One afternoon last week I went to Payatas to follow up on some requests regarding my research. We went up the heap to see some new development with the methane gas collection pipes. I chatted a bit with an old man scavenging for cardboards. He said a kilo could fetch 50 pesos, and a kilo is all he could get in a day. He won't be able to sell it that day since he had to dry it first. He looked old to me, perhaps in his late 50s, but might just be a lot younger. He looked so gaunt, his eyes sad and empty. What a disturbing reality.
On my way back to UP, I was listening to the radio as it aired the Senate hearing of the ZTE scandal. Our politicians trying to get 139 million USD in kickbacks for a project that is really not necessary (that is another scandal which is not being discussed), and I thought of the Old Man working the whole day to get 50 pesos. Their greed makes me seeth.
