, more on the beautifully merciful law of God, commanded to protect those who must

sell themselves into servitude due to circumstances beyond their control. The law says that

they should not be treated as a slave but as a hired worker, meaning they should get

something for their work and be treated with dignity. The people who are experiencing a

comfortable life shouldn’t treat the needy as a slave but a worker who has rights and dignity.

We should respect these people because in the eyes of God we are all the same and He loves

us in the same intensity.

When the year of Jubilee came, then these people were allowed to go back home and be freed

from their debt. That law served to protect the poor from indentured servitude for the rest of

their lives. This could easily be innocent victims who ended up living in poverty which could

have come from the death of the husband or sons.

Proverbs 17:5 “Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will

not go unpunished.”

Some people like to blame the poor for their own situation. A few years ago one man told me

about a friend of mine who was now homeless, “He made his bed and now he can sleep in it.”

I said that he is in the place he’s at because of someone else’s sin. He’s not at fault. Someone

else made his bed for him and now he’s got no choice but to sleep in it. I told him “It could

have been you or me in his place.” The point is, whoever makes fun of the poor is being

“glad at their calamity” and God says, it “will not go unpunished.”

Catholic Social Teachings

Solidarity – We should be one human family whatever our national, racial, ethic, economic

and ideological differences. We should be brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may

be. But, poverty and lack of adherence to our fellow brothers and sisters shows

dehumanization to its context. Being able to live an enjoyable life than those of living in

Payatas, people are being apathetic to the current situation thereof. We are less concern of

what it looks like and what it feels like to live and experience the unpleasant and

uncomfortable life in Payatas. In that very simple manner, we dehumanize our fellow

countrymen by showing them that they are less of a human being than us. The ideal situation

for this matter is to help them by not being too selfish on our blessings. Instead of spending

our money for insignificant matters, it is better to use these pennies to contribute to the

society of Payatas, in any way that we can lend a hand.

The Dignity of Work and The Right of Workers – The economy must serve people, not the

other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living. It is a form of continuing

participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights

of workers must be respected. Some of these are the right to productive work, to decent and

fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property and to economic

initiative. This is not the case for the hardworking workers of Payatas. Most of the people

living there either did not finish college or not even be able to have that tertiary education. As

a result, the jobs available for them are not as profitable as for those who finished college.

In short, most of these people are blue collar workers. The situation is dehumanizing in the

sense that their lives are being judged based on their education and work. Being a

construction worker does not mean that you are less of a person than those who are working

in the corporate world. All of us are equally leveled to the eyes of God. Only our fellow
brothers make it an issue as they would not want to equate themselves with these people who

actually works for them, like being a construction worker on the building the corporate

people wants to construct. The ideal situation for such matter is to offer job offerings to the

place. These job offerings should not only be good for 6 months but for a respectable number

of years to help them sustain their earnings for the wealth of their families.

Life and Dignity of the Human Person – The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is

sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for

society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. Based on our

conducted survey on the place, most of the families composed of 5 members above. The

current situation most likely triggers the possibility of abandonment of a child. Due to the

evolving poverty, most people in Payatas cannot cover the financial needs of its members.

Thus, the probability of abortion is very high. The people themselves dehumanizes another

person of their own. Considering the composition of their families, and also the type of jobs

they are employed in, almost all of them cannot suffice the basic needs of their children. So,

they tend to resort to abortion just in case there is again a possibility of having a child. The

ideal situation is to have seminars about awareness of the dignity of the human person. In this

simple way, it should insist and persuade people to be aware that such thing exists.
ACT

Organization, Institution, Community, or Local Authorities’ Action

Since Payatas is one of the area in the country where a big number of population is suffering

from poverty. There a lot of institution or organization that help to solve the problems of the

people reside there. One of the example is the Puso sa Puso Center. The said center focus the

problem of education in the area. Through their volunteers, they find out of school youth to

help them finish primary and secondary for two years only. There is no tuition fee to be paid

in the center. Uniform, ID, school supplies and snacks are also free to help student focus on

their studies without worrying about their expenses. The center also conducting a livelihood

training and seminars and life coaching and formation to help the students build their

confidence. The center does not have any problems in facilities and materials to conduct their

mission. The only problem is the number of students enrolled since there are only few who

takes the opportunity to lift their lives. The center also have the volunteers who conduct a

house to house tutorial every weekdays. This organization produces number of students who

graduated and sent to other school to finish a vocational course for free also. It is a successful

organization there since while we conduct a survey, the center is already popular in the area

because of the number of students they graduated.

