I Spent a Day in Manila's Poorest Slum

Summary

The video script offers a poignant exploration of life in Manila's slums, particularly in Tondo, where 40% of the city's 23 million residents face harsh living conditions. It follows a couple's journey into the heart of Tondo, visiting families living under a busy freeway and navigating the challenges of poverty, lack of basic necessities, and the constant threat of floods. The narrative captures the resilience and warmth of the community, highlighting the economic disparity in Manila. The video also touches on the use of MoneyGram for remittances, showcasing its impact on supporting families back home.

Takeaways

• 🏙️ 40% of Manila's population lives in slums, with Tondo being the largest, housing over 200 families under a busy freeway.
• 🌧️ Floods are a common occurrence in these slums, even the slightest rain can cause devastating floods.
• 🏠 Makeshift homes are the norm in these areas, with clean water and electricity being considered luxuries.
• 🚸 Health risks are high, and opportunities for a better future are scarce for the residents of these slums.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The community under the bridge is vibrant, with families living in close quarters and children playing in the streets.
• 🍚 Basic necessities are shared, and food is a communal concern, with families often relying on remittances and local support.
• 🚶‍♂️ The video features a visit to these families to understand their struggles and humanize their stories.
• 💼 Employment is available but often in low-paying jobs like construction or security, with earnings around 1,000 pesos per day.
• 🌐 The contrast between the wealthy areas of Manila and the slums is stark, highlighting the city's economic disparity.
• 🌐 The video also discusses the use of MoneyGram for remittances, showing how it can support families in need.

Q & A

What percentage of Manila's residents live in slums according to the script?

40% of Manila's 23 million residents live in slums.

What are the living conditions like in the slums of Tondo?

In the slums of Tondo, necessities like clean water and electricity are luxuries, and makeshift homes line crowded streets. The area is prone to devastating floods even from slight rain, and health risks are serious with scarce opportunities for a brighter future.

How many families live under the busy freeway in Tondo's largest slum?

More than 200 families live under the busy freeway in Tondo's largest slum.

What is the significance of the Jepney in the Philippines according to the script?

The Jepney is considered an icon and a symbol of identity in the Philippines, despite causing pollution and being targeted for outlaw by the government.

What is the contrast between the rich and poor areas of Manila described in the script?

While 41% of Manila's population live in slums, the rich areas are described as being super rich, akin to Beverly Hills, highlighting a significant economic disparity within the city.

What is the main purpose of the visit to Tondo by the narrator and his wife Deanna?

The main purpose of the visit is to learn about the struggles of the families living in the slums, humanize their stories, and inspire change and hope for those in need.

What is the method used by the narrator to help the families living under the bridge?

The narrator distributes rice to every family living under the bridge, providing them with 2 kilos of rice each.

What is the occupation of the tricycle driver named Ghost in the script?

Ghost is a tricycle driver who helps the narrator navigate through the slums of Tondo.

How does the narrator plan to surprise someone special from the community at the end of the video?

The narrator plans to use MoneyGram to send funds from the USA to the Philippines and deliver it to a friend in the community.

What is the message the narrator wants to convey about the people of Tondo?

Despite living in poverty and challenging conditions, the people of Tondo are shown to be resilient, hopeful, and embody a uniquely Filipino spirit of warmth, friendliness, and resilience.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 Exploring Manila's Slums: Tondo's Struggles

The video script introduces the harsh living conditions of 40% of Manila's population in slums, particularly in Tondo, where over 200 families reside under a busy freeway. The area is plagued by pollution and floods, and basic necessities like clean water and electricity are scarce. The narrator, along with his wife Deanna, aims to visit these families to understand their struggles and bring attention to their plight. They experience the chaotic and crowded streets of Tondo, witness the stark contrast between the rich and poor areas of Manila, and interact with locals, including a tricycle driver named Mama and a young boy named Rory, to navigate the difficult terrain. The script also touches on the government's efforts to address slum conditions and the cultural richness of the Filipino people despite their challenges.

