Hagonoy, being close to the sea, is prone to flooding. Areas
are submerged for hours at a time; during the rainy season flooding can be
quite severe. The ground floors of houses are often left knee deep in salty water,
and so sleeping quarters are normally on the first floor. It is quite surreal
to see a living room or kitchen regularly drenched. People just seem to get on
with life, despite the difficulties that the daily flooding causes.
Navigating the floods
– Local residents are faced with three options when wanting to travel around
Hagonoy during high tide: 1). Wear wellington boots. Sloshing through the water
can be fun and refreshing, but as the water is quite dirty it’s not a sensible
option to wade without protection (especially if you’ve got any open wounds on
your feet). Lovely rat urine is found in some of the water, and can lead to the
development of leptospirosis. Thus boots, for those who can afford them,
are a great help. However, as the water can get knee high, this technique
doesn’t always work… 2). Use public transport. Tricycle drivers are willing to
drive you through flooded areas, but will expect an increase in the fare to
compensate for the damage that the salty water will have on their bikes. This
method does not guarantee that you will still stay dry though… 3). Wait for the
floods to subside! Most people carry tidal calendars, so they can predict when
it will be ok to venture to certain flood-hit areas. It’s quite common for
residents to plan their trips around the tidal flows.
Going overseas – The
attached photo shows Doro, the son of my host mother, with his lovely family
(his wife Jen, Angelo and Angelica). Doro
is someone I will not have the chance to get to know a bit better, as he has
now left to go to work in Saudi Arabia for the next 18 months. Like many
Filipinos, he has to make the difficult choice: whether to stay in the
Philippines, or leave his family, his friends and his country behind in the
search for work. It seems a tough economic reality that in order for Doro to
ensure that his children get a good future he must leave them. I guess that
people from richer countries are lucky, as most do not have to face such a
choice.
One of the Philippines’ main exports are people – a quick
glimpse at the world’s supply of nurses, sailors and nannies will prove this
point. Certainly, the British National Health Service relies upon Filipinos.
Most Filipinos have got used to the fact that family members are likely to
spend years upon years in far flung places in the world. Almost all the
families I have met have at least one relation working permanently overseas.
A Family Activity or Child
Labour? – Yes, this is the dilemma that faces me most of the time when I do
my laundry! My host family seems to find it amusing that I bother to do my own
washing (perhaps it’s the combination of being a Westerner and a man). Thus,
the whole activity often becomes a bit of a circus, with the children wanting
to join in on the process. This week, the two girls pushed me aside and wanted
to do the work. I’m not entirely comfortable with letting a 5 year old and a 6
year old do all the hard labour, but they seemed to be having fun!
A big hug to all of you from an internet café in central
Hagonoy (luckily no flooding here!),
Robert
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