Trapped in the shade

An old man, perhaps in his 60s, had found shade under the tree by the gate of our house. He had been thrown out of his home by his family, apparently. For what reason, we decided not to dig into too much. But his son, we heard, had been involved in drugs.

This information can make some people recoil in fear, associating addiction with violence. But what could be wilder than the fact that nobody has been able to help this homeless man, let alone his son?

The barangay refuses to touch this case. We went through the same rigmarole when we complained of vandalism on the walls of unoccupied businesses in the neighborhood. Nobody seems to know what to do.

A barangay employee said it happens all the time, as if that makes it acceptable. As for the case of the poor discarded human loitering in the street, seeking shade wherever possible, we are told it is not their jurisdiction.

When did kindness ever have a jurisdiction?

The thought reminds me of a comment I came across while scrolling through posts about a certain performance at the recent Coachella. The netizen was flabbergasted at the video he saw. The music being played was a popular one, with a catchy beat. The audience looked catatonic. What, no dancing, the netizen said. What’s happening to our culture?

“What is happening to our world?” That is the better question.

Along with the heat of El Niño, heads are flaring for the sheer audacity of a few low-level public officials who seem to know only a little bit of the job they were elected to do. No wonder Filipinos sniff at what used to be a noble calling; now it seems public service is a joke, serving only those who run to empower themselves.

Either that, or the system makes it difficult for leaders or agencies to move fast during emergency situations. Still, what are we, as a nation, doing about it? What does it say about us when, say, the Department of Agriculture has to be prodded to use its millions in funds to help farmers affected by the fuel oil crisis?

Whenever the economy dips or a crisis erupts, people tend to blame it all on the national leaders, some of whom, quite frankly, have many shortcomings, as far as the public is concerned. But let us train our gaze on the local governments.

Fuel subsidies aside, LGUs can do so much towards alleviating the situation we now face.

Those crops were left to rot because the costs of harvesting, packing and transport were too high?

Those could have been saved with a subsidy to ensure that the farmers do not suffer a loss from production. As it is, it costs much more to produce a kilo of vegetables than to sell them at farmgate prices. How is the government addressing this perennial complaint of our farming sector?

While they are at it, why not equip communities, perhaps through cooperatives, with the capability to produce food so that when economic uncertainties arise, people would feel more secure?

Funded by the town government with additional funding from the Department of Agriculture, a greenhouse farm in Isabela province, a report says, is giving farmers an alternative income as they are able to grow “high-value crops” through the wet and dry seasons. This initiative is a lifeline for those affected by the oil crisis, and kudos must go to the local government for thinking outside the box.

We should not be trapped by circumstances, as there is always a way through challenges that we continue to face, in a world changing faster than ever.