05:02

🌍 A Tale of Two Cities: Wealth and Poverty in Manila

This section of the script delves into the economic disparity within Manila, highlighting the contrast between affluent areas like Makati and BGC and the impoverished slums. The narrator describes the efforts to distribute rice to families living under a bridge, emphasizing the community's resilience and hospitality despite the harsh living conditions. The script also features interviews with residents, revealing their jobs, living situations, and the challenges they face, such as flooding and the lack of safe housing. The narrator's experience of crossing a busy freeway to reach the community underscores the danger and determination of the residents.

10:07

🏡 Life Under the Bridge: Resilience in the Slums

The script continues with the narrator's exploration of the slums, focusing on the families living under a bridge in Tondo. It describes the narrow alleyways filled with water and trash, and the residents' daily struggles, including the threat of floods and the lack of proper sanitation. The narrator meets a woman named Rosie who has been living there for nine years with her family, and learns about the community's reliance on remittances from overseas workers. The script also discusses the use of MoneyGram for sending money back home, which is a lifeline for many families in the slums. The narrator's interactions with the community reveal their strength and the importance of family bonds in such challenging environments.

15:09

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Life in Tondo: Overcoming Adversity

In this part of the script, the narrator meets Rudy, a long-time resident of Tondo, who shares his experiences of living in the slums and the changes he has witnessed over 50 years. The narrator is also invited into a family's home under the bridge, where he observes their living conditions and learns about their daily lives, including the constant noise from the overhead traffic. The script highlights the importance of community and the determination of individuals to improve their circumstances, as exemplified by a tricycle driver who worked hard to send his children to college and escape the slums. The narrator's reflections on the community's resilience and the contrast with the city's wealthier areas underscore the need for change and support for Tondo's residents.

20:10

🌅 Hope and Change: A Glimpse into Tondo's Future

The final section of the script concludes with the narrator's reflections on the resilience and hope he witnessed in Tondo. He discusses the use of MoneyGram to send funds to a family in the slums, symbolizing the potential for positive change through support and resources. The script emphasizes the importance of amplifying the voices of the slum dwellers and understanding their experiences. As the sun sets, the narrator calls for unity and action to bring more opportunities to Tondo, ensuring that the stories from under the bridge are not only seen but deeply understood, and that the community's strength and spirit are recognized and supported.

Keywords

💡Slums

Slums refer to heavily populated urban areas characterized by substandard housing and squalid conditions. In the video, the slums of Manila are depicted as crowded areas where basic necessities like clean water and electricity are scarce, highlighting the living conditions of 40% of Manila's residents.

💡Tondo

Tondo is the largest district in Manila, known for being one of the most densely populated and impoverished areas. The video focuses on Tondo's slums, particularly the challenges faced by families living under a busy freeway, illustrating the stark contrast between urban poverty and wealth in the city.

💡Health risks

Health risks in the context of the video pertain to the dangers to physical and mental well-being due to unsanitary conditions and lack of access to healthcare in the slums. The script mentions that living in such environments poses serious health risks, emphasizing the vulnerability of the residents.

💡Opportunities

Opportunities, as discussed in the video, refer to the chances for a better life, education, and employment. The script points out that opportunities for a brighter future are scarce for those living in the slums, indicating a significant social issue of limited social mobility.

💡Humanize

To humanize means to attribute human qualities or emotions to something. In the video, the creator aims to humanize the stories of the slum dwellers by sharing their personal struggles and experiences, thereby fostering empathy and understanding among viewers.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and is a key concept in the video. Despite the harsh living conditions, the residents of Tondo demonstrate resilience through their unwavering spirit and determination to survive, as shown by their daily navigation of chaotic traffic and poor sanitation.

💡Economic disparity

Economic disparity refers to the significant differences in wealth and income within a population. The video script contrasts the upscale districts of Manila with the impoverished slums, highlighting the economic disparity that exists within the city and contributing to the social divide.

💡Remittances

Remittances are funds sent by migrants to their families back home. In the video, remittances are mentioned as a crucial support system for the community in Tondo, with many overseas workers sending money and gifts back to their families, which helps to sustain the community.

💡MoneyGram

MoneyGram is an international money transfer service that the video uses as an example of how remittances can be sent efficiently. The video's creator uses MoneyGram to send funds to a family in Tondo, showcasing its convenience and reliability in supporting those in need.

💡Filipino spirit

The Filipino spirit, as portrayed in the video, encapsulates the warmth, friendliness, and resilience of the Filipino people. Despite the challenges faced by those living in the slums, the video emphasizes the positivity and strength of character that define the community.

