On the Poor and Metro Manila Slums: Rage Against the Dying of the Light

A friend has expressed disappointment in his facebook wall with regard to his observation online of bold attempts by some to mainstream sentiments and arguments that target and attack the 'squatters'. Here's my comment and a brief thesis statement on the ongoing class conflict in the streets of the city as well as in the virtual spaces of the (social) media:

Stop reading these kinds of websites, including the comments. As expected, the 'middle class' and the loud netizens would be critical of the underclasses in the slums. 

We are witnessing a sad and alarming generational shift characterized by: 

• blaming the victims; 
• disregard for historical-structural causes of phenomena; 
• an opportunist elite political-economic classes who are clever in utilizing the votes and labor of the poor in pursuit of their interests in power and wealth accumulation during times of elections and for purposes of business production; and 
• youth too young to remember history. 

Indeed, let's rage against the dying of the light!

Source: French Living in the Philippines (Blog)
 

Do I mean, as another friend commented, "that the middle class is cursed to play the role of 'understanding' the socio-economic causes of the phenomena and that all underclasses are blameless"? As always my argument is context-based and premised on a case-by-case basis. I refer to the observed case of many middle-class-netizens attitude towards our brethren in the slums in the context of deepening and widening class divide in 21st century Philippine society. In the social sciences, there have been studies that theorize and empirically show the tendency of the middle class to support the status quo and reactionary forces. 

I do understand the sentiment of the middle class who work so hard and who have all the right to complain about their hardships and the slowness in achieving upward social mobility in the highly stratified Philippine society. This is why there is a sound logic to favour universal social policies (health, education, housing, etc.) and rethink social provisions based on targetting like the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme. The 'non-poor' who are just above the poverty line — as well as the 'invisible' middle class — are also vulnerable to become poor themselves. Plus, in the context of our society, we are a nation full of stigmas and being stigmatized is not good for a life of dignity.

But how about those people living under the bridges along waterways whose physical safety are also in danger? In this case, it is in the realm of 'public safety' where the state (i.e., the entity that has the authority, resources, means of coercion, and yes the monopoly over the use of force) has to take charge. In this sense, I hope for a well-meaning state. Here, it may be useful to differentiate between what is 'public' and 'private'. The 'public' concern is understandable; but oftentimes forced evacuation are done by state's coercive apparatus to advance and protect the drive for 'private' appropriation of some powerful vested interests (i.e., the process and strategy of accumulation by dispossession).

Part of my call for a 'moral revolution' is based on my observation that many — if not, most — of our people have become alienated from our true human-being selves. May we all be reminded of the virtues and need to take the point of view of the poor, the victims, the weak, the marginalized in our discourses and actions.