Direct to the sea
FROM a distance, you could already smell the compounded foul odor of garbage, open waste pipes, and worse - human feces.
Nothing has changed since Sun.Star Davao visited Isla Verde in Brgy. 23-C, Davao City almost six years ago to check on its sanitation
status. Now, some 200 households still have no toilets in the area, many have had no toilet since birth.
A portion of Isla Verde occupied by the Sama tribe from Laminosa had the worst conditions. They have occupied the area since 1976 and since then, they have endured the hardships brought about by the poorly sanitized area.
The Situation
Bamboo houses are erected over the shoreline of the beach. Wooden bridges made up of bamboo and coco lumber clumped in a very odd way served as the alleyways of the area. From below the elevated houses, you could see heaps of garbage which seemed to cover the shoreline and obviously it emitted a foul odor.
Residents in the area had electricity and water supply but the thing is, they don’t have any toilets. Instead, they carved out holes on the bamboo bases of their houses and used plywood to create a cubicle which already served as their comfort rooms. From there, you would already be wondering where the human waste goes but obviously, with the structures of their elevated houses, there are no septic tanks and the wastes go directly beneath the houses together with the piles of garbage.
Mandeng Makairal, 50, and a resident of the area since birth said, “Amo na lang nang ipahulog ang among hugaw diresto sa baba sa mga balay kay wala man gyud mi septic tank. Hulaton na lang namo na mu-taob kung dili ba magulan para mawala ang hugaw (We just let our waste fall straight under the houses since we don’t have any septic tanks. We just wait until it is high tide or when it rains so that the wastes will be washed away).”
Makairal added, “We barely have the money enough to feed us at least twice a day and pay the water and electricity bill so we don’t bother spending for the construction of septic tanks.”
Jerse Dan Nenteng, 22 and also a resident of Isla Verde said, “Kasagaran mga tao diri sipon-on ug ubohon. Daghan pud ug sigeg kalibanga diri tungod sa kahugaw sa lugar, (Most of the people here are prone to colds and respiratory ailments. Many also experience loose bowel movement due to the unsanitary place.)”
Nenteng also said the place gets very stinky when it rains or when it is high tide but people just had to live with it.
Why not relocate?
The Sama Laminosa still has a good grasp of its traditions and part of it is that they should settle by the sea.
Aamirah Saed, 29, said: “Mamatay mi kung didto mi sa bundok magpuyo. Dapat gyud diri mi duol sa dagat kay mao gyud na ang kinaiya sa mga katigulangan sa Laminosa tribe, (We will die if we live in the mountains. We should live near beaches because it has been the tradition of the elders of Sama Laminosa).”
Although many of them are now into vending, as ambulant sellers of just about anything they can buy from the China shops along Magsaysay Avenue.
“The place is already convenient for sellers because it is near Ramon Magsaysay Ave. where there are many cheap merchandises that we could resell for higher prices,” Makairal said.
But most of the residents in the area would agree that they simply could not just leave Isla Verde because they have no money for re-location and re-construction of new houses.
Saed said they are relying on the local officials to help them relocate yet they remain unheard.
“We wanted to be relocated near Boston Isla but our request has no response yet. We understand that it is not easy for them to do such thing but what about us? They would just let us stand this kind of living?” Saed said.
She added they have also sought assistance from Brgy. 23-C chieftain Amilbangsa Manding but they tend to believe that they were discriminated upon as Manding, she claimed, was more inclined to help the Maranao settlers, Manding being a Maranao.
Assistance from Local Officials
Back when Manding was still the president of the Association of Barangay Captains in 2010, he donated two common comfort rooms in Isla Verde. The comfort rooms, however, were only utilized briefly as crashing waves destroyed them. He has also launched various cleanup programs but there were no sustainable projects that could keep the area clean.
They tried to reach their tribal leader Hadji Nashra Mahamud for added help but they haven’t heard from him recently.
Makairal said, “There were many local candidates who visited the area and they have witnessed firsthand that the place has a very poor sanitation. They also saw that people here are very poor.”
She added they have exerted time and money to go to the polling centers and vote for them hoping that when they are elected, they could provide the necessary assistance to alleviate the dire conditions currently experienced by the people of Sama Laminosa.
But for now, the Sama Laminosa will have to toughen it out. Poverty continues to plague the area and not to mention the gastro-intestinal diseases that are looming around with the poorly-sanitized environment.