Between the city and the docks.
There is a place between Manila and docks where hundreds of thousands of people live, it�s a city that�s sprung up from nothing, this area is one of the poorest places you could ever imagine. I came across it in my travels when I was taken to the Philippines main export terminal. The export terminal handles about 80% of the exports and imports into the country. A kind of no man�s land squashed between an emerging western style landscape of office buildings and highways and docklands where this country is taking its first steps toward its place as a trading nation in the global community. When I first entered the precinct my Pilipino colleagues quickly locked all the doors of the car I was travelling in , quickly advising that the area was dangerous and outsiders were liable to be carjacked if certain precautions we not taken.
My camera was the equivalent of 40 families� yearly income in value and under the circumstances you can really understand how tempting an item like this would be to someone who has nil resources and very few options. We entered a heavily guarded check point and moved into the safety of the dock land area. Parking our car we moved through 2 more security check points before entering the executive building, we were guided up to the top floor , through another security check point and into another executive entertainment area that served as an executive entertainment suite covering about and acre of rich mahogany, staffed with white coated waiters serving executives all they could want while discussing their companies business.
As I looked out over the helipad across the endless sea of shanties made and constructed over lifetimes with materials that could only be found washed up on the shore or found by the roadside I found the myself reflecting on the visual irony played out before me as far as the eye could see. The shanties extend down to the high water mark built out onto the brown muddy sand as if every single land must be utilised. This is an area that is subject to weather conditions, typhoons and never ending torrential rain that would test the resolve of any human being. As we drove through the area I wound down the window and took these pictures from the moving car, what struck me were the children playing at the entrances in the rain, this area being the only areas across a sea of run down shanties where they could find some clear space and light. They were laughing and playing like any children would in any neighbourhood.
We forget how truly lucky we are, the circumstances we find ourselves in can truly define our life , our opportunities and the life we lead. What struck me is the ability of the human spirit to survive anywhere, to transcend our circumstances and make the best of what we have been dealt. These beautiful gorgeous children laughing and playing, just being children unaware of their circumstances and where they live.
I really want to get right into this area and takes some more picture so I will meet with eh councillor for the area next time I am in town to get some advice on how to do this and remain in one piece . I plan to get the best advice I can, borrow some security from the docklands managers and wander through the narrow lanes that make this area up and bring back some images that haven�t been seen of an area that�s unknown and forgotten to the rest of the world.
posted by Zorro @ 10:37 AM
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