# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
PM Davao Philippines 1 (RESEARCHED BY: COLUBIO, QUYNH KYLE C. )

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.cordaid.org/nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/PM_Davao_Philippines_1.pdf
Title: Davao: building channels of participation and the land question
Author:  Claudio Acioly Jr. and Junefe Gilig Payot
Date Published: 2005
Key Info: This article is a condensed version of the report on process mapping in Davao City, Philippines. In 2005 and 2006, a field study and interviews with various organizations and individuals were conducted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
journey-homeless (RESEARCHED BY: COLUBIO, QUYNH KYLE C. )

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/journey-homeless
Title: A journey with the homeless
Author: Sujata Jena and Social Justice
Date Published: March 9, 2020
Key Info: The Global Sisters Report focuses on religious women aiding the homeless. From Kenya to India to Vietnam, Ireland, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, the United States and other stories will show how homelessness affects youth, young adults, families, migrants, the elderly and people uprooted by disasters and climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
homelessnessandhumanrights (RESEARCHED BY: COLUBIO, QUYNH KYLE C.)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/housing/pages/homelessnessandhumanrights.aspx
Title: Homelessness and human rights
Author: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Date Published: 1996-2021
Key Info: Even in states with ample means to address it, homelessness has emerged as a global human rights violation. It has, however, been largely shielded from human rights accountability, and is rarely treated as a human rights violation necessitating proactive efforts by states to avoid and eliminate it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Popsicle shop by day, and shelter for the homeless by nigh... (RESEARCHED BY: COLUBIO, QUYNH KYLE C. )

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.ourbetterworld.org/series/humankind/story/bakery-turns-shelter-for-the-homeless?gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK4zG7EPlGVxtFW55x14OtuUClKNTCy1jEywkACMvxXHF_9cO6DEFvshoC6gYQAvD_BwE
Title: Popsicle shop by day, and shelter for the homeless by night
Author: Diversity and Inclusion
Date Published: August 19, 2020
Key Info: Popburri is a tiny bakery and snack shop in Quezon City, Metro Manila that sells unique popsicles, burritos, and other snacks. It also provides assistance to the homeless by giving free meals during COVID-19. Camille, the owner, is now seeking permission and assistance to reopen a shelter and establish job opportunities for the homeless.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"In Manila, many eateries offer 'unli' rice, which means 'unlimited' rice. That's what we call Camille now, because she feeds us without limit," shares Tatay Ayo, a street dweller.

Camille Dowling Ibanes is the owner of Popburri, a small bakery and snack shop in East Kamias, from Quezon City in the Philippines , that sells special popsicles, burritos, and other snack items. When COVID-19 forced Metro Manila to enter a lockdown, Camille was moved to open her heart (and snack shop) to the homeless.

According to a Reuters report in 2018, there are about 4.5 million homeless people in the Philippines, a country of about 106 million people. An estimated 3 million homeless are in Manila, possibly the most in any city in the world.

"With a curfew as part of the lockdown, it became illegal to be out on the streets at night. But what about the homeless? They can't stay off the streets at night, the streets are their home. I had to do something," says Camille.

She goes on to share, "I know what it feels like to be invisible to the world, I know what it feels like to yearn for a helping hand during tough times. So I have decided that anyone needing refuge for the night would find it at Popburri."

Besides providing a roof over their heads and a safe space for rest, Camille also provides free food, a bathing facility and sleeping mats for the street dwellers. Soon, over 70 people were sheltering at the cafe each night.
Popburri

Photos taken from Popburri's Facebook page
The shelter was open daily from 6pm to 6am, serving dinner and breakfast. On its first night, guests were treated to a meal of Mexican chicken, rice, melon, bangus (a local fish dish) and popsicles.

Tatay Ayo shares, "My family would reach the cafe at around 5pm. Once inside, we washed, ate and slept well.

We're used to being ignored on the streets. But Camille and her staff saw us as human beings.

