Bruce Van Voorhis

(Ed. note: Human Rights at the Grassroots is a regular feature of Human Rights SOLIDARITY that seeks to expose the realities of life for Asia's people and the lack of respect for their rights that many of them experience every day.)

The Diamil, Palati and Asi families were previously farmers in South Cotabato Province on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Today they are among at least 40 displaced families trying to eke out a living in General Santos City by scavenging for reusable garbage they can sell from a dumpsite. They left their land and indigenous community in nearby T'boli because of frequent fighting between soldiers and rebels near their former homes.

The Diamil family-Basil, 27, his 29-year-old wife Genevive, who is nine months pregnant, and their children Jun Rey, 7, Diamil, 5, and Brix, 2- earn about 50 pesos (less than US) per day at the garbage dump that they walk to several kilometres away. On this income that is supplemented by weaving coconut leaves, or nipa, they can only eat one meal a day of porridge with fermented anchovies and some vegetables. This regular diet has left the three children malnourished, and they need deworming medication that the family cannot afford. Meanwhile, Genevive has received no prenatal care.

Like Genevive, Ta Palati, 19, is also nine months pregnant and is receiving no medical assistance. Ta and her husband Romeo and their two children, Edel, 3, and Rosanna, 2, also earn their meagre living at the garbage dump as well.

Most of the people in the village where they live-Purok Darusalam in the barangay (neighbourhood) of Bawing in General Santos City-are illiterate farmers, Ta says, and collecting reusable garbage is the only type of work they can find to support themselves.

Life is also very difficult for Cosme Asi and his wife Ampoy. Both in their 60s, they too scavenge in the dump for anything they can sell as well as weave nipa. Their reward for their labours is 25 pesos a day (US$.44) depending on how much nipa they can sell. A kilogram of rice is all they can afford on this income.

Food, however, is not their only expense. Each family in Purok Darusalam must also pay 50 pesos (US$.89) each month-the equivalent of their wages for one or two days-to a private landowner to live in their huts in the village, homes that are constructed with cheap and flimsy materials. Moreover, just one well and water pump exists in the area, and it only produces muddy and yellow water that is unsuitable to drink. Consequently, the villagers must walk several kilometres to find potable water. Another inconvenience is the lack of public toilets for the community of at least 40 families-there is only one-and the poor waste disposal system poses a health hazard, especially to the children.

In spite of their poverty, hunger and malnutrition and lack of health care, these families from the B'laan tribe in South Cotabato are currently not receiving any food assistance, medical care or welfare from the government. Although these families have lived in the area for six years, the local government apparently refuses to assist them because they are migrants from another province.

(Ed. note: To read additional details about this incident and support these families, please see the Asian Human Rights Commission's [AHRC] hunger alert at http://www.foodjustice.net/ha/mainfile.php/ha2005/64.)