Thursday, August 13, 2020

Kalakal

While I was walking to our subdivision earlier, I saw two older kids collecting kalakal (junk they can sell) who were then chastised by a barangay officer because they are not allowed to go out under quarantine rules. I heard one kid telling the official that they will go home now as they already collected enough for the day. I continued walking so I didn't get to hear what happened next. But when I was near the subdivision's gate, I looked back to see what happened to them, I saw the officer was still talking to both kids but later on he left and so did the kids. I know the officer was just doing his job but I can't help but feel sad because that incident is like a gut punch. I feel that unlike other kids they don't really have the  privilege to stay at home and they need to find a way to earn a living. Life before this pandemic was already hard what more now. School is another issue for sure, will they be able to go back to school especially with the online/blended learning setup? How many more kids will be deprived of education because of what's happening? I sometimes want to avoid thinking about these matters because I just end sad and frustrated but I can't help it because life will find a way to remind you that the problem is too severe to not to care. 

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