Community Journalism

“Marami kami dito. Pumunta kami mula Zambaonga. Namatay ang Tatay ko, binaril. Yung nanay ko, pilay pa. Nahulog sa bangka. Doon siya naglilimos sa palengke,” said Badjao woman Suradya Naskalen, 50, in monotone staccato.

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Naskalen, along with some companions, sat to catch her breath at a bridge along McArthur Highway in Urdaneta City. In a few moments, she would again have to part with the solace of the Macalong River which the bridge stood over, if she is to meet her daily quota of P50 to P100.

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The people in Urdaneta are generally nice, Naskalen notes, recalling bad experiences in areas such as Angeles in Central Luzon. It’s provided a reason to for them to return despite dialogues with representatives of city officials, who have asked them repeatedly to seek refuge elsewhere.

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“Sabi s’amin, aalis na kami. Di na pwede dito maglimos. Pinaaalis kami tapos babalik kami kasi mahirap doon,” Naskalen said, referring to encounters with police as well as the city’s Task Force Bantay Pangkalikasan. The task force was organized to spearhead the city’s anti-littering drive and to promote environmental programs, according to Executive Order No. 2010-004. 

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“Sinabi lang nila wag magkalat-kalat,” Naskalen recalled. Her entire family, together with her Badjao community consisting of no more than 20 people, were all told by guards of Task Force Bantay Pangkalikasan that they could no longer dwell under the bridge along McArthur highway, as their presence allegedly risked pollution of the Macalong River.

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“Gusto nila maghanap kami ng [mauuupahan] ng bahay. Sabi namin, wala kaming pera, kasi yung nanay ko humihingi ng otsenta, isang daan. Pambili namin ng pagkain,” Naskalen said.

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Aside from the environmental task force, city officials have also taken other measures to curb Badjao presence in Urdaneta. In October 2016, a resolution was passed to create a special committee to tackle the “health and sanitation as well as public order and safety problems posed by homeless Badjaos and psychotic vagrants who stay or spend some time in Urdaneta.”

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The special committee is composed of the heads of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), the City Health Office (CHO), the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), and the Urdaneta City Police Station (UCPS).

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“The City Social Office cannot do alone to cater the situation of these clients in our city,” said CSWDO Head Vilma Lapitan, who suggested the creation of a technical working group to deal with the Badjao, according to excerpts of minutes of the regular session of the 7th Sangguniang Panlungsod of Urdaneta. 

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The Badjao in Urdaneta City consists not of the same people, but different groups who regularly return, according to the same minutes. Furthermore, their presence has been recorded as early as the 1990s, said Senior Operations Officer Alfredo Eslava of the Task Force Bantay Pangkalikasan.

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Eslava said that the presence of Badjao communities in Urdaneta poses an environmental problem, citing strict implementation of City Ordinance No. 004 of 2010, or the Anti-Littering Ordinance. According to the ordinance, littering, urinating, and spitting in public places will be penalized.

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These also entailed serious health risks, especially for any Badjao group which stayed underneath the McArthur Highway Bridge over the Macalong River, Asst. City Health Officer Dr. Rachel Ann Parayno said in a phone interview.

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Bathing in water contaminated by feces, which contains bacteria or even parasites, can cause dermatitis, with symptoms of rashes, according to Parayno. Ingestion of water contaminated by feces can cause acute gastroenteritis, with symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, she said. Ingestion can also lead to Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, and in rare cases, Polio, which has not been recorded in Urdaneta City, she added.

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However, the POSO have already set up barbed wire beside the MacArthur Highway bridge, blocking entry to the lower part of the bridge, according to POSO Chief Henry R. Kang.

 

Similarly, other areas where Badjao groups are known to reside have been closed off with the assistance of POSO, according to City Social Welfare and Development Officer Vilma Lapitan. She also revealed that she had talked to private establishments to not allow Badjao to stay on their private property.

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Meanwhile, Naskalen revealed that she and her community only meet at around 6pm in the evening. They are currently staying outside a store, which provides protection from rain, along McArthur Highway.