Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Vol. IV, No. 33 September 19 - 25, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
Photo
Essay
Rail
Life
Those
who “live” along the rails, where no right-thinking person would like
to live, are there because their “homes” had been demolished before.
The railway is their last resort. It has become their life, in a society
which declares life to be merely a privilege of the “blue-blooded.” PHOTOS
BY DABET CASTAÑEDA
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At
first glance life along the rails looks normal except for the fact that it
occurs along the rails. Here children play and mothers nurse their babies,
and the more enterprising sell vegetables and fruits, or do other things
that comprise what is called making a living. It
is pretty much like what one would see in a normal community. But
don’t be fooled by the air of “normalcy” that tends to mislead those
who see the rails only from a “safe” distance. Rail life is certainly
not normal. It
is along the rails where children learn to, in the words of
singer-songwriter Wency Cornejo, “sleep-eat-work in this cruel life”
way before they could learn the three Rs – because they simply have to.
It is here where children learn to read cards and coins before they could
tell A from B – because they have very little hope of rising from the
dung heap. The
people along the Northrail sure may manage a smile every now and then, but
they live in fear. And
they have a lot to fear. Many of their neighbors’ “homes” have been
demolished to give way to a “development” project funded by the
Chinese government, and they are the ones who are next in line. They
“live” where no right-thinking person would like to live because their
“homes” had been demolished before. The railway is their last resort.
It has become their life, in a society which declares life to be merely a
privilege of the “blue-blooded.” And they stand to lose that, without any assurance that they would have a decent place to move to.
|
Tong-its (a
local card game; the |
Open "bathroom" |
|
They
walk where the train passes: |
Marketplace along the rails |
Where
there's smoke, there's somebody |
Bulatlat
Note: Photos' real size are larger than they appear
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Railway
Poor's Loss is China's Gain
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