Manila Bay Children

Ive found myself asking more questions about these pictures, than there are apparently answers.

What are they seeking?

How many have been injured/killed doing this?

Where are the parents?

Yes, cultural clashes.

It reminds me of the visual aftermath of the Thailand tsunami in 2004.

Interesting text. You have a nice blog. Keep it up!

hoz from has written 62 comments

They are looking for anything they might be able to recycle to sell and make a few centavos or pesos. They may be street children (no parents or runaways) or their parents may even send them out everyday to bring something home.

In most cases their home is a squatters shack on government owned land or even a cardboard box on the sidewalk.

The abject poverty of the Philippines can be heartbreaking if you are sensitive.

Israel Tour Online from has written 2 comments

What a sad post... Of course cultural clashes has a place, but still its very sad. Lose-lose situation for everybody - people and ecology.

Gadget from has written 831 comments

Street families or just squatter families is my opinion on how to describe these children, they all appeared to be associated with mothers and fathers. I see very few children without parents.

The family is strong here in the Philippines, both a great thing and a horrible thing, the majority of girls in the area selling their bodies want money so they can send back to their families. I blame the family and the church for most of the prostitution in the Philippines. Social pressure is tremendous to earn money in any way possible.

There is about 10 times the street children in Manila than any of the 16 Africa countries I have visited. The whole world migrates to large cities to live a horrible lifestyles, I think the desire for excitement of the city is an addiction.

In the USA, people will spend 70-90 percent of their money to pay rent, just so they can live in New York City.

These people always appear happy, hard for me to feel sad, I value happiness more than money.
Andy

Is really scaring what is going on in those countries, sometimes I wonder what could we do as the charity organizations do not look trustables to me...

has written 71 comments

Breaks my heart to think people really live this way. I am positive some people would say it is good to grow up with what is called street smarts that it will make these kids strong. BUT my heart longs for children to be children in all ways and to enjoy the sunshine, trees, birds and all the gifts of life we have that has been bestowed on us. I think of my kids playing in a tree house they made, enjoying a game of ball, reading, catching turtles and having a good time on a picnic with a peanut butter sandwich with their dad and mom pushing them on a swing and catching them at the bottom of a slide. This is what a child needs to do to learn how to love and be loved, not these these really sad circumstances.

The blog is very nice also the post is very interesting, I like it very much. Keep it up.

hoz from has written 62 comments

My wife and I had just seen the film No Counrty for Old Men in the US when we visited Cebu City Philippines.Watching the street children go about their daily routine of scavenging, selling water or trinkets, or begging I said to her,The Philippines is no country for young children.

She got my meaning immediately.

bobakatanec from wrote 1 comment

Very intriguing post. I had never seen children able to walk on the water like that. Manny Pacquiao is from the Phillipines and has made his name as an exciting boxer. Not hard to see why so many are excited over his success and bringing international interest to the country.

Hi,

I have read your blog with interest and am horrified at the pictures, very sad.

I am a director at a company called Viking Spring water..we send water from the EU in oxo-degradable packaging to the emergency and disaster relief market.
I was hoping to get permission from you to use some of your photographs in out literature?
I can be contacted at stephenpadget ( Edited to stop harvesting AT )vikingspringwater.com
Many thanks in advance.

Kind Regards
Stephen