Author: Marlon Pagon

Since the virus outbreak in China, we strongly feel worried. We are very anxious about what happens next. Of course, the outbreak causes us some horrors. It leaves us nothing since we do not know what to do for sure. As we observe the government regulations and the COVID-19 protocols day by day, we lose the track of time. We lose the chance to survive since a few of my friends, parents, and relatives die – not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of the effect of it.

Government leaders and us

Street people get used to living agonizing moments in life. Under the harsh condition and environment on the street, they survive. And yes, we live. However, we can’t say we can prevent the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic nor surpass its wrath. We felt disheartened when police officers as ordered and mandated by the local government units (LGUs) hold their powers to jam all regions, sites, and zones block by block. The issue of community quarantine takes place that we can’t beg for alms in the streets. If we fail to get some food on the streets, we soon starve. And yes, we die. As government leaders do not know what to do, our simple lives on the streets get shattered.

Prohibited monetary allowance

At some point, we hear some rumors nearby. The government will give monetary allowance to the poorest of the poor. So, we expect much that some people from the government will look for us. Unfortunately, we lose the chance to receive any support from the government. Nobody comes. No government leaders and politicians come to rescue us. Rumors have it that only the poor, the working-class, and the middle-class manage to receive their shares. As we expect support from the government, we receive nothing.

Well, we are not mad. We, as well, cannot blame the government. Government leaders have their unique style of choosing people to receive their blessings. These people may be friends and relatives or those people who are willing to give them a commission profit. Because we cannot beg for money one evening, we force ourselves to cook the best hot meals we can afford to have – a bag of powdery dust and sticky mud combined to form a porridge enough to fill our dirty, empty stomach.

Guards on the streets

And yes, we are street people. We will always be. We cannot blame our parents and government leaders for that. We blame no one or nothing. Additionally, our lives depend on the streets. We survive when we are on the streets. However, this time we barely find a place to beg for alms. Our LGUs block the streets and make some checkpoints. In times like this, we can do nothing. We just hold our temper until we lose our hope. So, we decide to knock on doors to beg for alms and mercy.

Asking for alms

One day, we knocked on more doors. Then, we offered our best smiles and teary eyes of joy to hope that a few of them would give us some food. Some of those households opened their doors only to tell us that we were the carriers of the virus. Many people shut their doors for us. However, other people in their households just peered out in their windows without saying a word. Indeed, they did not like our presence.

Dirty porridge on a plate

Now, we have nothing left on our plate. Of course, we can cook again. With plenty of bags of powdery dust and sticky mud collected on the ground, we can make porridge as our essential food to survive temporarily. However, we do not blame the government. The government is just fine in this circumstance. We only blame ourselves. If we blame others, we can only blame the COVID-19 pandemic since it doesn’t have the power to put us in jail. If we do blame the government, we surely aren’t here to ask someone to write our stories for us.

Furthermore, only the strongest survives. We love to know that our close relatives, the poor and the working-class people, can still advance an inch of their lives for the next day. At least, they can continue to move on without us. For our distant relatives, the middle-class and the elite people can continue living with grace. Indeed, they have the money to buy everything – even the impossible in the world.

At last, we can relax now. As we eat the last sticky porridge made of powdery dust and sticky mud, can we request one thing? Please inject us with some vaccines so that we can die quickly. Don’t worry. We won’t tell the angels in heaven what happened here on Earth.