Preface.
There is no way, even the dead can sleep, in this world, which country can compare with them?
When it comes to slums, many people think of India, where the first thing that comes to mind is squalor and squalor.
However, compared to the dirty environment, the slum of more than 6,000 people is much better.
Manila, Philippines, a place that is unbelievable.
It's hard to believe that this tropical garden city, which is known for its cleanliness and beauty, would have such a "stain".
How can a country be the largest slum in the country? Why do so many destitute people live in cemeteries?
The house of the rich, the paradise of the poor.
In China, the controversial system of 996 is really a blessing to use here.
South of Manila in the Philippines, there are many slums of different sizes.
Across a stream, there are two completely different lives.
You know, in this city of more than 16 million people, almost half of the people live in slums.
If this trend continues, it won't be long before they are surpassed.
Fertility is a fun thing to do in the Philippines.
Three or four children are already a normal thing, and a dozen children are already a normal thing.
With the rapid increase in population, it seems that the already large slums can no longer accommodate them.
For a time, some poor people who did not have the money to live in the slums began to think of graveyards.
Compared to the slums, the cemetery seems to be much better.
Not only do you not have to pay rent, but even the ground is so clean that it is simply a "paradise" in the slums.
Previously, not many people lived in this place, most of them were "staff" of the cemetery.
In the eyes of the locals, being able to have their own private cemetery after their death is a manifestation of "identity".
It is in this situation that the checkered graveyard is "born".
Each block made of concrete is a tomb.
Although this "room type" is small, you can't stay here forever.
Collecting a deposit every five years is the daily task of the cemetery "staff".
Although new cemeteries are being built every day, there is still an oversupply.
Therefore, if there are "tenants" who do not pay rent, these "workers" will exercise their rights.
If it is forcibly opened, the body, which has been stored for five years, will be discarded on the street.
This kind of thing is not uncommon here, because there are many people here with bones.
This is also the most commonly used "toy" for local children, which can not only play football, but also be used as a "** play".
Adults may think it's a taboo, and even some "staff" will lose sleep because of it.
However, those children who have not received any formal education since childhood, ** know what respect is?
Gradually, more poor people came to the cemetery.
This "graveyard of the rich" eventually turned into a "paradise for the poor" of more than 6,000 people.
And now, as the number of residents increases, the fear in the cemetery has gradually disappeared.
Every time night falls, this strange atmosphere disappears because of this "party".
Men gather here, playing cards, while women sing and dance.
And those children, with their "toys", will also play in the checkered mounds.
It's a great time to relax and a treat.
The poorest.
And these poor people, except for the "staff" in the cemetery, basically have no economic **.
Most of the poor live by picking up and gnawing on rags.
Therefore, it is not easy for them to have such a place.
You know, even the rent in the slums is a lot of money.
If it leaks, you have to pay around 2,000 pesos per month in rent.
This price is already ten days' living expenses for a poor person in a slum.
Food is definitely a big expense in this place.
The savings in rent can be used to have children.
Most families generally have more than 5 children, so if you want to keep it clean, the advantage of numbers is particularly important.
In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, a large amount of household waste is also disposed of here every day.
Every time a garbage truck pops up, there will be a large number of poor people, waiting in line for "work".
Here, in addition to being able to eat, they can also be sold for money.
The remaining bones and fishy raw meat are considered to have the highest "market value".
The remaining bones, after a round of frying, will become a "delicacy".
*Cheap,** cheap, enough for a family to eat a meal for only 80 pesos.
As for raw meat, it's even better, it's called "**meat".
This big bag of "** meat" is only 32 pesos, which is still very popular.
Both of these things are in great demand, and even in the garbage heap, there are many waste pickers, and the competition is fierce.
Normally, before the arrival of the garbage truck, there will be a lot of people picking up junks waiting there.
They will choose a piece of raw meat based on their own experience.
Some things that smell very bad and can't be **, he will pack them and send them to his home to leave for his children.
If it's better, he'll take it to the merchant in the garbage heap.
This kind of waste, which is discarded by the wealthy, and then undermined by inferior secondary treatment, will become a delicacy again.
It was also a food unique to the local slums, which later developed into a complete "swill" industry chain.
During the holidays, people also use food to improve their quality of life.
A quick meal of 100 pesos is considered relatively high-end locally.
You know, a homeless man's salary is only 120 pesos a day, and it is very unstable.
Despite the hard times, they still called this place "Happy City".
The rich with a huge disparity between the rich and the poor.
Moreover, compared to those so-called "garbage people", they are also "high-class people" here.
When there are more people, there will be "classes", and some people rely on their own small business and a stable job to live the life of ordinary people.
In the slums, electricity rental is a big income**, but this kind of work can only be done by landlords.
Renting a house in a slum, in addition to the high rent, electricity is also a big expense.
In slums, not every household has access to electricity, and those who do have access to electricity are the more affluent households.
If there is no electricity, then you have to "buy" it from the owner.
What used to cost 12 pesos per kilowatt-hour for electricity has now become 20 pesos per kilowatt-hour.
You can make a profit of 8 pesos without using your hands, and this is definitely a "business" that is sure to make a profit.
Of course, this kind of trading must not be handed over to others, otherwise it will destroy the prices in the "market".
Even if the landlord knows about it, he will not rent it out again, but there are still people who are willing to take risks because of the huge profits.
In the slums, not only landlords, but also usury were popular.
After all, there is no single department that can regulate it.
Without the supervision of **, such transactions have become commonplace.
Their main customers are homeless people who don't have much cash on them, but are eager to escape from the "Happy City".
In this place, most people do not have formal access to credit, and many people will borrow money.
Despite the high interest rate, there are still many people who come here.
After all, if you want to eat, you still have to rely on some small business of your own.
As a result, many people have to bear high interest rates and face demands from creditors when they don't do well.
Even if they pay off their debts, they will have to live in lattice graves.
Local "handicrafts" are also one of the occupations available to the poor because they are not well educated.
One of the most intense jobs is peeling garlic, and usually five boxes of garlic can earn around 80 pesos.
The benefits of this job are many, there is no need to waste time in the dump, and there is no purpose, you can go when you want, you can go when you want.
A "comfortable" job is the same as fierce competition, and as long as you grab a job, you get paid.
Every morning at five o'clock, a train of trucks drove to the edge of the market, and everyone had to hurry up to grab it, so that it would be possible to make money.
If you hesitate for a second or two, you may not even have time to peel the garlic, and you will have to go back and collect the waste.
If the ghetto has become like this, why are so many poor people remaining?
Why not hold such a "dream", save some savings, and go to live in the capital that is very close to here?
Because Manila does not accept the poor in the slums at all.
Not to mention finding a good job, even the lowest job will be fired.
If he is driven to the countryside, I am afraid that he will no longer be qualified to pick up rags.
In other words, there is a glimmer of life in the slums, but if you stay in the country, you will get nothing, and there is simply no place for them in this prosperous city of Manila.
Conclusion. Poverty has a bottom line, at most it means having nothing, and in contrast, there is no limit to wealth.
And the poor in Manila are barely making ends meet.
China News Weekly - "Approaching the Slums of Philippine Cemeteries: Living in Cemeteries and Neighboring the Dead" "In Manila, Philippines, There Are 6,000 Marginal People Living in Cemeteries" **Speaking the World - "Approaching the Slums of Philippine Cemeteries: Living and Neighboring the Dead in Cemeteries".