This was not the first time Popburri has offered shelter. When Typhoon Kammuri, dubbed "Tisoy" by locals, raged in December 2019, Popburri also offered shelter and free meals to those who were stranded due to the lack of public transportation.
SHUTTING DOWN DURING LOCKDOWN
Popburri's shelter was a hit, with friends and strangers alike donating food and other supplies in support. Says Camille, "We were lucky. And then we got too lucky."

As the line of people seeking shelter grew each day, so did the number of complaints of safety protocols being violated, even though Camille and her team took precautionary measures as best as they could.

Eventually, the shelter was ordered to close after an official alleged that the establishment failed to follow quarantine protocols against COVID-19, a claim that was intensely debated in the media and online.

In the face of criticism, officials set up a temporary shelter elsewhere. However, less than half of the guests at Popburri agreed to go there, as it was too far to be a viable alternative. Many of them preferred to take their chance on the streets.

"I wish the outcome was different. But I'll keep finding ways to make a difference," shares Camille.

The Popburri shelter may have been ordered to close, but the team continues to provide services to the homeless. Every day, they deliver food to over 200 homeless people.
A COMMUNITY OF HELP
"Sometimes, all it takes to turn a life around is the acknowledgement of your pain, and a helping hand from a fellow human being," shares Camille.

The heartwarming response from the public to the shelter was nothing short of inspiring for Camille.

Customers and neighbours have donated cooked food for the guests, mattresses, toiletries, as well as cash. Even their barangay councillors have also been supportive of the initiative and have lent a hand to help out with guests' medical needs.

Camille's goal now is to build a permanent shelter at Popburri to house the homeless and provide them with employment opportunities.

Says Camille, "We are working with the officials to ensure that we are able to help feed and house about 70 people each night. We also want to connect them to mentorship and job placement programmes because finding them employment is the only way to break the cycle of poverty."

She adds, "Maybe I'm too hopeful. But I know from experience that hope leads to amazing things."
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT:
Have you ever encountered people who are homeless, and do you know of ways to support this cause? Share with us here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Popsicle shop by day, and shelter for the homeless by nigh...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"In Manila, many eateries offer 'unli' rice, which means 'unlimited' rice. That's what we call Camille now, because she feeds us without limit," shares Tatay Ayo, a street dweller.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
about homeless people (Researched By: Ocaña, Angelica Shekinah A.)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://borgenproject.org/homelessness-in-the-philippines/
Title: The State of Homelessness in the Philippines
Author: Jennifer Philipp
Date Published: June 30, 2020
Key info: Homelessness in the Philippines is caused by a variety of reasons, including lost jobs, insufficient income or lack of a stable job, domestic violence and loss of home due to a natural disaster. The government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are working to address this issue.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Duterte asks DSWD to procure tarp sheets, coco lumber for families displaced by Odette (RESEARCHED BY: COLUBIO, QUYNH KYLE C. )

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-6QIdELSCQ
Title: Duterte asks DSWD to procure tarp sheets, coco lumber for families displaced by Odette
Author: Zacarian Sarao - @inquirerdotnet
Date Published: December 28, 2021
Key Info: President Duterte suggested coating the coco lumber with tar to postpone its degradation until the damaged dwellings could be repaired. Meanwhile, Bautista stated that public food supplies, water, and housing materials had been prepared. Their conveyance, however, would be contingent on the availability of air and water transit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Duterte asks DSWD to procure tarp sheets, coco lumber for families displaced by Odette

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Day of the homeless poor (Researched By: Ocaña, Angelica Shekinah A.)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.pna.gov.ph/opinion/pieces/230-day-of-the-homeless-poor-
Title: Day of The Homeless Poor
Author: Roger Balanza
Date Published: September 19, 2019
Key Info: The First Social Housing Convergence that gathered all government agencies and other stakeholders concerned with the implementation of the government’s socialized housing program, was held in Manila.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
THERE is a day that the Pinoy homeless poor should celebrate: September 6, 2019. On that day, government agencies and various stakeholders with a heart and mission to provide a home to every Filipino homeless family congregated to map out a plan to strengthen the government's socialized housing program. On that day, the First Social Housing Convergence that gathered all government agencies and other stakeholders concerned with the implementation of the government's socialized housing program, was held in Manila.

