I woke up to an ache in my chest as I read the morning paper.
Mariannet, the 12-year old child who hanged herself last Nov. 2, was my daughter’s age. She is one of 11 million Filipinos who share a strange kinship with one billion more across the globe who live on less than a dollar a day. Her diary says she killed herself because she lost hope her family will ever get out poverty. Her wish list found in her diary was short: a bicycle, a school bag and jobs for her parents.
“Gusto ko po sana magkaroon ng bagong sapatos at bag at hanapbuhay para sa nanay at tatay ko. Wala kasing hanapbuhay ang tatay at nagpa-extra extra lamang ang aking nanay sa paglalaba,” she said in her “Wish Ko Lang” letter. [I wish for new shoes, a bag and jobs for my mother and father. My dad does not have a job and my mom just gets laundry jobs.]
This morning, as my daughter asked for her baon to go to school, I carefully looked at the P100 bill and kissed her goodbye. She gave me a warm hug and my heart constricted. I saw Mariannet instead, pleading to her father for P100 she needed for her school project.
A hundred pesos seems like a very small amount. My daughter will probably spend most of it on lunch at the school cafeteria and candies, not aware it could save someone’s life.
A few column inches away from the story on Mariannet, the Philippine Daily Inquirer banner story reads: Senate probes cash gifts. It talks of bundles of cash stuffed in envelopes and brown bags given to politicians one fine day in Malacañang.
Right there, we can see that Mariannet was right smack in the middle of the crux of life’s problems here in our country and around the world. Right there, we can raise our fists at government and say where is your heart? Releasing a P1-billion hunger fund is not the real solution! But Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz has a better answer. He says when an 11-year old child hangs herself because of poverty, somehow we are all to blame. The community is to blame. The society is to blame.
A few months ago, the Asian Development Bank released a study that showed in figures how the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The middle class is vanishing, it said. A separate article I was writing made it clear that the emerging middle class in this country are, unfortunately, not in this country but working abroad as professionals, seamen, teachers, nurses, caregivers and household workers.
Those in Manila who could buy what they want, send their children to school, save for the future, dabble a little bit in stocks or bonds may feel alienated from the problem of the vanishing middle class. They may say, so what? I have hope. I have money. I am preparing myself for the future.
Unfortunately, rising poverty will affect us all. The more Mariannets there are, the less Filipinos there will be who can buy the products and services you are selling. Who can afford to go to school. Who can be skilled workers in our technology hubs. Who can become retail investors that will buoy up our capital and bond markets. As two songs go, the circle of life ensures that we are all in this together.
It makes sense for everyone’s financial future to wipe out poverty — even the ruling elite’s financial future. Even politicians’ financial future. As you prepare this day to make more money, save more and invest more, please do two things: look around you for someone like Mariannet and do something about it. Then continue to make your dreams for financial independence come true so you can help more like her.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
I really feel so sad when I read this article. She’s so young as to end her life so tragic…I can’t blame the parents…talagang mahirap ang buhay sa ‘Pinas…even now that we hear that governors, mayor et al…have been receiving this much money…in fact, we’re not even sure if the money goes to projects to help our countrymen or to their pockets…Ewan ko lang kung may pulitiko na average lang ang buhay…baka mang-isa isa lang…the rest, sagana ang buhay..malalaki ang bahay..kagaya ni Erap..na ginagamit lang ang mahihirap for his political gain…nakakarindi na..eto, si Jinggoy may balak tumakbo sa 2010..See, kung hindi man si Erap tatakbo sa 2010, ehang mga kaanak naman..Same pa rin..Ang di alam nI GMA, lalabas din ang tunay na kulay ni Erap at ma i impeach din sya dahil sa pardon nya…Anyway, wala sa kanila ang deserving to be our Pres..becoz they’re both corrupt…try to visit the slum/squatters area…walang pag-unlad…If the gov’t should really focus on improving the lives of poor people by giving them job..improve education etc…then life in our country would be much better…less crime…NOT TO GIVE AWAY MONEY TO THESE RICH POLITICIANS…YOU GOTTHE NERVE GMA..
November 9th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
kelan pa kaya makokonsensya mga taong nangungurakot dito sa pilipinas…sana man lang kahit isang taon na hindi sila mangurakot mabigyan lang ng pagkakataon na matulungan talaga yung mga nangangailangan. nagtatrabaho ako sa isang istasyon ng telebisyon pero hindi ko pa rin masabing nakakasiguro na ako sa future ko, masasabi ko pa rin na isang kahig isang tuka ang kalagayan ko, what more pa kaya yung ibang tao. naiinis ako dahil nandito ako sa trabahong alam ko kung ano ginagawa (hindi man lahat pero aware ako) ng mga taong nasa gobyerno. kung may magagawa lang sana ako para sa mga taong nasa tulad ng kalagayan ni mariannet…willing ako na mag volunteer kung sino man ang may pusong mag uumpisa ng aksyon.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Salve:
This is the first time I open your blog, “smart Moneys” When I read the article “poverty, Hope and a child’s suicide note” I went crazy for a moment. And start answering just about every posting in your blog. You’re not going to kick me out here too arent you? Actually I can’t stop crying because of the story, I know exactly how to be poor. My mother come from in a very poor family she use to work for rich’s people as a maid before she start working in clark field, That’s where she meet my father they got married and have plenty of kids, 8 children as a matter fact. She always tell us to help our poor relatives because they needed help. Each and everyone of us HELPING THEM without expecting anything in return. For that we’ve bless from above. I thank god for that. Amen:
November 9th, 2007 at 9:48 am
garfi
yes, ther’e nothing wrong with getting richer and better but that shouldn’t end there. everyone should learn to share whatever blessing they have been receiving. aside from being concern about our own future and bank accounts, i don’t think there’s any harm in including the society among our concerns. we all can help in our own little ways if we will only bother to do so. i am not talking about just giving beggars whatever we no longer need, well that will do if that’s all you can afford but i hope the really rich people of this country would care to help and provide opportunities for these less fortunate brothers of ours rather than just being concerned about how to make more money only for themselves and their own families.
it’s not easy to beg, they probably do so because that’s the only choice they’ve got.
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Thats right. The reason some poor people are biggar because they don’t have any other choice. And we all know it. The biggest problem is the Philippines government. They’re only busy incriching themselves. Most of these poor people even though they want to work they can’t find job because there is no job available to them. And the only job they can get is to work for rich people as a maid/driver/house boy in order to survive. Even though they want to find a better job they can’t simply because they don’t have any education. Education in the Philippines is going down hill there is more drop-out. So, Pretty soon the filippino people NO READ, NO WRITE. There goes OFW.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:38 am
garfi
what we can do for mariannet now is to pray for her soul and move on from here. helping ourselves and helping those around us esp those who are not lucky enough to know how to survive this so called life.
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Bravo! this is more like it. More power to you!