I believe none of us here doesn’t know about the 5- or 30-second rule when it comes to foods that are spilled or

dropped on a surface. Well of course it’s on a case-to-case basis specially the liquids.

As Filipinos, we often say or hear this line, “wala pang 30 seconds yan, pagpagan mo nalang. Sayang ih.”

But what if those pieces of food were left for an hour or a day before they were picked? Is the line, “pagpagan mo
nalang” still advisable?

A pleasant morning to everyone, I’m happy that you’re all looking well…beautiful and handsome as always. [smiles]

Aside from my question earlier, have you ever wondered what happened to the leftover food you did not finish in fast
food restaurants? You may think they would have been thrown away and discarded for good. For sure they are
headed to the trash bin after people leave them on the table. But what happens next is something you ought to know.
All the leftovers you throw away in fast food joints may feed entire neighborhoods in our country.

Pagpag’, a term given to left-over food, meat picked from garbage and dumps, which is then washed, cooked, and sold
to poor communities in Metro Manila’s poorest. It has been a futile solution in our country’s hunger crisis, a slight
glimmer of hope for the poorest of the poor that carries great risks—including death, as there are some leftovers that
are sprayed with disinfectants before disposal.

People have been doing it for so long, that it has been embedded in the subculture of the slums that eating pagpag is
OK. The government banned pagpag dining as it’s not safe but the cycle is still running.

It is their daily staple food. Pagpag lang malakas, sa kalam ng kanilang tiyan. They say, if you have a strong immune
system, it’s rare for you to get sick. And they don’t need to spend money to buy food in the market. Sometimes they
find rice, cooking oil, and soy sauce in the garbage, all for free.

In return, they are at risk of acquiring critical diseases like hepatitis A, cholera, and typhoid. So, is it really free?

But despite knowing all the risks behind it, impoverished people still stick to this “trend” just to keep themselves from
rotting under the ground. This is their cry for help. It is a reflection of our country’s level of poverty. According to PSA,
our country’s latest poverty rate is 13.2 percent..that’s based on some guidelines, but a survey from Social Weather
Station says that 51% of Filipino families rated themselves as poor. Now that we are aware of how poor our country is,
so what? Are we just going to keep on counting how many Filipino families are starving or scavenging for pagpag?

I know most of you think first of government intervention. Our country has a lot of problems waiting to be addressed
and are we just going to wait for government intervention? Nahh! The 20 pesos kada kilo na bigas nasaan na? Yung
pangako ni Cayetano na sampung libong ayuda bawat pamilya nasaan na?

[Point out someone in the room] Are you one of those who are waiting for the sampung libo? [no?]

For those who do not know, the 10k bill of Senator Cayetano was just a legislative proposal, the enactment failed
because the congress didn’t approve of it. Though, even if it’s approved, is the money really for the poor? Or will that
sampung libo even last for a week?

Many of us say, why don’t they find work to earn a living? They have no jobs because probably they can’t meet the
qualifications that the company is looking for, one instance is, they must have an excellent background education.
When it comes to education, if even a degree holder can’t find a decent or permanent job, how much more to those
who don’t even know how to write their names?

Financial aid can’t last long and the hope of finding a decent job is very low, but I think scavenging for pagpag isn’t the
only solution. I’m thinking of empowering communities, such as with the help of community-led agriculture programs.
There are many successful community-led agriculture programs around the world. In our province, agricultural aids
are distributed to planters, and training programs, and workshops are available to everyone. Growing crops here in
Metro Manila is challenging but I think it’s manageable. Communities in the slums like Payatas, Lupang pangako,
Happyland, Paradise Heights the former Smokey Mountain, ah, what ironic names. Is this dark tourism? It’s called
Paradise Heights but what you see there are mountains of trash. Paradise Heights was a former dumpsite but the
government cleaned some parts of it for relocation projects such as housing for Filipino evacuees who were at risk
from floods and other disasters. Crops can’t survive on these sites because the land was contaminated with toxic
chemicals that’s why I suggest hydroponic gardening. The basic materials are hydroponic tubes or styrofoams, water,
hydroponic nutrient solution, and seeds. Leafy greens are the easiest and fastest plants to grow. You may think that
this suggestion is quite ideal for the slums but I believe there’s a chance for those who really want a change in their
way of living. Who knows this might be a business opportunity for them.

Overall, the thing that I’ve learned from my topic is that we should truly be grateful for the simple luxuries that we
have, such as modest, yet clean and nutritious meals.