Juxtaposed against the country's housing backlog of more than 6 million, the gathering, other than being historic, might as well be the best pro-poor action of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte and the government's housing agencies. The Convergence was led by Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) President Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling.

HUDCC is the focal agency of the government's housing program; SHFC is the financing arm of low-cost socialized housing for the country's homeless poor.

The day-long Convergence, held at the Land Bank of the Philippines Plaza in Ermita and organized by SHFC, was the culminating event of the celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), the flagship program of the SHFC. The gathering of more than 200 people from government agencies and various stakeholders was spiced up by the attendance of special guests Senator Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development, and Negros Occidental Representative Jose Francisco Benitez, vice chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development. Sen. Tolentino urged social housing stakeholders to join hands in building resilient houses using mass production techniques for the country to meet its target of providing homes to the country's poor and those displaced by disasters like earthquake and typhoons or moved out of risk areas.

Rep. Benitez, for his part, assured the SHFC and all other key shelter agencies of the House support for legislative initiatives on housing and urban development. Benitez also highlighted House Bill 42 or the Local Government-Led In-Site, In-City, or Near-City Resettlement Act. The bill will ensure the sustainability and viability of resettlement sites through access to services and employment opportunities, Benitez said. Rep. Benitez, who represented Rep. Strike Revilla (Cavite, 2nd District), chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development, also stressed the key role that SHFC will play in the implementation of Bill 42.

Lauding the CMP as a testament to the " bayanihan " spirit of the people, Benitez congratulated SHFC for its "invaluable work on providing flexible, affordable, innovative and responsive shelter solutions to homeless low-income families." He also praised the agency for its partnership with national agencies, local governments, and civil society organizations that resulted to the efficient implementation of the government's socialized housing programs.

Land Bank President and CEO Cecilia "Cecile" C. Borromeo, who welcomed the participants, assured of continuing financial support for the BALAI program, the comprehensive program crafted by housing czar del Rosario. BALAI (Building Adequate, Liveable, Affordable and Inclusive) houses for Filipino Communities, established a unified vision for all government shelter agencies under the supervision of HUDCC to speed up delivery of solutions to the country's housing woes.

What made the Convergence a big success is that the country's housing program, particularly low-cost housing, earned legislative support of the Senate and the House, continuing funding support from a government bank, a willing collaboration of private sector housing community and the various stakeholders. This is a positive brew that could prop up towards success the government's mission to provide a home to every homeless Pinoy. There are about 4.5 million homeless people in the Philippines of a population of about 106 million, about 3 million of them in Manila, according to the Philippine Statistics Office.

Cabling said the SHFC target is 200,000 houses from today up to 2022, for a total number of units of 500,000 built since it was founded 30 years ago. The SHFC over the past three decades poured over P14 billion, under its CMP program, in housing loan assistance to more than 300,000 families. The cost of providing a roof over the heads of the millions of the homeless poor Pinoys may be staggering, but solidarity in purpose and unity in action could help the country resolve the housing woes.

As Rep. Benitez, in his speech at the Convergence, said: "Let us work together on achieving our vision and the safety and security of the homeless in a house they can call their own, where opportunities will enable the people to rise from poverty."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
THERE is a day that the Pinoy homeless poor should celebrate: September 6, 2019. On that day, government agencies and various stakeholders with a heart and mission to provide a home to every Filipino homeless family congregated to map out a plan to strengthen the government's socialized housing program.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Students build an orphanage, provide water to the homeless and assist immigrants > News > USC Dornsife (Researched By: Ocaña, Angelica Shekinah A.)

