Manila 'squatters alley' shut down
I've photographed the street people before in Metro Manila, and one of many 'squatters alley' that I've shot on before close by my hotel is being rebuilt, and has closed off its sidewalk to the homeless who've called it home for years. (see the sidewalk image on my post from Sept.4, 2008)
Which simply means the homeless just move to another street close by and carry on, and not many will notice.
The particular alley in the top image was home for many people, and a few drug addicts - although I rarely saw the few addicts acting up and imposing on the other Families there, I could still walk daily through the alley and everyone there either knew my name or knew me by sight, and most greeted me - and I them.
The couple in the bottom image had to relocate from the alley, around the corner to in front of Ana's house (the abandoned and crumbling old movie theater where Ana's Momma & Papa are caretakers for its landlord, and hence have a place to stay)
Manila Philippines: a squatters alley, and a homeless couple in front of Ana's dwelling at 11:58am
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/125s f/5.6 at 14.0mm iso200
The gentleman was being kind to his wife who was resting in their tricycle parked on the sidewalk - he was getting her a drink of water, the water coming from a plastic baggie costing P1, and you bite or poke a hole on the corner of the baggie and have your drink that way, as they can't afford bottled water.
Since the alley was off the larger streets, I always looked at it as a safer place to live & sleep for those who lived there, and now a few have just moved around the corner onto the main drag where it's noisier and vastly more crowded, and more dangerous as now there are many more people walking by those sleeping who have a chance to pick their pockets or steal their food, etc.
I'm interested to see what types of buildings are being built there in the old alley, and if the street people will try to move back there, if sidewalks are built back in, and if those buildings don't have guards who'll chase them away from where they used to sleep - I'll see for myself in Manila this November.
Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES
Which simply means the homeless just move to another street close by and carry on, and not many will notice.
The particular alley in the top image was home for many people, and a few drug addicts - although I rarely saw the few addicts acting up and imposing on the other Families there, I could still walk daily through the alley and everyone there either knew my name or knew me by sight, and most greeted me - and I them.
The couple in the bottom image had to relocate from the alley, around the corner to in front of Ana's house (the abandoned and crumbling old movie theater where Ana's Momma & Papa are caretakers for its landlord, and hence have a place to stay)
Manila Philippines: a squatters alley, and a homeless couple in front of Ana's dwelling at 11:58am
Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/125s f/5.6 at 14.0mm iso200
The gentleman was being kind to his wife who was resting in their tricycle parked on the sidewalk - he was getting her a drink of water, the water coming from a plastic baggie costing P1, and you bite or poke a hole on the corner of the baggie and have your drink that way, as they can't afford bottled water.
Since the alley was off the larger streets, I always looked at it as a safer place to live & sleep for those who lived there, and now a few have just moved around the corner onto the main drag where it's noisier and vastly more crowded, and more dangerous as now there are many more people walking by those sleeping who have a chance to pick their pockets or steal their food, etc.
I'm interested to see what types of buildings are being built there in the old alley, and if the street people will try to move back there, if sidewalks are built back in, and if those buildings don't have guards who'll chase them away from where they used to sleep - I'll see for myself in Manila this November.
Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES
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