The Children of Negros

Each time I come across an article or documentary about child labor in Negros, I always remember the stories my parents told me.

Yes, my parents once worked in a sugar plantation in Capiz or campo back in the 1950s.  They take out the weeds and do all the hard labor and get paid with a measly P1.50. Seriously.

In 2009, it has changed; the children of Negros now gets paid P40.00 per day. Seriously???!!! My heart bleeds for these children.  Not only are their physical growth stunted due to hard labor, even their mental growth are stunted because they cannot afford to go to school. Going to school everyday will mean less P40.00 for the family. And so they go to school twice or thrice a week… or for some, not all.

I hope that people in government will find it in their (greedy) hearts to help these children.  That every time they travel abroad with a hoard of entourage, they will think of these hungry and hard-up children, not only in Negros but all the children doing hard labor;  just so they can eat… at least twice a day.

P.S.

I am proud of what my parents went through. My Mom knows how to handle money and the small business that sent us to good schools. My Dad is a jack-of-all-trades who knows carpentry, automotive painting, analog photo printing and what-have-you.  We were blessed to have parents who fought tooth and nail to provide us with good education. And even more blessed to have the chance to give back a bit of life’s little comfort to them.

~ by jumbledcoffeethoughts on June 28, 2009.