According to answers in the survey, there are other institution and action from local

authorities like free medicine, livelihood programs other organization for to address

education. Some of which is the foundation beside the Sagrada Familia Church which

conducts a sessions like drawing, watching movies and more for children. They also have a

feeding program there. There are also organization who teaches livelihood to women such as

making rags and more. There are many problems face by this barangay but there are also
many institution and organization exist to help to solve such problems. Knowing that there

are a number of people suffering from poverty leads to an action to help those people,

physically, mentally and spiritually.

Student’s Action

As students, there were little we could have done to help solve the problems of the

community. We conducted surveys from house to house to further know the main cause of

their problems. We also asked them what they think would be the solution to their problems.

The survey forms were submitted to the center so that they would know how they could

better help the community. As their main problems concerned job opportunities and money

problems, we could not directly help them fix those problems. Sacrificing something to save

a money is also an act that we do to help to solve the problem. The whole class contributes

their savings to have something to give in the center to be used by current and future

students.

Simple Action of a Bedan

As part of the action to cease poverty, a simple way by us, young Bedan students, is to spread

awareness of such problem to institutions, specially to those people who don’t have any idea

how these unfortunate people live in such circumstances. Being able to spread awareness

gives people insights on how the matter of living is in a place like Payatas. People often go

through fusty smell due to the numerous number of trashes being taken to Payatas. Not just

spreading awareness, but also, being able to help the people out there specially the kids is

another way of addressing this problem. Conducting feeding programs and tutorials to the
kids who are financially incapable to enter to an educational institution are simple ways to

enlighten their young lives and give them a better sight for the future.

We should start having charity to massively help the people in Payatas. Having fund

raising programs will be helpful for the charity to be successful. Bedans are known for

having a sense of camaraderie, specially those who in dire need of help. To achieve this kind

of activity for the benefit of those unfortunate, will help lessen the number of people to

experience such dilemma. Giving the unemployed people in the place job opportunities will

also be a huge help for them to support and take care of their own families. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PAYATAS. Retrieved April 5, 2018 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payatas

Population Profile. Retrieved April 2018 from https://philssaqc.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/

barangay-payatas-survey22.doc

Documentation

Certificate of Completion

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REFLECTION

ABDULLA, ABDEL JEFFRI C.

The immersion in payatas was very tiring. It was a 3-hour long trip from my place. We

mostly went during weekends so we mostly did interviews to the families living in the area.

Almost all of them are living in the same situation. They have lots of children, the wife being

housewives and only the men working. We realized that their problem is not really living in

poverty but living with no opportunity to change their lives for the better because there are

few jobs for them. From seeing them, I realized that you don’t need material things to be

happy in life. You just need love for God and compassion. This immersion has opened my

eyes to the world and helped me really realized the main problem of our country which is

opportunities. Our lives are defined by opportunities and without them, it will be difficult to

change especially for the poor.

The student’s preconceived notions, including me, were that a place that is known for poverty

and being a garbage dump area is dirty and even the people are dirty. Before going, I thought

that it would be a very dangerous area as I have never been there and some are saying that its

a poor place. I thought that I would have to watch what I wear and what I show because I

might get robbed or stabbed or something. I felt very nervous going there for the first time

and I carefully thought of what I needed to be careful of.

As we went to the area every week, my views changed from what I previously thought of

because of our trips around the community. The area was still smelly so that didn’t change
but my view of the people did. As we were doing the surveys, I saw them as having fun and

being happy even when they have very little. They were very accommodating to their homes

so we could sit down while doing the interviews. They weren’t all dangerous at all. We didn’t

go around the whole Payatas but now I know that even in poor areas, there are still kind

people out there and that living in poverty won’t necessarily make you evil and do bad things.

The immersion strengthened my view of all people. Previously, I thought that poor people are

dangerous and every time they approach me, I would be nervous and careful. Now, I think

that they aren’t all like that and some just needs help. I won’t think that just because they go

near me that they will snatch my things. They might just need some help or something.

THED5 helped me view the world better and make me a better person mentally and

spiritually. I think that I have learned a lot from this experience even though it was very

tiring. Even if I could not change anything right now, I might be able to do something in the

future as I was immersed to some of the problems regarding poverty. I could start changing

my lifestyle so that my thinking would be different from my previous prejudices.


ARRIOLA, ARMALYN H.

Everyone has problems in life. The one with the biggest problem is the one who is the

strongest. In the eyes of God, we are all equal but in our society, the word Gap exist.

Examples of the gap are gap between a man and woman, a gap between the straight and the

LGBT, a gap between seniors and youth and the common and alarming gap which is the gap

between poor and rich. It is easy to say that poor are in this kind of situation because they are

lazy and those rich person are hard working people. I have a lot of realization in this subject.