# data[].attributes.headline
8. Non-government Organization or Academic Institution Article

# data[].attributes.subject
8. Non-government Organization or Academic Institution Article

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/3376/class-on-doing-good/
Title: Students build an orphanage, provide water to the homeless and assist immigrants
Author: Margaret Crable
Date Published: December 16, 2020
Key Info: Students in “Doing Good: How to Start and Run a Successful Nonprofit Organization,” are putting their classwork into practice by helping the homeless, immigrants and orphaned children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't stopped students in Kamy Akhavan's class "Doing Good" from bettering the world. [4¾ min read]

Consistent sources of good news this year have been rare, but one class offered by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has gone against the grain by producing a steady stream of uplifting stories.

Students in "Doing Good: How to Start and Run a Successful Nonprofit Organization," taught by Kamy Akhavan, executive director of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, are putting their classwork into practice by helping the homeless, immigrants and orphaned children.

Catherine Cummings delivers clean drinking water to the homeless in downtown L.A. (Photo: Courtesy of Catherine Cummings.)

Catherine Cummings, a law, history and culture major, and her organization Water Drop LA have provided thousands of gallons of clean water to homeless Angelenos. An orphanage in the Philippines recently broke ground thanks in part to the efforts of Joanna Maniti, a business administration major at the USC Marshall School of Business.

Natalia Wurst, a senior majoring in public policy and psychology, is forming the USC Immigrant and Migrant Resource Center, which will act as a resource hub for immigrants in Los Angeles County.

Wurst, Cummings and Maniti all point to Akhavan's class as essential to moving their projects forward. "Professor Akhavan connected me with a whole new network of people in the nonprofit sector who helped me grow Water Drop to an even bigger organization than I could have ever dreamed," says Cummings.
Nonprofit? No problem
Kamy Akhavan has extensive leadership experience with nonprofits. (Photo: Courtesy of Kamy Akhavan.)

Akhavan is well-suited to guide students through the complex world of nonprofit formation. He's worked previously as the CEO of ProCon.org, a nonprofit news source, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards. "Doing Good" was offered through the Dornsife Toolkit, which provides students with skills that can help them beyond college.

"I have a great appreciation for doing practical work, something that is directly applicable to a person's life," says Akhavan. "How can you make an immediate impact with your knowledge and with your initiative?"

He teaches students how to build a board of directors, market your organization and procure funds. Guest speakers from nonprofits around the nation. share real-life experiences and tips. At the end of the semester, Akhavan had his students pitch their nonprofit idea to a slate of previous speakers.

"I've been to a lot of pitch presentations in my career and there's always some that are kind of duds. These students were all top-notch, and any one of them would have received funding in a real-world situation," says Akhavan.
Called to the frontlines
It's no accident that these particular students ended up in Akhavan's class. All three enrolled seeking guidance for their humanitarian interests.

Workers in the Philippines build the orphanage made possible by Joanna Maniti. (Photo: Courtesy of Joanna Maniti.)

For Maniti, the desire to make a difference started at age 17, after a mission trip to the Philippines where she witnessed the lack of educational opportunities for children. She knew she wanted to provide them with access to housing and educational resources and that desire remained even after she left the mission field.

"For a while this dream was something that I didn't want to touch, and I didn't know how feasible it was or where to even get started," says Maniti.

Inspired by the experiences of her father, a Peruvian immigrant, Wurst had been volunteering at organizations like the USC Gould School of Law Immigration Clinic. She discovered that many immigrants were not aware of resources available to them and felt that a centralized information hub would be beneficial.

Cummings started Water Drop LA after an afternoon spent handing out burritos to the homeless in downtown Los Angeles. She and her fellow volunteers were frequently asked for water. Cummings learned that there were just a handful of public water fountains available and, with many cafes and restaurants closed due to COVID-19, water had become even more scarce.

