The poor Filipinos' passion, death and resurrection

In a beautiful land of fertile fields and mineral-rich mountains and valleys, where the weather is one of the best in the world, and the people among the happiest on earth, it is a great mystery why 90 percent of Filipinos are poor and more than 40 million live below the poverty line, jobless, homeless, and hopeless. The passion of the poor is being suffered daily especially by those living in squatter areas, urban colonies, and informal settlements, people surrounded by dirt and squalor, mud, dust, and garbage, living beside esteros and rivers with all the flies, mosquitoes, rats, and roaches. The poor live in subhuman and inhumane conditions where they are exposed to all infections and viruses, heat, rains, floods, and the constant threat of demolitions.

The poor farmers and tenants, still deprived of land ownership and harassed, persecuted and subjected to all forms of threats and deceit by powerful landlords and their political and military protectors, are still struggling to survive. The lumads and indigenous communities are being pushed and pushed further into the hinterlands by big landed agri corporate giants owned by foreign multinationals through their local dummies, who plant bananas and pineapples but pay their workers pittance and bust their unions. The poor farming communities are still being deprived of their small lots and whatever remains of their farmlands is destroyed by pollution from irresponsible mining companies.

Some OFWs, especially the domestic helpers, are suffering in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Many are being maltreated, exploited, abused, and degraded. Filipino maids have been raped, tortured, and held incommunicado. Many of them have died, others are jailed for crimes they did not commit, or committed defending their honor and dignity. Millions of our people work in dirty, difficult, dangerous, degrading, and deceptive jobs.

This Lent these people, especially the families that are left behind by our migrant workers, are also being crucified by all forms of poverty, social injustice, and marginalization. The children of OFWs are deprived of parental love and care. The families are dysfunctional and many marriages are broken and families shattered by migration. Their lives are also forms of passion, death, and crucifixion. Their sufferings are not far removed from the agonies in the Gethsemane and Calvary. The poor Filipinos suffer crucifixion every day. The problem is there is no promise, much less assurance of resurrection.

To be poor and powerless in the Philippines is like being nailed to the cross each day. Every day is a Good Friday, without any hope for an Easter Sunday.