BAGUIO CITY (Dec.23) — Christmas is the season for love, joy and sharing for it is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus our lord. But at this time that the Philippines is at a stage of acute economic crisis the people can hardly cope with the situation. The monthly oil price hike that causes the increase of price of the basic commodities and there is no wage increase. In this situation, can we feel the spirit of Christmas, if there’s no food to eat, no shelter to seek and decent jobs to sustain our family needs?

In an interview with Manang Cesarina Angel, 38, single parent from Bambang Nueva Vizcaya with three daughters ages of ten, eight, and five, she revealed that they came over from Vizcaya to Baguio just last month to look for a job because what she earned from selling fruits was not enough for them to live on.

“Kayat ko koma nga maikkan ti mayat a masakbayan dagiti annak ko, ken adda met koma iti naimas a Noche Buena mi tatta koma ta saan a kasla manen idi napalabas a tawen nga duwa nga supot ti cinnamon (bread) ken duwa a bote ti coke litro laeng ti noche buena mi. Isu a nagsangitak piman ti sango dagiti annak ko ket inbagak kanyada nga pasensya ta isu lang dayta ti nakayak nga ited,” ( I’d like to give my daughters a bright future and to have even a simple but delicious Noche Buena this Christmas, unlike the previous one when we had only two packs of cinamon bread and two bottles of coke litro. I cried infront of my kids and said sorry because that was what I can give) she said.

Manang Cesarina said that they just sleep anywhere around the city with only cartons for their blankets. They go caroling and sometimes beg in the sidewalks where they can collect P 50-75 a day which is good only for one meal. For them, Christmas is just an ordinary day because they can’t buy gifts and food but what is important is that, as long as the family members are all present and they are healthy, that is enough and that is already Christmas.

She also added that the present goverment is to be blamed for the economic crisis in the country. The president should take this as a serious problem because the people who put her in power are now hard up and crying for help, working to oust her in power.

For Catherine Carias, 14 and her brother Cesar, 10, from Baguio City, their parents have been separated for already five years. For them Christmas is also an ordinary day, even though they have gifts and food to eat but something is lacking in their lives. Every Christmas their simple wish is for their beloved mother to stop drinking, and for their father to come back for a meaningful christmas.

They added that in their experience, Uray gayam adda amin kenka ti kinabaknang no awan ti ayat ti tunggal maysa ken saan nga kompleto ti miyembro ti pamilya ket awan gayam ganas na ta saan mo a marikna ti ragsak ken espirito ti paskuwa ( Even though you have all the fortunes in life, if there is no love among your family and family members are not present, you cannot feel the happiness and true spirit of Christmas).

But crisis also plays a big role on why many people treat Christmas as an ordinary day. They call on the president to solve the crisis immediately for the sake of the future generations who we always say are the hope of the father land. May the spirit of Christmas enlighten the mind and open the heart of Mrs. Arroyo to truly serve the people, Catherine added.

Crisismas is also good to enlighten the minds of our fellow country men on what is really happening in our country and this should make us stronger to move forward and change the system of government, which is government by the people and for the people. # Johnny Fialen for NORDIS

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