She formed Water Drop LA in the summer of 2020 along with fellow student Aria Cataño, who graduated from USC Price School of Public Policy with a bachelors in public policy and is currently pursuing a masters in urban planning, and USC alumna Kate Montanez. They've been distributing jugs of water to the unhoused from a church parking lot near the USC campus, dispensing over 1,000 gallons each Sunday.
Something tells me I'm into something good
Akhavan's class offered Cummings the practical skills she needed to make sure her nonprofit had staying power.

"I learned from both Professor Akhavan and from the awesome guest speakers he brought in about topics ranging from IRS filings to social media strategy," she says.

Cummings has raised $400,000 in funds and hopes to soon install permanent water sources for the homeless in L.A.

Wurst feels similarly about her coursework.

"Since taking the class, I now have the connections and knowledge I need to take the USC Immigrant and Migrant Resource Center from a proposal to a reality," she says.

Akhavan introduced Maniti to contacts who laid out the logistics of building schools overseas. With his encouragement, she reached out to the pastors who oversaw her previous missionary work and learned they were looking for a partner to help start an orphanage and school on the island of Mindanao, in the city of Ozamiz, Philippines.

Maniti is helping design the blueprints, educational curriculum and helping train teachers and staff. Her nonprofit Cherish Hearts International, which will prioritize building orphanages abroad, has been officially established as a 501(c)(3).

Akhavan couldn't be more thrilled.

"During one of my office hours, [Maniti] showed up and screenshared a picture with children squatting in the dirt. She says, 'These are the kids who are going to be in my orphanage,'" he recounts. "And the next slide, you see the steel girders going up for the roof of the building.

"Her efforts are going to give those children a real shot at life by providing them with education and shelter and all these resources that they would not otherwise had available. I'm so proud of her."

Akhavan looks forward to mentoring another group of USC students who aspire to change the world in the next iteration of his class this coming spring.

Have comments or questions about this story? Submit them to communication@dornsife.usc.edu.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Students build an orphanage, provide water to the homeless and assist immigrants > News > USC Dornsife

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't stopped students in Kamy Akhavan's class "Doing Good" from bettering the world. [4¾ min read] Consistent sources of good news this year have been rare, but one class offered by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has gone against the grain by producing a steady stream of uplifting stories.

# data[].attributes.body
URL: http://rsso11.psa.gov.ph/article/2018-poverty-estimates-davao-region
Title: 2018 Poverty Estimates of Davao Region
Author: Pepito D. Amoyen
Date Published: February 4, 2020
Key Info: Latest estimates released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that a Davaoeño needed PhP2,159 in 2018 to meet his/her monthly basic requirements to stay out of poverty.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Manila's newly homeless tell of survival in lockdown - photo essay (Researched By: Ocaña, Angelica Shekinah A.)

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/oct/08/we-just-need-food-manilas-newly-homeless-tell-stories-of-survival-in-lockdown-photo-essay
Title: We just need food’: Manila’s newly homeless tell stories of survival in lockdown
Author: Alecs Ongcal
Date Published: October 8, 2021
Key Info: As COVID hit, thousands of Filipinos were left trapped in the capital without work. Many ended up on the street and are still waiting to rebuild their lives. The government deployed social workers to round up homeless people and place them in temporary shelters.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
ike so many others before her, Michelle Sicat, a 28-year-old single mother from the province of Nueva Ecija, had come to Metro Manila to get a job to support her family. She left her daughter with her parents so she could work as a shop assistant in one of the city's busiest commercial districts. Sicat's sacrifice was one that many Filipinos from rural areas have to make.

Despite missing home, Sicat was happy to have a job. But then the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The Philippine government placed the entire island of Luzon - where the Metro Manila region is located - under the strictest level of lockdown. The restrictions forced most businesses to close. Most people were ordered to stay at home.

Many people - like Sicat - who lived from one payday to another suddenly found themselves without jobs. Without government support, going hungry was a serious threat.

Sicat tried to get home. But when she arrived at the bus station, she found there were hordes of people like her already there, desperate to leave Manila. She was willing to queue for hours to get on a bus. She didn't care if she had to stand for the journey, or sit on the floor, as long as she could go home.

