Niño Joycelee A.

Tubo A23- BSAII 02-17-20

The Smile Amidst Squalor

Erick, a young boy living in poverty, hunger, disease,
violence and homelessness showed his marvelous joy despite of the
situation he had been through in life as a street kid. He is an orphan.
He is a strong and loving kid, showing great vitality on his day to day
living without being affected regarding on the social condition where
he belongs.

He is a 5 years old kid. He has 4 siblings. His mother is

named Berlinda and his father is named Antonio but neither of them
stayed longer in his life. According to Patrick, his elder brother, their
mother died 5 years ago after she gave birth to his youngest sibling.
Few days after, his father left them knowing that he could no longer give and support his
children. He was indulged in a bad habit. He was addicted by drugs. After they had gone
through, Erick together with his siblings never felt the love and care of a caregiver. They grew
without the nurture and guidance of their parents. They stand on their own feet from that
moment on. In order for them to fulfill their basic needs, they went on streets where there is
bounty of people who looks well- off and beg for monetary services just to buy food.
“Manganha mi sa plaza mangayo ug kwarta pampalit ug pagkaon ug bugas. Kaon ramig
kaduha sa usa ka adlaw wa may kwarta. Usahay makapunit mig pagkaon sa basurahan.
Nabuhi man pod mi sag unsaon,” the little kid once said. They only eat twice a day because of
monetary inadequacy. They considered the food in the garbage as a blessing and grace for
them. Other than what has been said, Erick also encountered sickness and exposed to diseases
in all sorts along the street. Due to the changed in weather condition, he gets cough and cold
sometimes. And because he didn’t have even a single coin or bill, he couldn’t buy any
medication for health problems. According to him, he will just drink more water and sleep right
after as a survival mechanism. “Muinom raman kog daghang tubig unya tog dayun. Inig ka
ugma, mawala raman. Unya balik na dayun mig suroy-suroy,” he stated. The best quality that
Erick have was being different from the others in terms of social inclination. As one of the street
children, he was never involved in drugs of all sort and stealing activities. Unlike other street
children, some of them do whatever they can just to earn money and to forget hunger. Other
street kids do such activities because they think these things are necessary in order to survive.
And this is the life of the city around Erick.

All in all, Erick remained strong and joyful amidst all the challenges he had been through
on his journey. As a kiddo, he never let himself not to be happy all the time. Someday, he wants
to become a police. He wants to protect the people and maintain peace in the city.
Niño Joycelee A. Tubo A23- BSAII 02-17-20