Highlights

40% of Manila's 23 million residents live in slums with limited access to clean water and electricity.

In Tondo, the largest slum, over 200 families live under a busy freeway in a polluted bay.

Health risks are serious, and opportunities for a brighter future are scarce in these slum conditions.

The visit aims to humanize the stories of slum dwellers by shining a light on their struggles.

The Filipino government plans to outlaw Jeepneys due to environmental concerns.

Tondo is a district of contrasts with rich and poor areas existing side by side.

Despite poor living conditions, the people of Tondo are warm, friendly, and resilient.

Families living under the bridge face unique challenges, such as frequent flooding.

The community under the bridge is largely unknown to the rest of the city.

Residents of the slums often work in construction or in malls, earning very modest incomes.

During typhoon season, floodwaters can rise, forcing residents to evacuate to makeshift houses.

The best thing about living under the bridge is the community, while the worst is the risk of disasters.

Many overseas workers from Tondo send remittances back home, supporting their communities.

MoneyGram is highlighted as a convenient way to send money to over 200 countries, including the Philippines.

The video concludes with a surprise delivery of funds to a family living under the bridge, using MoneyGram.

The stories from under the bridge demonstrate resilience, hope, and the uniquely Filipino spirit.

The video aims to amplify the voices of the slum dwellers and inspire change for the community.

Transcripts

40% of manila's 23 million residents

live in slums where makeshift homes line

the crowded streets and where

Necessities like clean water and

electricity are luxuries in tondo the

largest slum more than 200 families live

under this busy freeway on this polluted

Bay where even the slightest rain causes

devastating

floods it's a life where health risks

are serious and opportunities for a

brighter future are scarce I'm heading

deep into tondo to visit these families

with my wife Deanna so we can learn

about their struggles and humanize their

stories by shining a light on these

vulnerable people I want to inspire

change and bring hope to those who need

it

[Music]

most we just arrived on the outskirts of

tondo it's crazy to be back here after a

few years when I filmed the pug pug

story with ate eelyn we're trying to hop

on a Jep right now to head deeper into

tondo and find the family living under

the

bridge you know when we first met a long

time ago we weree this you together yeah

it's fun I heard that the Filipino

government is going to outlaw them how

do you feel about that he sad because

number one it's the icon of the

Philippines yeah this is the identity I

know that they want to progress to a

much more environmental friendly jyne

they do cause a lot of pollution you can

see the exhaust pipes

Yeah we actually don't know exactly

where to find the bridge so we found a

local guy here named Rory hi everyone

there's a lot of little nooks and

crannies and turns and hidden streets

here so it's very hard to navigate even

on Google Maps hey how old are you 14 14

14

W it is super hot and slimy and sticky

we're in July right now and it is one of

the hottest months here in Manila what

bridge is this this is balut most likely

they have families here living

wa could smell the water from down below

it's just covered in trash man is crazy

on so many levels there's 23 million

people here 41% of them live in slums

but the rich areas of Manila are super

rich you feel like you're in Beverly

Hills it's wild tondo is a district of

vibrant contrasts alongside the busy

markets and sizzling street food over

850,000 people live in cramped homes

with limited access to basic living

Necessities yet T's true Spirit shines

through its people warm friendly and

resilient they navigate chaotic traffic

and poor sanitation with unwavering

faith and Rich Filipino culture despite

the challenges tondo streets are filled

with laughter music and smiles on every

corner but there's something different

about these families living under the

bridge and I'm on a mission to find out

what it

is

hello

hello sh

up we're going to try some street food

here for my lady

Shai I love seeing all the women here

just making street food on the side we

bought all the Shai this whole plate for

about

$6 you have to dip it in a soy

[Music]

