Hong Kong University Students' Union (HKUSU) Exposure Trip : Philippines 香港大學學生會 藍帽子 周游列國 : 「尋找菲律賓的故事」

am - Visit Kamiyan, member of Migrante International, which is a federation of NGOs for the welfare of the 7 million Filipinos working abroad. Kamiyan Chairman Dax Salgado then often accompanied us

pm - Visit Payatas, a refuse dumping ground where the surrounding poor sort out the left-over as scavengers. N.B. Neither the Metro-Manila Development Authority (MMDA) nor the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has any program to clean up Payatas (but they have programs to clean up Pasig River).

Night - Visit the very large supermarket (till 9pm) at ShoeMart SM City, West Avenue, Quezon City

At the G/F of Migrante International, of which Kamiyan is a member. From Left: Anet, Anthony, Koen, Kamiyan Chairman Dax Salgado, Ah Yan, Connie, Eleanor.	At the G/F of Migrante International. From Top Left: Connie, Eleanor, Tempo, Migrante Chair Mr Legaspi, LSF Chair Noel, Kamiyan Chair Dax, Ah Yan, Anthony, Koen, Charriol.
Briefing at 1/F of Migrante International by Secy-General Mr. Gante (far right): many communist terminologies were used e.g. semi-feudal & semi-colonial.	Children outside the Payatas child center, with donation from the Japanese Society for the Poor. Payatas is a district in Quezon City with 650,000 people moved in since 1986. In 1987, without their consent, a dumpsite moved in, resulting in terrible smell and fume. [In July 2000, the dump collapsed, killing at least 205. Hope that all the above children have survived (sc000727)]
Children inside the child center, after a singing session with songs on the board.	A family in Payatas, with brick wall and electricity.
A store in Payatas, with the dumpsite visibly behind	After some obvious hesitation, as shown in Connie's face, Trip001 decided to enter the Payatas dumpsite.
Charriol and Ah Yan with 2 boy scavengers. There are about 10,000 scavengers.	Koen and Anthony failed to find any girl scavengers!?
Trip001 voted 4:3 to go up the "hill", made up of alternative layers of rubbish (the minority were Anthony, Connie and Eleanor).	At the top of the dumpsite: Take note of the girl scavenger. What would Eleanor say about the smell and fume? A clearer look of Tempo's ponytail.
Note the contrast, Look for solution: Dumpsite under Anthony's feet, a grey tin hut in the foreground, anda yellow high-class house in the background.

2. Migrante International has strived to talk to the Dept of Education and Dept of Social Welfare Development

3. Migrante International has also picketed or talked to the departments.

4. Non-government-funded schools e.g. University of Santo Tomas (UST -from where Anthony got his first degree) and Ateneo de Manila University (where Ah Yan attended the Asian Students Association conference), charge very high fees.

5. Migrante International pointed out that the problem lied with the 1,000 large families holding large chunks of lands e.g. the Aquino family has 6,500 hectares.

a. Trip001 suggested that the poor should organise themselves into a political party and vote their representatives into the Congress and Presidency, because the 1,000 families were in the minority.

b. Trip001 suggested changing the department heads by various kinds of pressure.

c. Trip001 suggested writing to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has 26 programs in the Philippines.

d. Trip001 suggested talking to the Catholic Church e.g. the Order of Preachers (O.P.) or the Dominican Fathers, who own the UST, or the Jesuit Fathers, who own Ateneo. (It was later noted that the Titus Center was owned by the Order of Carmelite (O.Carm.), which indirectly supported the LFS by accommodating the Trip001. Many churches have provided indirect support via the NCCP. The Philippine Independence Church has for many years served as the shelter for the dispersed students to re-group and to nurse the wounded - see later).

e. Trip001 suggested media exposure of the government corruption (NB Titus Center is in memory of a Dutch Carmelite in defense of Human Rights such as freedom of the press).

Keon suggested setting up a fire brigade for Payatas's 650,000 inhabitants.

Charriol suggested education, family planning and empowerment of the poor.

Tempo suggested writing to the Philippine Government.

Connie suggested pressing the Philippine Government.

Eleanor suggested (see her post-trip article in her webpage)

Ah Yan suggested (see her post-trip article in her webpage)

Anthony suggested that the poor should organise themselves into a political party and vote their representatives into the Congress and Presidency, because the 1,000 families were in the minority.

Anthony also suggested writing to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has 26 programs in the Philippines. Gordon Wilkinson [email protected] is the NGO Coordinator for ADB, and would be happy to hear the views from non-governmental sources.

This website is the 3rd draft designed and written for the HKUSU by Anthony C.H. CHUA 蔡誌慶, PhD Student in Law, HKU, and member of Trip001, on 10 March 2000 (then 26 March 2000, 8 Mar 2001) pending formal approvals from the Trip members and from HKUSU, and pending linkage/transfer to the HKUSU website. (please see acknowledgement section in FrontPage)