BEHIND WHITE WALLS: POVERTY, POLLUTION

Residents living along the Estero de Tripa de Gallina in Parañaque City are asking an uncomfortable question ahead of next week’s 49th ASEAN Summit: Why hide a filthy waterway behind white walls when the government could have cleaned it up instead?

The towering barriers erected along Tambo Bridge have split the community, with some residents welcoming the temporary facelift and others seeing it as an attempt to conceal their poverty and the pollution from the visiting foreign dignitaries.

The government may have succeeded in blocking the view, but the estero remains garbage-filled behind the walls.

Along Riverside Streets 2 and 3 in Barangay Tambo, houses once visible to motorists crossing Tambo Bridge have been screened off as part of preparations for the international gathering.

A senior citizen living on Riverside 2 said he had no objection to the barriers, pointing out they would spare visitors the sight of the polluted waterway.

“For me, the walls are fine. They are for everyone’s benefit. They are meant to improve our surroundings. If the area remains open, people will see the canals filled with garbage. It is better to cover them,” he told DAILY TRIBUNE.

He dismissed complaints the barriers would inconvenience residents, saying they did not block access to their homes or nearby properties.

But two female residents questioned why the authorities chose concealment over cleanup.

“If they do not want to see the dirt, they should have cleaned it up,” one said.

The other said residents had little choice but to live with the decision, even as the barriers drew criticism.

“Many people are commenting about it. We cannot do anything. We may not agree, but there is nothing we can do,” she said.

Across the estero, residents of Riverside 3 were equally divided.

One supported the walls because they would hide the garbage in the waterway. Another questioned the expense, saying the money could have been given directly to the residents as financial assistance.

A third was more blunt: the barriers seemed to reflect the government’s embarrassment over the conditions it was supposed to address.

“Instead of putting up walls, they should have cleaned the area,” the resident said.

Along Riverside 1, where houses are less visible from Tambo Bridge, some residents likewise felt powerless to oppose the government’s decision.

One accused the authorities of putting a cosmetic cover on a deeper social problem rather than confronting the persistent poverty in the country.

“They do not want people to see that. Unlike other countries where there are only homeless people, here in the Philippines, the rich just keep getting richer. That is why they do not want to show the poverty of Filipinos,” he said.

Another said the residents had no choice but to accept the barriers because the government had already put them up.

A third defended the installation, saying the national interest should take precedence if it would benefit the country.

“If it would benefit the Philippines, then there is no problem. Whatever is best for us is best for everyone,” he said.

He acknowledged that the residents shared the responsibility for keeping their communities clean, saying the government should not take all the blame for the unsightly surroundings.

The Philippines is hosting the 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings from 16 to 18 November, with activities scheduled at the Philippine International Convention Center and other venues, including the Coconut Palace.

P10,000 aid for vendors

While residents in Parañaque debate the walls, vendors in Pasay City are counting the cost of the summit preparations after they were ordered to temporarily shut down their stalls.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed P10,000 in financial assistance and family food packs to vendors affected by the suspension of operations around key summit venues.

Local authorities ordered eateries, food stalls, and street vendors to temporarily close as part of traffic management measures for the international gathering.

A vendor selling sunglasses in a bicycle accessories shop along Jose Diokno Boulevard said he received the P10,000 assistance four days earlier.

“The P10,000 is fine, although it may not be enough,” he said.

“We are just following the Philippine government. The DSWD did not abandon us because we received assistance, along with food packs,” he added, saying they would try to stretch the money to cover their daily expenses.

He said the walls along Diokno Boulevard had affected businesses throughout the stretch. The barriers show tarpaulin reproductions of artworks by National Artists in the Visual Arts.

The DSWD also distributed P10,000 in financial assistance to jeepney drivers plying the Mabini-Baclaran route which was disrupted.