sauce M that's really

good M the Chinese brought us to the

Philippines we we found a guy named Mama

who's a tricycle driver and he's going

to be taking us now because you can't

find her thank you byebye we got Ronald

Ronald the camera guy who's hanging off

the edge here and the driver is just

look he's sitting on the edge of the

pole to drive you know mamao is Ghost

his name is Ghost the thing I love about

the Philippines is everyone's really

friendly like when you say hi to them

they smile at you and say hi back in

other countries in the world you do not

get that as much as the Philippines

hello hello thankfully we found this

driver because uh otherwise we don't

know where we're going here these

streets are so visual everywhere you

look there's shops there's restaurants

there's kids playing in the streets

that's a Smoky Mountain oh meaning the

landfill so now the government has

actually made progress yeah yes get

handcuffs ditto police my police ah the

the owner of this tricycle is a police

officer he's renting it renting it from

him to make money wow wow wow now we are

rolling up to the bridge and it looks

way more visual than the last one holy

smokes I can't breathe in

[Music]

here I don't know what's going on

everyone's talking we're trying to find

this family but I'm just standing here

under the bridge it's hard to know where

to go when the slums are so crowded and

the flood waters are starting to

rise but we haven't lost hope yet on

finding the bridge community so whenever

the water rises and then they have to

leave they go here the final destination

is near but in order to get there we

have to cross over the busiest freeway

in Manila without a crosswalk wait how

are we crossing here we're in the middle

of the street there's a ladder we're

like in the middle of the freeway right

now and these cars are going fast yeah

super dangerous like look at this little

little ladder she's laughing oh my

God this is so dangerous please stay on

the wall stay on the wall okay my God

this is so dangerous

holy

crap I'm literally stuck on the median

right now on a busy

freeway we've literally been standing

here for like 6 minutes and we can't

cross the road there's too many

cars we just go all the truck ah after

this car go go go go go go go go

go woo that was hard okay my God we did

it all right sometimes it's good to be

vulnerable in these situations so we

were planning to meet a lady who was

going to show us around her community

here but she doesn't want to be on

camera so we're going to try to find

someone else down here that is uh

willing to show us this guy digging for

[Music]

