Squatting in the Philippines
SQUATTER AREAS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Have you visited the Philippines? Have you been to its capital, which is Manila? The country I came from is known for its rich history and vibrant culture. Tourist just can’t get enough of its people’s hospitality, the tropical climate it possess, white sand beaches washed by clear blue waters of the sea, lustrous forest, vast stretches of green fields planted with rice, colorful jeepneys and a wide variety of sumptuous food. But not everyone knows that it is also plagued with squatter areas even in fully developed cities like Manila. First, let us define what squatting is. According to Wikipedia, “Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use.” Here in the United States, I really don’t see a lot of people squatting; I’ve seen homeless people, but they can go to shelters that the local or the federal government provides. But not in the Philippines; the government there doesn’t offer shelters that you can go to when you don’t have a place to spend the night over. I guess they don’t have enough funds to build them, which forces people to squat. Squatting is a huge social and economic problem in the Philippines. It has been one of the most perennial problems the government has been facing. Many high-ranking officials have tried to solve it, but the number of people that are squatting just keeps on growing. There are many reasons why people squat, but all these reasons lead to one big problem, which is POVERTY. Many Filipinos are unemployed, and a big number of them lack education. People don’t have the means to pay for a house or to rent a decent place that’s why they just stay wherever it is they think is convenient for them. In developed cities like Manila, you’d see hundreds of families staying in tiny, flimsy, improvised dwellings constructed of discarded materials, without proper
Have you visited the Philippines? Have you been to its capital, which is Manila? The country I came from is known for its rich history and vibrant culture. Tourist just can’t get enough of its people’s hospitality, the tropical climate it possess, white sand beaches washed by clear blue waters of the sea, lustrous forest, vast stretches of green fields planted with rice, colorful jeepneys and a wide variety of sumptuous food. But not everyone knows that it is also plagued with squatter areas even in fully developed cities like Manila. First, let us define what squatting is. According to Wikipedia, “Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use.” Here in the United States, I really don’t see a lot of people squatting; I’ve seen homeless people, but they can go to shelters that the local or the federal government provides. But not in the Philippines; the government there doesn’t offer shelters that you can go to when you don’t have a place to spend the night over. I guess they don’t have enough funds to build them, which forces people to squat. Squatting is a huge social and economic problem in the Philippines. It has been one of the most perennial problems the government has been facing. Many high-ranking officials have tried to solve it, but the number of people that are squatting just keeps on growing. There are many reasons why people squat, but all these reasons lead to one big problem, which is POVERTY. Many Filipinos are unemployed, and a big number of them lack education. People don’t have the means to pay for a house or to rent a decent place that’s why they just stay wherever it is they think is convenient for them. In developed cities like Manila, you’d see hundreds of families staying in tiny, flimsy, improvised dwellings constructed of discarded materials, without proper