But she could not get on a bus. Instead, she found herself, along with others who were now stranded and homeless, taking refuge along the Manila Baywalk - a seaside promenade overlooking Manila Bay.

Before the pandemic, there were already an estimated 3 million homeless people in the city of Manila, largely the result of poverty caused by unemployment. Covid-19 added to the number.

The government deployed social workers to round up homeless people and place them in temporary shelters, which is where Sicat found herself.

It's where she met Jerwin Mendoza, 36. Mendoza became homeless when the shopping mall where he worked as an electrician closed. Unable to pay for food or lodgings, he was forced to go to a shelter.

At first, he thought that living in the shelter would tide him over during the lockdown. NGOs and private individuals sent provisions. He said that the people running the shelter would ask him - along with others - to pose for photos while receiving boxes of food, clothes, and sanitary items. "After each ceremony, we always hoped to receive something from the donations," said Mendoza. "But the donations were immediately locked up in the storage room of the facility. I thought we were supposed to enjoy some treats in lieu of the unchanging and bland meals that they served us every day. I don't know why these shelter volunteers were keeping the donations from us."

Neither Mendoza or Sicat ever thought they would end up living in a shelter, which soon became crowded and cramped. The government-run facility was supposed to offer reprieve. Instead, they felt like prisoners, they say.

"Keeping us there was a death sentence to those who depend on us," Sicat said. "My family hasn't eaten properly because I haven't been able to send them money. I don't know what to do."

People who had taken refuge in the shelter were not allowed to leave unless a family member picked them up, even though roads were blocked and there was no public transport because of lockdown. Quarantine passes were handed out to make sure that only one person from each house went out to get food and other essential goods.

The pair were desperate to leave the shelter to find jobs. They didn't want their families to starve. So, they planned their escape. After three failed attempts that involved beatings from the shelter's security guards, they were able to scale a wall and jump to freedom.

Outside the shelters, the attempted exodus to the provinces continued. Thousands of people, including returning and laid-off overseas workers, waited in sports arenas, on piers and at airports in the hope of leaving the city. Several local authorities around the country had implemented stringent rules that further prevented many people from going back to their home towns.

Some people were fortunate to slip through checkpoints around Metro Manila to leave the city. Others were left with no option but to stay and cope with the daily struggle of surviving the pandemic. As the government scrambled to contain the virus, people in the streets were saying: "We won't die from Covid-19 because we'll die from hunger."

After escaping the shelter, but unable to leave Manila, Sicat and Mendoza ended up at the Liwasang Bonifacio underpass in the centre of the city. Before the pandemic, people from the provinces seeking work in Manila would go there. It served as a recruitment centre for those still looking for work. Employers knew to go to the plaza to find cheap labour, and most people staying there managed to get manual work - in small food factories, as stevedores, market helpers and construction workers. Daily wages ranged from $2 to $11. Though earnings were modest, people were at least able to send money to their families, retaining some to pay for food and accommodation. Those who earned the least ate from soup kitchens and slept on park benches. But over lockdown, the jobs dried up.

efore the streets became his home, Alan Yongco, 58, was a mobile phone salesperson. He lost his job because of lockdown. Yongco was so ashamed of being unemployed that he decided to leave his family. His home was just a few kilometres from where he used to work.

Despite his daughter's pleas for him to come home, Yongco refused. He said he didn't want to be a burden to his family. It was left to Yongco's eldest son, who works overseas, to get the family through the pandemic.

Yongco visited food banks to eat. He befriended Father Flaviano "Flavie" Villanueva, of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). The priest had been offering meals, clothes and temporary refuge for homeless people at the St Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center (AJKC) in the Santa Cruz area of Manila, until it was closed by officials soon after lockdown for allegedly violating social distancing rules.

With the centre closed, Flavie worried that homeless people would become more susceptible to Covid if they were weak from hunger. He decided on some outreach work.