Trasher Manila is really A Tale of Two

Cities where wealth and poverty exist

side by side on one hand there are

upscale districts like maati and BGC

known for their skyscrapers high-end

restaurants and vibrant nightlife but

just a short walk away you'll find

impoverished slums where people struggle

to find their next meal this jua

position highlights the significant

economic disparity within the city and

that's why I'm determined to amplify

their stories from under the bridge all

right and down we

go the first thing I see is water with

trash right there look at that the smell

is unbearable we sent de's sister and

friend to the shop and we got a bunch of

rice and we're going to distribute it to

every family here in this community

under the bridge so as soon as the rice

arrives everyone has come down here to

take their share you can see the whole

wire situation here is uh interesting

for me the most mind-blowing thing is

that there's literally cars 5T above us

like literally you can see them passing

by and right below is this whole

community that no one knows about crazy

so we're giving out rice ex stacks of

rice so every family would get 2 kilos

of rice I'm not sure how many pounds is

that this strip the whole strip like 100

families and they're all here they have

a list is this everybody's name here oh

wow making sure everybody gets the same

amount of

rice tell me about the community here

actually we only live here in a simple

life do people work

here oh yes what what kind of jobs

construction um in a mall like that and

what do you think about the community so

many problem this is my financial it's

my work it's no pay yeah what is your

job I'm security guard security guard

yeah how many pesos do you make in one

month 1,000 one

day and so now it's no no 1,000 pesos in

one day thank you for

sharing all right we are now getting

real narrow here babe oh my

God hi birdie so the climate totally

just changed the moment we kind of got

in here it got really quiet really

narrow and the trash is everywhere I

mean we're just walking on it right now

look at that

all right we are going in it's dark in

here we're walking on marshy Waters here

it's literally all

wet Filipino very hospitable my friend

yes I know like

you walking on the water sorry for our

place no problem man I see thank you

broow

Virginia oh you're dying your hair I

thought it was a egg egg mask but it's

um actually a d color how many years

have you been living down here years 19

years 19 years what is it like to live

down

here it frequently gets uh high tide in

here or flood whenever it it's uh

typhoon season it goes up to here or

sometimes this is all washed out so what

happens when the water goes High what do

you do with your they go to the court I

already yes they go to the bus evacuate

so and then they're going to makeshift

the house again Aon po

nak this whole strip it's 200 families

there's a lot of kids do you know all

the families that live

here would you say it's safe down

here so they know that it's um dangerous

but they don't have any choice and they

don't have um any money to you know go

to a housing facility so they're very

resilient so they just have to do it

over and over again what would you say

is the best and worst thing about living

down

here the best thing about here is that

they are uh with each other the worst

thing about it is when like disasters

came they just receiving those

rations she had seven kids she had seven

kids so she's she's really funny she's

just being funny about seven kids hi

fake news fake news y uh

and is pogy so she's 19 that's the elest

she is that her baby yeah it's crazy how

many people are living in these narrow

Alleyways and it's not just one family

it's hundreds of them making our way

through murky Waters de and I keep

searching for fathers mothers sons and

daughters to talk to this is shaping up

to be an emotional portrait of life in

the slums of

tondo wow

okay here we go we're

crossing it's like a balance beam wow

crazy crazy reminded me of going to tawi

tawi that was crazy Crossing that wow

Filipinos are known for their incredible

dedication to family even when times are

tough many overseas workers especially

from places like tondo send money and

Gifts back home this Support called

remittances keeps our community strong

remittances have changed thousands of

lives in the Philippines and that's why

I'm excited to talk about the sponsor of

today's video Money ground it's a really

convenient and reliable way to send

money in over 200 different countries

around the world on the app I can link

my debit card credit card or Apple pay

to send money to myself and then pick it

up in cash or I can send money to my

friends in other countries if you are

someone who travels often or lives far

away from your loved ones or need to

send money to loved ones then money gram

is a fantastic option to be honest I use

Money Gram a lot to send money to local

guys that are hire around the world and

it's awesome they offer great rates when

needing to pick up cash when traveling

abroad Money G is convenient fast and

reliable and if you watch until the end

of this video I'm going to use it to

surprise someone special from this

community take a photo of this QR code

or click the link in the description

down below to download the app and use

MoneyGram to your

[Music]

benefit

hello taking a bag over the water is

right there one of your subscribers oh

thank wow hello

yeah you

okay hi what's your name Rosie bombales

nice to meet you hello so how long have

you lived down here 9 years 9 years

where you original from ah from Bol ay

tagab AK T ay s sa albai po Al alai din

AKO saan sa kagay Island a kagay island

pangi kangi pangi po magayon po

hi do you live here with your family

yeah this she's your daughter how many

kids do you have two two and what is it

like to live in

here cuz they don't have anywhere to go

no choice no choice yeah so this is your

business so you sleep here and then you

work here in the rainy season how high

does the water come here yeah right

there so you cannot stand here no so how

can people come to your shop if the

water is here tala oh they wait for it

to come down like anybody can come here

and just build their house or how does

it work like

that just R she's renting it

fromo they do pay rent yeah they do pay

rent 600 pesos per mon like per month

does the landlord own all

these so someone who built the house

those are the people that are renting it

from them you have electricity here I

see yeah so you can charge your phone

and everything and what about for taking

a

shower remember there where the kids are

um taking shower that's where they get

the water and then they put got it thank

you for sharing okay thank you can I

come up here should I take off my shoes

or no

okay CH is this your dog po yeah he's

sleeping what's his name ah chuch chuch

Cho hi Chuchu chuch how are

you and oh so your bed is up there yeah

nice

oh there's a baby dog in

here look he's a baby

hello wow they have like a whole nice

little area for pictures

here I think the dog pooped in the house

here so in the back here is the bathroom

and it's basically just a hole which

goes down into the water the same water

that they bathe

in

wow what is this

you know in in America we have these

they're called pogs

robloxs coming down careful so I'm at

the edge of the bridge here and I mean

if you drop your phone or your wallet

it's it's in this this

water there's there's literally dogs

everywhere like

here there's dogs

here it's just like uh crazy to think

that in in this same city like a half a

mile from here there's highrises and

fancy Banks and nice bars and here

there's the

[Music]