I also learned that poor remains to be poor because rich remains to be rich in a way that rich

claims all the opportunities and power while the poor has only have limited action in our

society.

It excites me to know that there is immersion. At first I thought that it is like an NSTP

wherein we just gonna visit the place, play with the kids and go. Payatas is our place of

immersion. I am afraid at first since such place is always on television because of drug raid

happened there. It is also known to be the place of garbage. My mom does not allow me to go

but the necessity to pass this subject and my curiosity drives me to go in Payatas. It is tiring

to go there because of traffic. I enrolled a thirty units this semester that is why it is hard to

balance my time going in Payatas and time to study. It is challenging and tiring for me but it

is worth it.

The immersion teach me life lesson such as being more aware of our society. Our task in our

immersion is to conduct survey. It is tiring to find a person who it willing to answer question

because most of them didn’t finish or didn’t even went to school because of poverty. They
always says no to interviews because they don’t have the confidence to talk to people because

of their educational attainment. Due to the survey thing, I already familiar with the place. It is

cool to know the place even if you are not resides there. It is a great experience to help clean

the Sagrada familia Church to lessen the work of the volunteers there. It is also nice to hear

different stories from respondents. My sacrifices such as time, effort and money for this

activity is worth it. Limited hours is not enough to explore more and learn from the best

teacher in life which is our experience.

Nowadays, we have a lot of social issues that our country or our world faces. As a student, I

can’t solve all of this but I can be a part of the solution. All I need to do is to start to be

socially involved person. Everything starts in an individual. So I need to start the new way of

living by Thinking every decision I will made and action to be done for our society.

Everything has an effect. I will ask our God to guide every little things that comes into my

mind. I will do whatever my heart want me to. One of my goal is to spread the awareness and

answer some people regarding Payatas. Payatas is not a place of trash and people who lives

there are not a trash. People in payatas are the strongest people I know because although they

are in this kind of situation, they look for things that makes them happy. It is a sad reality that

number of children there are not studying, hungry and does not have any manners like they

making fun of the other people and saying bad words. Payatas has a great community since

most of them know each other. Our immersion is a great experience. I learn a lot from it and

wakes me up to reality. Life is not similar to others, we must be thankful of what we have and

learn to help those people who need the most. 


EVANGELISTA, REINA MAE A.

When we first heard that we will do an immersion, my initial thoughts were “it’s gonna be

like what we did in our first year in our NSTP”. It will only be giving food and help other

people in the community and that’s it. Then, when we were told about the location for our

immersion, I immediately thought that it will be dangerous for us to go there and the location

will surely reeks because of the mountain of trash located there. I have imagined that our

safety will be at risk. Also, since the place is very far from our own places, the transportation

expenses will be expensive and all. As a student who majors in a course where time is

crucially needed, I also think that having an immersion was burdensome for us since there is

a required number of hours to be completed for the subject.

When we now went to the place of immersion, I felt skeptical on going there once or twice a

week. It is because the place is hard to go to, the transportation expenses are taking up our

allowances and the smell of the trash really reeks in the location. But when we reach the

location of the Puso sa Puso foundation, we are welcomed with wonderful and hospitable

people in the center. My skeptic thoughts faded when we are welcomed because it felt like

our immersion will be filled with precious memories with these wonderful people. When we

did our first task, which is to conduct a survey to the women of the community, I felt thankful

for the housewives and other women because they’ve answered our questions truthfully. That

is where I thought that I needed to help fix the problem arising in the community. Not only

because I am a woman but because I am a child that sees the hardships of my parents and I

also felt the hardships of them too. When we further asked them about the educational

attainment of their children, I felt sad it felt like it is a norm that a child must already strive

hard to work when they should be realizing and reaching for their dreams.
As our times in our immersion reach the end, I have realized so many things about life. It

made me realize so many social issues that the community is facing to date. I may still be a

student but I know I can help the people in the community by having the voice for them since

their voice is silenced by many social issues. I can be their voice to answer the prejudice

against their community. The change that will affect them will start in every individual. It

should start with oneself for it to spread to the world. Also with Puso sa Puso foundation, it

will help them realize their dreams and work hard for them to reach it. THED5 made me

aware to my surroundings and helped me realize a lot of things. It made my mental and

spiritual persona strengthen. It made me realize that learning is not only occurring within the

four walls of the classroom but is occurring through every place of the world. It has widen

our knowledge and wisdom that are not answerable in the classroom. Even if there is many

problems in going there, the experience with my group mates exceeds it. It also made me

change my way of lifestyle because it made me aware the problems surrounding me.
PALAY, CHARLIEMAGNE B.

