D E - L ATA T H E O L O G Y

REIMAGINING THE STRUGGLE OF URBAN POOR

T O WA R D F O O D S E C U R I T Y A N D Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E

A Theological Proposal by
Melvin R. Jacinto
I. INTRODUCTION
 My De-lata Story
• Canned goods, like sardines and
karne norte, are typical food on
the table for our family.
• It became our alternative for
meat and fish, which we cannot
afford to buy for every meal.
• It gives flavor and variety to our
simple dishes which we call
“pacham” (short for pachamba-
chamba).
 Canned goods like sardines, karne norte, and meatloaf,
are the everyday food of most of the poor Filipinos in urban areas.

More De-lata Stories

On the other hand, canned
goods are readily made
food for those who do long
travel and relief or
survival food for the
victims of calamities. For
some areas, especially in
the countryside, de-lata is
a symbol of high social
status, but mostly for
others, it is for their
food security.
 II. REIMAGINING THE
URBAN POOR IN DE-LATA
 Due to Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law that was
passed last December 2017, the increase in excise tax on oil products and other raw
materials resulted also in the increase of basic commodities like canned goods.
 In 2018, the price of
canned sardines
increased from the
range of 10-12 pesos to
13-15 pesos.

From being a staple dish for the table

of every urban poor family to be,
somehow, a sumptuous dish for them,
especially for the poorest of the
poor… This can also relate to how the
size of de-latas now starts to become
smaller, which could be a sign of
economic problems and purchasing
power.
 Due to extreme poverty and
unequal opportunity for all,
many Filipinos are
impoverished by the
hardships of life. That is
why food insecurity is the
primary problem of many
poor Filipinos.

They cannot afford to buy fresh and

nutritious food because of its high
price for their meager money. In
addition, the government is lacking
support in the agricultural sector, but
imports of imported goods and food
are very large.
 According to UN Food and Agriculture Organization report
The Philippines recorded the most number of food insecure people in Southeast Asia
from 2017 to 2019, with 59 million Filipinos suffering from moderate to severe lack of
consistent access to food. In 2014 to 2016, the number of severe and moderately
food insecure Filipinos climbed from 44.9 million.
 For the people who are living in “isang kahig, isang tuka,”
there is no better option between staying at home and
working for living outside.
They may not die in coronavirus but they will die in hunger. In the midst of poverty
and hunger, de-latas were the ones they depend on to fill their empty stomachs
– their “manna” to survive in the struggles of life.
 However, there are also people who often
“kahig ng kahig, wala pa ring matuka!”
This means, as for Melanio Aoanan, “that human life has been so
dehumanized and demeaned to the level of a beastly existence.”
De-lata depicts the
life of the urban
poor

The sealed de-lata symbolizes

the barriers set to them in
society. Those barriers are
the factors that limit them to
experience fair opportunity
and distribution of wealth.
De-lata depicts the
life of the urban
poor

“Ang kalidad ng pagkain na

ating kinakain ang siyang
sukatan ng kalidad ng ating
buhay.”
– Melanio Aoanan,
Teolohiya Ng Bituka at Pagkain (2017)
The compacted content of de-lata depicts the small or
limited spaces in the urban poor communities.
Their barong-barong (dwellings) are too small, especially for those who have large families,
that they usually jammed in which often described as “parang mga sardinas sa lata.”
But it also symbolizes the full potential of the urban poor to deal with the challenges in life.
 Congestion in the cities would not have been a problem if the
distribution of the country's wealth was fair and no one was
taking advantage of them.
Overpopulated Metropolis is a product of government neglect to develop the
countryside: (1) the inadequate assistance to the lives of farmers, fishermen, and
indigenous peoples; (2) the failure of addressing the root causes of arm-conflict in
Mindanao and other rural areas, where people in the said areas who often experience
violence and unrest move to Manila in their desire to live a peaceful life; (3) the result
of capitalists buying large tracts of land and convert it into mega shopping malls,
condominiums, arenas, and other business establishments – while many urban poor
are not provided with adequate housing.

Source: https://medium.com/@mediacommoner/the-divide-in-our-cities-bff743e1584
 The distinctive smell of
de-lata inside used as a
discriminatory remark to
the smell of the people
living in depressive areas
which are usually having
problems in hygiene
and sanitation.
III. THEOLOGIZING
DE-LATA
 Delata for Urban Poor is Like Unleavened Bread or Manna.
The unleavened bread of the Israelites that symbolize their struggle for liberation from the
Pharoah of Egypt (Exo. 12). The Manna from heaven symbolizes Yahweh’s everyday provision
(Exo. 14). The breaking of bread, like what Jesus did, speaks on the quality of life he is
envisioning (Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Lk 24:30-32; Jn 6:51-58; 1 Cor 11:23-30).
From breaking of the bread to opening the delata,
it sends a strong message, an image of liberation for the urban poor
on how they struggle to break from poverty.
• Drawing-out from what is
inside the lata (can) is like an
Exodus story for the urban
poor. It is getting out of the
unjust system, breaking from
the barriers that delimit them.
• Eating the food coming for the
lata is a depicted image of
life’s fullness, a life that Jesus
wanted for everyone
especially for the urban poor.
Coming to the hapag
(table), having a meal with
others, and enjoying the
food coming from the lata
is a communion
experience. An image of
God’s reign and good
news for the urban poor.
This communion
experience is an image of
solidarity to the struggle
of the urban poor.
“Christian identification with
the crucified necessarily
brings him into solidarity with
the alienated of this world,
with the dehumanized and the
inhuman. But this solidarity
becomes radical only if it
imitates the identification of
the crucified Christ with the
abandoned, accepts the
suffering of creative love, and
is not led astray by its own
dreams of omnipotence in an
illusory future.”
- J ü rg e n M o l tm a n n ,
T h e Cr u c i f i e d G o d : t h e C ro s s o f C h r i s t a s t h e
Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology (1993)
“...I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
- Jesus (Jn 10:10)
The game gives a subconscious image from the minds of the poor to crash down the unjust
and oppressive system (social, political, economic, and religious) that the lata depicts.
Beating Swords into Plowshares
IV. CONCLUSION
 De-lata
• Depicts the life of the poor: their struggle to survive;
their daily sustenance; their full and rich potentials;
their continuous hope and struggle for liberation from
poverty and hunger; and their desire to crash down the
unjust system that limits them to experience the fullness
of life.
• It pays attention to the fact that although de-lata is the
source of sustenance given by the Sustainer God for
the urban poor, it is still not the optimal state and best
in their lives.
 De-lata
• Is the communion food for the urban poor, the
unleavened bread, the manna, that symbolizes their
endless stories of struggle toward food security and
quality of life.

• It creates a vision of the poor, the oppressed, and the

alienated to a new world order where the reign of God
becomes a reality – a new economic structure that is
inclusive and takes care of all creation.
By sowing the seed that contains the message of this
theology, may the image of de-lata represented by the
suffering of the urban poor be an inspiration. That as
we eat de-lata again, we will remember them – their
hardships, problems, cries, desires, and dreams. May
we take part in their struggle, not only in spirit but also
in deed. Let us line up with them and join them in
their journey to freedom from hunger and poverty
toward food security and quality life. Amen.