It was in the 1950s when my grandparents put up a small general-merchandise store in Quiapo. They started with four square meters and managed to expand into, and afford to rent, the three-story apartment of which the store is now a part. My mother now manages the store, while I assist in the daily operation. But that’s not the issue.
Having lived here most of my life, I’m able to observe the day-to-day activities of the bangketa vendors who line our storefront. They’re a constant reminder that my grandparents also started out small. This keeps me grounded in life and, by virtue of “pakikisama” and “pakikipagkapwa,” I am compelled to be congenial toward these vendors. However, it can be extremely challenging to maintain this friendliness when you’re not given the same respect in return. Rest assured that I’m not antipoor, for I’m also a struggling lower-middle-class businessman; I do not see poverty as a reason to act crudely.
Do you remember those tambay in local movies or sitcoms where they do nothing but hang around a sari-sari store all day, drink beer, and never pay the owner? I can somehow relate to that poor store owner. We are the neighborhood “sari-sari store,” and literally not a single day goes by without one of the vendors asking for or borrowing something from us. They can buy those everyday items, like scissors, pens, scratch paper, old newspapers, boxes, etc. from us, but they don’t. Why pay as long as it can be had for free, right? Good manners vanish as they also seem to have difficulty in saying “please” and “thank you.” I tried refusing to lend our stapler once to a woman vendor who frequently borrowed things from us, and she spat out that I was such a piker: “Stapler lang naman yan eh! Ang damot mo naman!”
Along our street you can see a host of goods from vegetables, fruits and fish to ukay-ukay clothes to almost-expired canned goods and beauty products. These displays occupy so much of the street that they’re impossible to miss. Consequently, cars and other vehicles have a hard time passing through without trouble. The sidewalk, which is supposedly for the general public, serves as the permanent address of most of the vendors. It’s where they sleep, eat, cook, take a nap, and even gamble during lazy afternoons. True enough, you will find there washing machines, electric stoves, refrigerators, rice cookers, television and stereo sets, portable DVD players, and even coffee dispensers, just like in typical homes. These bulky appliances make it extremely difficult for pedestrians to seek shelter during heavy rains, and also prevent potential customers from entering the shops or even just see them because there is hardly any space left.
If you look upward, you’ll be dizzied by the jumbled illegal wiring connected to the power lines. Whenever Meralco men “raid” our street for jumpers, the vendors warn each other in advance so their wires will not be confiscated. They will frantically run around as if there were a fire, pull out all the connections, and warily eye the inspecting linemen. Those whose jumpers are taken can easily reconnect, thanks to the help of the local go-to “electrician.”
Once, a funny thing happened: Two vendor families had a shouting match as to who had the “right” to use the tapped electricity. But really, it’s not funny because all of us who are legitimate Meralco customers are the ones who end up paying for their illegal electric consumption.
At night they will occasionally hold street parties (without barangay permits) complete with disco lights, karaoke machines, and loud speakers, again all illegally powered. These parties can last until 3 a.m., while we suffer from lack of sleep. We have tried seeking help from the barangay authorities, but the ordinance regarding street parties is not being strictly implemented. One time, when my mother could not stand the noise anymore, she went down and asked the volume of the music to be lowered. They complied at first, then turned up the music again after a while. I went down myself and politely asked for the second time, saying that we could not sleep because of the noise. One of the drunken vendors then asked me if I could not sleep because I was on drugs. The second time it happened, my mother complained to the police. It was only then that the vendors complied and stopped holding their parties in front of our house.
But the most bothersome problem we face here is sanitation. I support environmental causes, so it’s very upsetting to witness the vendors’ apathy and lack of discipline on a daily basis. Adults and children dump their excrement and urine wrapped in plastic in the gutters; others just simply urinate in them. Gutters likewise turn into bathrooms as parents bathe their children directly in front of the shops even during business hours.
The whole place becomes an instant trash can as food wrappers, plastic bags, rotting vegetables, and what have you are carelessly thrown anywhere. The street becomes a breeding ground for rats and cockroaches, and the garbage prevents water from flowing freely. It’s no wonder why only 10 minutes of steady heavy rain can cause a flood in our area.
Telling the vendors to be responsible is futile because of their incredibly difficult attitude. They resort to scandalous verbal confrontations and brawls to make their point. You will just end up being called a meddler and a know-it-all. I ask why they defile the place that they call their home. Do they not realize that others are being affected by what they do? Where is their common sense?
Believe me that despite my ranting, I understand that these vendors are also trying to make a living, which is why I do not wish for them to be evicted from their “tenancy.” I don’t want to be the cause of further unemployment in the country, and I do know a few decent vendors around. I can’t blame everything on them because law implementation is also lacking in our place. But I still maintain that poverty is not and can never be an excuse to be irresponsible, vulgar human beings.
Hopefully someday all this will change. But since I have yet to save enough money to move to a safer and peaceful place, I’ll just have to stick it out for now. What I have learned from all this is that not having the balls to stand up to something wrong will eventually bite you back hard. People will take advantage of you if you’re too nice. You have to be tough when you’re up against stubborn minds that refuse to see their faults.
“Kaye,” 24, is a store owner.