This is the harsh reality of Tondo as seen and described by Carlos Celdran. These are the very communities we are serving.
“Paging the United Nations. There is a refugee crisis in Manila and the Philippines is totally in denial. Today I visited HappyLand, HelpingLand, and Aroma in Tondo. A veritable seaside hell of 40 ROOFLESS warehouses filled with rotting food, feces, fastfood wrappers and little children. Planned back in 1995 as TEMPORARY HOUSING for Smokey Mountain residents who were to be relocated to the provinces, Two generations later, there are still over 40,000 people living in limbo who have no accessible fresh water nor proper sewage. They are still waiting for the housing and jobs promised by an endless line of politicians. These photos do not do justice. I couldn’t photograph the smell nor the wail of karaoke. Thank youwww.projectpearls.org for bringing me here and opening my eyes. How the hell can we Filipinos allow this squalor to be so invisible to us? It’s fucking 20 kilometers from Makati. Who is in charge here and How the fuck can we help? #manila”
Photos below are by Carlos Celdran.