He asked Yongco to be the lead coordinator in the distribution of food packs, vitamins and hygiene kits - containing soap and face masks - to homeless people. Yongco felt he had found his new purpose in life - helping those in the same circumstances as him.

Yongco asked Marlon and Tisay Adesas to help him serve close to a hundred individuals and several homeless families staying at Liwasang Bonifacio. Marlon and Tisay had both worked at a market but had to stop because of coronavirus travel restrictions. They had been living with their 15-year-old son in a house shared by three families. But the cramped space became toxic and Marlon would get into fights. To avoid further rows, the family left for a life on the streets.

The AJKC team created a list of those who would receive support packages - to maintain order and ensure that everything would be distributed properly. It was also to deter hoarding, and prevent other homeless wanderers from following the distribution route in the hope of getting supplies. "If we don't do this, no one will and there will be chaos," says Marlon.

The AJKC prioritises the sick, elderly people, and those with families to receive food packs. But as not all homeless people around the underpass could be listed as recipients, Yongco and his fellow volunteers have been threatened and physically attacked.

Behind Manila's central post office is a dead-end street that by evening transforms into the "sleeping quarters" for hundreds of homeless people. The area is also designated for sick and elderly people. The Adesases manage this area.

Whenever someone is ill, Marlon takes them to a nearby health centre for treatment. If medication is required, the couple seek help from local government and officials. "Our hearts are with the people here. They depend on us and we can't just leave them," says Tisay, adding that Marlon turned down a job because it would mean leaving the city. "He chose to stay here for them," Tisay says with a laugh. "All we need is food for the day to survive. We have no reason to leave as long as we're able to eat."

As the pandemic drags on, support for those left homeless and struggling has dwindled. With fewer donations, some NGOs and other institutions have been forced to scale down their operations.

n the other side of Liwasang Bonifacio, Jose Quizon, 33, is starting to rebuild his life. He didn't make it on to AJKC's priority list for support, but says he no longer wants to depend on food donations.

Quizon left his job as a farmhand in Isabela province to seek better opportunities in Manila. At first, he jumped from one job to another until he was hired as an assistant cook at a Chinese restaurant. This brought him financial stability and he was able to provide for his family.

When the pandemic started, Chinese Philippine offshore gaming operators halted their operations. Most employees returned to China. Among them was Quizon's boss, who promised to return once the situation returned to normal. As days passed, Quizon waited for his employer to return. He depleted his savings, could no longer afford rent and was forced to live on the streets.

Unsheltered, alone and famished, Quizon found himself knocking on car windows to beg for loose change. Other beggars would ask him to write signs for them since, unlike most of them, he had a basic education. One day, a few months ago, while begging in front of the park, a car passenger rolled down his window and called to Quizon. "A car honked and the man called me over. He gave me 10 pesos ($0.20) and said: 'You look like a big, healthy and able man. Why don't you work, sell a few things, rather than beg for change?"

Top left: when food donations aren't enough some families have to make do with what little they have. Top right: some homeless people, advised to maintain good hygiene to curb the spread of the virus, use unfiltered water from the park's fountain for bathing. Above: homeless people are forbidden to stay in the park at Liwasang Bonifacio. Resourcefulness is required to find nearby spaces in which to sleep.

So, with $3 left of his savings, Jose bought packs of cigarettes and a few bags of sweets and started selling to passersby, as well as to homeless people. In time, he was able to add other items. He now has a modified push cart loaded with bottled water, juices and crisps.

"Begging for change was a rough time for me," he says. "Having this cart and selling these items is no doubt more fulfilling. I am happy, and I know my old boss would be happy to know how I survived."

Quizon is usually seen by the park's fountain in the afternoons, where he was recruited years ago. He is still anticipating his boss's return.

In August, Metro Manila and nearby provinces underwent another round of strict lockdowns owing to a surge in Delta variant cases. The country's chief economist estimated that 177, 000 more Filipinos would be thrown into poverty and 444,000 more would lose their jobs in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas as a result of the lockdown, suggesting the likelihood of a further rise in homelessness.

