Lazette Special Issue: Living Not Surviving May 2021 | Page 38

Dolomite o ayuda ?
One is a want , the other is a need . The government chose the former , the people need the latter .
Last April , an additional batch of crushed dolomite was dumped at the shores of Manila Bay , along Roxas Boulevard , Manila . The P389M project was continued when only around 10 % of the social amelioration program ( SAP ) fund - commonly known as the ayuda - had been disbursed to its beneficiaries , while the other 90 % ( 20.7 million people ) have yet to receive theirs .
Luckily for those who have not yet received their financial aid , programs were established to alleviate their costs during the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine ( MECQ ). One such program was created by 26-year old Ana Patricia Non , who began a community pantry scheme in Maginhawa Street . Now , numerous cart signs of “ magbigay ayon sa kakayahan , kumuha batay sa pangangailangan ” have sprouted across the nation , inspired by Non ’ s act of compassion .
While this may mitigate the people ’ s problems , it is only a band-aid solution from current crises faced by the nation . These community pantries cannot pay electricity and water bills , fund education of sons and daughters , nor shoulder any rent of ordinary citizens ; it is only made to prevent people from dying of hunger .
Since only a fraction of social amelioration funds were distributed , numerous families
were forced to become dependent on the goodwill of their community ; they are at the mercy of the “ bayanihan spirit ”
of Filipinos .
Rather than stepping in and lending a hand , one will only hear “ wala na tayong pera ” and a twohour televised rant from the national government . It seems that the entity who should embody the Filipino ’ s ideals and aspirations , promote the common good , conserve and develops patrimony , and secure the blessings of
independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth , justice , freedom , love , equality , and peace ,
is sitting haughtily , proud of their 90-meter-stretch of Manila Bay Sands .
Although some may say that this dolomite beach is good for the people , it will not be if it serves as a reminder that this project was more important than Filipinos themselves - that tons of crushed sediment were worth more than millions of lives . It will only become
a monument of their hunger and suffering - something that those in power could have prevented .
If the government truly cares about its people , they will choose a need over a want ; not dolomite over ayuda .

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STUDENT- LED INITIATIVES