opposite as I keep exploring deeper into

the community I run into one man named

Rudy who's lived here for over 50 years

he tells me what it's like to witness

the slums getting bigger over time what

are some of the challenges of living

here how he can get food oh for food do

you work did you work before

Harbor what makes you

happy but you look happy you're

smiling it's always he's always SM if

you could have one thing in the world

what would you

have tough living conditions this is

literally the bottom of the street oh

she got something in my eye thank you

sir after chatting with Rudy his

neighbor invites me inside his residence

and and it's clear that the people of

tondo want the world to see them it's

nice to meet you this the street yes

it's uh the Street bridge this this

Arrow the bridg is the roof you hear the

cars every day yes you can feel the

vibration yeah if if you put your hand

up here you can feel the vibration of

the cars

coming okay okay okay you feel hit this

is the kitchen yeah H kitchen and

room to can I can I can I see yeah

okay we are now in the kitchen area in

the back and you can actually see

through here is the bridge the bridge

yeah I mean that's like the water down

there they have an electric

fan is your kids uh yes oh and uh sister

and my sister wife thank you sir yeah

thank

you crazy man so so so crazy to walk

through here you have to bend down fully

just to walk through you can't even

stand up all the way straight it's like

3T tall we head back to ground level

where our tricycle driver m is still

waiting for us I find out that he used

to live under the bridge himself until

he saved up enough money as a driver to

start a new life on the surface he even

sent all of his kids through college

with those earnings oh yeah how many

years are you tricycle

driver oh so uh 28 years long time how

much money can you make driving a

in 1996 he earns 250 per day per day

now 1516 2000 that's like $30 $40 a

day it's really loud right here we're

like driving bound if somebody's never

heard of this place how would you

explain it to

them so for you to survive in tund um

you you only have to be either one is to

be like a mafia or number two is what he

is now is a very great person that is

going to be well respected so he's very

well respected in the community they

actually call him boss because he works

hard because he works hard and he sets a

very good example that he has a lot of

sideline he paints he do carpentry and

stuff so he's a hard worker yeah I have

to ask you like is there a lot of Mafia

here oh where we were where we were

there's a lot of guns there here no are

there a lot of people here taking drugs

no where we

were did you know that most Filipinos

are really scared of tondo and they

think it's very

dangerous it's because of the drugs and

also like also people who are not from

here they

make they make um War like to other like

they're starting the riot right so we

are now going to his house down under

Street ah hello PO he said he was very

scared that we are actually um it's

getting dark um and I made a joke that

oh if we were there until like 700 p.m.

are you going to leave us and he said no

I'll fight for you hi kagawad hello po

hello

po hello guys oh that's that's her um

yeah Bingo oh that's so

[Music]

cool Ah that's his house you have a

second level

here oh it's no it's not being used it's

elapid so he only he lives here he

showing me his Birds uh

kalap oh wow many birds he has a pigeon

collection of a lot of pigeons pige

Dum pigeon no

yeah so he he's saying that he has a

cage of pigeons here that he eats Mas

Mas adobo adobo adobo pigeon adobo

directly from his house you can just

walk up here and stand right here and

you're on the bank of the river again

but he doesn't live under the bridge

this is a big upgrade this is a

different Community

here who sleeps here in this room so his

son and him plus you baby ah okay so he

sun and him this is an upgrade from

living under the bridge 19 1998 1998 he

um they migrated here where's your kids

now now

so the son um who's doing who wants to

be a police officer um is outside like

playing basketball and then the daughter

she actually is married now um so she is

with a Asawa with a husband but this is

the an Red Dragons Pala Y no cuz his son

is a very good basketball player so they

would hire him in a very small League

where did you get that drive to make a

life for

yourself so his Drive is um his kids so

he said that his Ultimate Dream is for

them to be able to finish college and to

have a better life that's really special

that you paid for your kids school

through dread school

driving as long as they eat every day

he's that's his happiness that's you

know that's he's very happy with that

all right now for the big surprise here

I actually used MoneyGram to send funds

from the USA here to the Philippines and

I'm going to deliver it to our friend

here and and the lady under the bridge

this for

you thank you thank you thank you of

course Sal it's for you this true yeah

it's for you thank you thank you for

a course you're welcome thank you thank

you as the sun sets over Manila the

stories from under the bridge in tondo

reveal more than just poverty and

struggle they demonstrate resilience

hope and a uniquely Filipino spirit

walking through the flooded narrow

tunnels and meeting the families I've

witnessed their Fierce will to survive

by giving them a platform I want to

highlight their experiences and

illuminate their strength these stories

demand to be heard and acted upon so

let's unite to bring more opportunity to

tondo making sure these voices are not

only seen But deeply understood thanks

for watching and I'll see you guys next

week

[Music]