Several months ago, when I was about to enter the public market near my place, I saw this old woman more or less in her early 60’s checking something on the garbage cans. That was really my first impression. I tried to observe what she’s doing for a few seconds more and I then realized she was after these empty and used plastic bottles. At first, I thought she was just looking for something she might have lost or maybe she’s looking for scrapped foods. But she’s not. The old lady looks clean and not like a scavenger. She’s just a typical person we’re seeing around. After a few moments, I approached the lady and told her, “Nay, heto po ang konti (pera), pandagdag sa kita ninyo”. (Auntie, here’s something (small amount), you can add to your income.) And the old lady replied with a smile, “Naku, salamat anak.” (Oh, thank you son.) Then, I proceeded with my market activity that day. From that time on, whenever I go to the market, I always hope that I will still see her, ...

You’ll often see them. You’ll buy from them. But when they become part of the news, you’ll get to hate them – some of you. They are people like us who simply wants to earn a living. They have a family to feed. This is the business they call “marangal” (dignified). And we call them… Sidewalk Vendors Let me define what (or should I say “who”) a sidewalk vendor is. Here in the Philippines, there is a notion that if you’re a sidewalk vendor, you mostly likely belong to the lower class of the society. For one reason, why sell on the sidewalks or streets of Metro Manila and other cities if you can sell on approved places particularly the market. For another, selling in the street on a daily basis is a risky activity – you’re prone to illnesses, effects of air pollution, dangers from vehicles passing by, and unsafe condition of your store or shop. In a third-world country where job opportunities are scarce for people with lower educational attainment, there is no reason to doub...

Several weeks ago, when me and my wife are into this exercise-walking routine, we met this guy in his 30’s. He came out of nowhere and showed up on us right in front of a Catholic Church where we stopped for a while. All of a sudden, while I am taking photos of the wall art in the other side of the road, this guy in a funny yet sincere tone asked me: Isang picture naman diyan oh! (One photo shoot if you please!) With bit of a surprise, I told the guy, “O sige, posing ka” (Okay, you do your pose). But then instead of just posing the normal way (that moment wherein it is your first time to meet a complete stranger, you know), this guy poses the unusual ways. Quite cumbersome to describe, so here are the photo shots for you to have a look! Near this wall art is where I met "Wonder Boy". After this interesting yet mind-blowing photo-shoot encounter, the guy then tell something again. “Kuya, konti barya naman diyan oh”. (Brother, some small amount i...