Poverty was the first thing that I thought of when I heard the word “Payatas.” I was honestly

anxious when I thought of what could possibly happen to us when we go to Payatas

especially when our professor warned us to be mindful of our personal belongings during our

visit. Since I have never been to Payatas before, I imagined it as a place where your safety is

at risk and where there are a lot of people who were not able to finish school. On the other

hand, I felt excited thinking that this immersion will surely provide us with memorable

experiences and I was curious about how it feels to be in a completely unfamiliar place. Our

minds were already full of what if’s even before we could reach our destination. During our

first day in Payatas I was moved by the scenarios that were filling my eyes. I was able to see

the other side of the country, the side where there are no tall buildings or beautiful mountains

but rather mountains of wastes and crowded housing areas. I was able to witness the biases of

life that almost everybody chose to ignore. It is very saddening to think that we get to eat

whatever we wanted or to go to a well known school while there are many who are dreaming

to be in our places and there are innocent children exploring the streets of Payatas with big

smiles on their faces, unaware of the harsh future that life may give them. Each one of us

tends to focus on our own business and refuse to look at the bigger picture causing us to

forget about those who are calling for help or seeking for attention. It is indeed true that most

people’s way of thinking is greatly affected by selfishness and greed. On the other hand, this

immersion has provided me with experiences and realizations in life through the different

inspiring stories of the people in Payatas that I will forever cherish. Their stories prove that

there are no limits on how strong a person can be. Different stories such as failure to finish

school, encountering daily financial problems, being away from their families have touched
our hearts and made us think about how difficult for them to wake up in the morning thinking

that they are going to face same set of problems. They have shown us that there are still

reasons to smile and to hope despite of their current state and their sad past. They are the

proof that a person’s standing in life will not be the hindrance from fulfilling his or her

dreams. This immersion made me realize to appreciate everything that is around us. It has

strengthened my belief that a Filipino truly finds a reason to have a positive outlook in life

despite of the negative things that occurred in the past and might occur in the future. Puso sa

Puso serves as an acre of hope aiming to be the light in an area that has long been covered in

the dark. Also, it serves as the first step in fulfilling everyone’s dream and the first step in

changing the lifestyle of every child in Payatas. The course THED 5 does not limit the ways

on how students can learn; it provided us with so much learnings and realizations through

experiences within and without school campus. It has widened our understanding and has

exposed us to a new place where we learned not through discussion given by the professor

but by the different stories shared by the people in Payatas. This course has concretely

changed one’s lifestyle through the support it gives to organizations like Puso sa Puso and

through the experiences it provided to the students. 


TAN, LANCE ADRIAN G.

Being immersed is in the state of being deeply engaged or involved to something. Before our

immersion started, we had an overview of what kind of community we were assigned.

Payatas is famously known for its smokey mountains and dumpsites, so it is not surprising if

a person’s expectation on the place is stinky. Eventually, all of us had difficulties in terms of

transportation and budget. But, it is all part of being immersed, to experience this kind of

situations.

Payatas is not as bad as I think. The people in HOA are hospitable and courteous. The staff in

Puso sa Puso, specially Sr. Frances and Ms. Joceline, are very helpful and they are the ones

who handles us in our immersion. Being able to see the actual situation there makes me sad

because of the reality of life. I interviewed some of the people there regarding their personal

information, to be retrieved by the Puso sa Puso for their ALS enrollment. As I expected,

majority of them are only high school graduates. In addition to that, the size of their family

cannot be covered by the salaries and wages of the parents. But, despite of their situation, I

can see that they are still optimistic about their future and happy with their lives as long as

they are complete.

Hard work cannot be equated with wealth. The notion of working hard to earn is not

applicable in our country. As long as the higher ups will not do anything for this problem to

cease, the poor will still be poor and the rich will still be rich. Equality is not always about

treating everyone the same. It is about treating people in such a way that the outcome for

each person can be the same. This means putting things in place to support people to achieve

similar outcomes. For a person who is blind it may involve having screen readers on your

computers and removing obstacles in your building. Payatas deserves more than what they
are getting right now. They do not exist solely for being dumpsites and smokey mountains.

Payatas has life. It can be nurtured further and be able to enjoy what we are experience

currently. I realized that our problems are not even considered in their fingernails. We only

fight laziness and grades, but they fight for their survival. But, we should not be contented if

we become successful. In the future, we should extend our help to them as a way of thanking

Payatas for many realizations.

