Today we had the opportunity to see another Habitat project in Manila that people have already moved into. Pasig City is on the other side of Manila, southeast of Manila City. It took quite a while to get there which may be why our driver decided to put on a DVD of the Manny Pacquiao fight while he was driving.
I sense a trend... Here is a picture in the mall of everyone standing around watching Manny Pacquiao on MTV cribs...
Anyway, we were given the grand tour by Mimi, a home partner who has lived in the same neighborhood (barangay) for 37 years. We basically walked down a really long sidewalk, with a wall to our right and homes to our left. What I didn't realize right away were that the homes were all built over the water. A few had boats underneath, some had hammocks, and I am pretty sure the bathrooms drain directly into the river. There were lots of roosters, mostly tethered down, and lots of women doing laundry. The sidewalk was long and narrow and it was hard to imagine anyone needing to bring anything large or heavy to their house, we were sweating with just our day packs. there were water pumps every 50' or so too, where people were filling their basins. The inside of the houses was actually very neat and clean.
Laughter house? Context clues say no........
Mimi explained that the area was flooded in 2008 and the water inundated the houses, the water level was about 5 feet above the sidewalk. All of the residents had to move into the local school until they could move back home. The government decided that this area was unfit to live in, so they partnered with Habitat to construct Pasig 1, the first of many buildings with the intent of relocating all of the residents, and then clearing the areas I the flood zone.
Homemade kite... Resourceful yet again!
Leon showing the basketball players how it's done.... He got lots of stares today.
View across the river... Only 2 pesos boat ride.
When people move their houses, they really move their houses. They pack up everything, dismantle the house, and even pack the wood and materials used to build it. The families we saw were all very excited to be getting a new home.
Pasig 1 houses 144 partner families. All needed to put it 1000 hours of sweat equity, and all will have a mortgage payment. Habitat seeks to provide housing for those who have the means to pay for it... "a hand out, not a hand up". The community is built differently than ours in navotas, the infrastructure and roads seem to be last to be built, whereas we have many plots of land that are surrounded by roads but no houses yet. These buildings were built with interlocking concrete blocks, which is also different than the hollow blocks we are using.
The children at Pasig 1 were all in school, and there was a real sense of community. It was apparent that the people were benefitting from having their new home. They were very proud, with many people saying "welcome to my home." Some were having tile installed, others linoleum floors, but all were making it their own. The living space has many functions, from sleeping to eating to resting to working. But the outdoor space between the 2story buildings is another place for recreation. Would love to see some gardens pop up here???...
We took a walk over to the orphanage next to the Pasig site so Cassandra could drop off some clothes and crayons for the kids. Family means a lot to the people of the Philippines, and they put a lot of value on sticking together. This gave us more motivation to see the children who do not have a family, say hello, and bring gifts. Unfortunately, we were not allowed inside because we didn't have clearance, but when we left all the children were waving at us through the windows.
I went on my own excursion to Intramuros, the old walled city in Manila. I saw the beautiful St. Augustin church, which has an adjoining monastery and museum with a huge collection of interesting things.
I also walked down to the Manila Cathedral and over the bridge to Chinatown, where I was when the sun set. I had quite a time finding a cab back to meet everyone for dinner, no one wanted to sit in traffic to get there!! Once I found one to take me, I realized why... LA traffic does not compare to Manila. Drivers even have one day a week they cannot drive (based on the last digit on their license plate). Doesnt seem to help....
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