Projections from the Asian Development Bank already showed that poverty in the Philippines had worsened during the pandemic and was set to remain elevated this year.

The bank's country director Kelly Bird said in April that the crisis would probably "push the Philippine poverty incidence to 20% this year from 16.7% in 2018."

Government executives and business leaders are optimistic that the economy will rebound once Covid restrictions are eased. They expect poverty to decline as the economy reopens and levels of immunity rise.

The government's socioeconomic planning secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said that the Philippines could still bring down poverty incidence to its target of 14% by 2022, despite the pandemic. Poverty in the country declined from 23.3% in 2015 to 16.7% in 2018, improving the lives of almost 6 million Filipinos.

"The 14% target is still doable given the anticipated head start and recovery this year," Chua said. However, he said the government was "monitoring recent developments, such as a surge in the new Covid variants and imposition of stricter quarantine".

So, will this projected economic recovery be felt by the people seeking refuge at Liwasang Bonifacio? There is cause for optimism. Some employers are returning to the plaza to hire staff. But Sicat, Mendoza, Quizon, Yongco and the Adesas family continue to live day-to-day without knowing what lies ahead.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Manila's newly homeless tell of survival in lockdown - photo essay

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ike so many others before her, Michelle Sicat, a 28-year-old single mother from the province of Nueva Ecija, had come to Metro Manila to get a job to support her family. She left her daughter with her parents so she could work as a shop assistant in one of the city's busiest commercial districts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Facebook ( Researched by: Loquero, Psalm Emmanuel )

# data[].attributes.body
URL:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=463995521848796&set=a.368694141378935
Title: POVERTY IS REAL!
Author: Jinggoy Estrada
Date Published: January 11, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Key Info:  This post highlights the reality of poverty in our country and why we are needed to take action to not make the next generation suffer like the people that had to experience this.

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/27529/poverty-philippines-causes-constraints-opportunities.pdf
Title: Poverty in the Philippines : causes, constraints and opportunities
Author: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Date Published: 2009 - 2015
Key Info: This book is about the economic state of the Philippines and how it made an impact to the poor. This book also explains the key factors and the cause of poverty in the country.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
COVID-19 In Philippines: The Starving Urban Poor. What Went Wrong? | Insight | Poverty In Asia ( Researched by: Loquero, Psalm Emmanuel )

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ5aYS4YFlQ
Title: COVID-19 In Philippines: The Starving Urban Poor. What Went Wrong? | Insight | Poverty In Asia
Author: CNA Insider
Date Published: September 16, 2020
Key Info: This documentary is about the effects of COVID-19 to the country and it's economy and how it deeply affected the poor.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
COVID-19 In Philippines: The Starving Urban Poor. What Went Wrong? | Insight | Poverty In Asia

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES | Let's discuss different ways to help | The Podcast ( Researched by: Loquero, Psalm Emmanuel )

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AZXwNgcgE4
Title: POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES | Let's discuss different ways to help | The Podcast
Author: The Black Filipino TV
Date Published: March 15, 2017
Key Info: This podcast is about the life of a Black American living the Philippines. This podcast also discusses the poverty in the Philippines and ideas on how we can help solve the issue.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES | Let's discuss different ways to help | The Podcast

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Public Service Announcement - Malnutrition in the Philippines ( Researched by: Loquero, Psalm Emmanuel )

# data[].attributes.headline
15. Public Service Message or Promotional Video

# data[].attributes.subject
15. Public Service Message or Promotional Video

# data[].attributes.body
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CZyLnyGvvU
Title: Public Service Announcement - Malnutrition in the Philippines
Author: Angela Shania Ponio
Date Published: May 30, 2016
Key Info: This video is about the lives of people in poverty and how they have hardly anything to eat.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Public Service Announcement - Malnutrition in the Philippines