Finding 'Jesus' among the street dwellers in Manila

At a time when food is scarce as Metro Manila is still on lockdown in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), around 160 homeless people found a haven in a church-run school in Manila.

Paco Catholic School opened its doors to the street dwellers, turning a covered basketball court into a makeshift shelter where food is aplenty, a far cry from the bitter reality that they had faced while living on the streets and alleys of Manila.

“Ang simbahan ay tutok ang mata sa mahihirap, binuksan namin ito una sa lahat sa mga street dwellers natin na maku-consider natin na poorest among the poor,” said Fr. Maxell Aranilla, the school director.

Without a doubt, the faces of poverty were very much evident: from the gaunt to the weak, and everything else in between.

Each of one them had a story to tell, stories on how they ended up as vagrants and begging to survive.

An emaciated guy with long hair walked up to me to tell his story. People there call him Sam Gonzales, the recognized leader of the street dwellers.

His eyes immediately welled up as he recounted one of the saddest experiences that he had endured living by himself on the unforgiving streets of Manila.

“Ang dami kong karanasan sa kalsada na hindi ko makakalimutan. Nandyan nagkasakit ako ng isang linggo, wala akong kasama umuulan, bumabagyo, ang hawak ko lang payong, natutulog ako sa bangketa,” Sam said while wiping his tears.

Sam might be mired in poverty, but his story is far different from the rest.

He graduated from a big university; worked in Japan as an entertainer, a job that would give him a taste of a good life. “Naka aircon ako dati, maayos ang bahay ko,” he said.

But everything came spiralling down when he got hooked on drugs and gambling.

“Nasira ang pamilya ko. Pero pinagsisisihan ko na yun. Sabi nila ang anak ko ang mag-aalaga sa akin, pero nasaan na sya, pinabayaan na nya ako,” Sam said while profusely crying.

Fearing for the worst before the Enhanced Community Quarantine would be implemented, Sam tried to seek shelter at his siblings’ place only to be turned away.

“Noong nangyari itong lockdown na ito, kahit ang mga kapatid ko, kahit malaman nila pero ito ang totoo, kahit ang mga kapatid ko ayaw sa akin. Nagpupunta ako sa kanila, makikitulog pero ang sasabihin hindi ako pupwede dahil magbabayad sila ng additional na bayad ulo kasi nangungupahan lang sila. Ang sakit, ang sakit,” Sam said.

As a journalist, I’ve heard countless stories about human tragedy from wars to calamities.

But Sam’s ordeal hit close to home. He was no ordinary interviewee. Sam was a high school classmate of mine at the Ramon Magsaysay High School in España, Manila. He was known to us as Jesus.

Before we sat down for the interview, he told me: “Magka-klase tayo sa high school. Ako si Jesus.” I could hardly remember his face but not his name.

He was one those who stood out back in high school because of his antics and jolly personality. However, those traits seemed to have been erased by years of hardship of moving from one street to the next.

“Kaya nga nung pagbaba mo pa lang sabi ko ano ba yan ka-klase ko pa. After 30 years dito lang pala tayo magkikita,” he said.

But it wasn’t the kind of reunion that I would wish for.

Still, it gives me comfort knowing that an old classmate is in good hands at least for the time being. -- BAP, GMA News