VILLAS, MILLET U.

The first thing that comes in my mind when I first heard from our professor in theology that

our immersion will be in Payatas, is it will be difficult for me. Payatas for me is a dumpsite

located in Quezon City; I never imagined that I will be doing immersion in that place. I first

heard of this place when I was a child, so I thought that this place is dirty and smelly because

it is a dumpsite and no one can live there or will want to live there. Honestly, at first I don’t

know how the immersion will go, how we will help the people actually living in Payatas,

how we will help them in their problems even we are just students. I also thought that this

immersion is just a burden for us because the hours we need to complete are 27 hours and the

transportation is difficult for us.

I realized that the immersion is not bad at all, even the place. It is not what I have imagined,

although the place stinking honestly, it is actually good and the people living in the place is

good and very accommodating. The first task that we had is the survey, we are going around

the Payatas Group B place, looking for families that will accommodate us and answer the

survey sheets that we have. Also, Nanay Linda is with us, she serves as our tour guide in

Payatas Group B because we are not yet familiar in the place. I am amazed that the families

will stop what they are doing just to help us in finishing our task, and it is a very generous

move. They don’t mind answering the questions at all. In the survey I found out that the

families living there has a small income per month, an income that cannot even support the

whole family. When I asked them what is the common problem that they are facing in the

family that is financial problem. The families there are mostly high school graduate. Some

has been able to provide a proper education to their children, some are not that lucky enough

as I must say. In the feeding program, almost all of the children is not in good state, or
doesn’t have the right weight for their age. They will go that place and they will eat what the

leader has prepared and will watch a movie afterwards. Maybe it becomes a habit for them, I

can see that all of the children are still smiling, and it is a genuine smile with says that they

are still happy despite of the problems. We also experience cleaning the chapel and the center,

it is very tiring but it is still worth it because we are able to help them in little ways and we

are also trained to be a better version of ourselves. The despedida is also fun; the sharing of

the realization of everyone throughout the immersion is the best because we learned so much.

The immersion led me to realize that my problems as a bedan accountancy student is nothing

compared to the problems of the people in Payatas. I realized that my study sessions in

college are full of rants, that I am so tired of studying, I am in dire need of sleep etc., One

thing never crossed my mind, and that is, I should be thankful for everything that I have and I

am blessed to be able to study without difficulties. That there are so many people longing for

education, and they needed to work to be able to study. Some have already stopped, to be

able to work for their families. I realized that we need to be thankful for the things that we

have in this life no matter how small it is. And we should also think of the people around us,

not just ourselves. We should help them and share in them the opportunities that we have.
WORKSHEET

Below are some Filipino words and idioms associated with

poverty. Define them according to the experience of being
poor. Try to trace its origin in culture or tradition.

Hindi madali ang makahanap ng

1. Mahirap pantustos sa araw-araw na
pangangailangan.

Kulang na kulang sila sa lahat ng

2. Dukha mga oportunidad na ang lahat ay
nakakatanggap ng buo.

Pagkain na sasapat lamang sa

3. Nagdidildil ng asin kanilang pera ang pinagtitiisan
nilang ihain araw-araw. .

Walang opportunidad na magawa

4. Salat sa buhay ang kanilan gustuhin. Limitado ang
kakayahan na kumilos sa lipunan.

Kaunti lang ang nasasalo nila sa mga

5. Kapus-palad opportunidad na binibigyan ng
gobyerno.

Lahat ng mga naani nila sa

puspusang pagtatrabaho ay kanila
6. Hampas lupa
sinasagad kahit ang nakukuha nila
ay lupa na.
Sabik makakita o makakain ng di
7. Patay-gutom karaniwang naiihain sa hapag.

Walang makuhanan ng pera pambili

8. Butas ang bulsa ng pangangailangan.

Walang trabahon dahil hindi sila

nakatapos ng pagaaral o kulang ang
9. Nagbibilang ng
kanilang kakayahan. Nililibot ang
poste
siyudad ngunit nabibigo pa rin
magkatrabaho.
Wala silang mapiling ibang
pagkakakitaan o pagkakabuhayan
10.Kapit sa patalim kaya kung ano ang meron , mabuti
man o masama, ay gagawin na
lamang iyon.
Comment on this: “Poor people cannot afford to have
principles.”

Kapos man ang mga mahihirap sa pinansyal, sagana naman

sila sa mga prinsipiyong ipinasa sa kanila ng kanilang mga
magulang. Hindi nabibili ang prinsipiyo, ito ay pinapamana at
pinapangalagaan ng nagmamana.