Catcher in the rye

In Chapter 22 of J D Salinger's celebrated (1951) novel The Catcher in the Rye, Phoebe Caulfield asks her sixteen-year-old brother Holden what he wants to   do with  his life. Holden responds with this image:

“Anyway, I keep picturing  all  these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.

Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be. ”

Picture: Jon Hicks

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Millions of Filipinos live in extreme poverty

The Springboard Foundation in Manila helps abandoned, abused, and poor children and their families in many parts of the Philippines. In a statement on the website of the Ayala Foundation USA, Springboard management have pointed out that:

"More than 30 Million Filipinos survive with less than 2 dollars a day. The children of these families suffer. Over one million children in Metro Manila live out on the streets. Their lives are ruled by poverty, ill health and lack of opportunities. Like our own children, they have dreams. They dream of a warm and loving home, they dream of being able to go to school, of playing in the streets instead of roaming them in search of a giving hand . . . Unfortunately for them, their dreams seldom come true."

Tina pleads for help

SMS Texts via Yahoo Messenger, 13:25: GMT+08 to 13:55

Bern: Hi Tina. My apologies if I'm interrupting a seminar. I'm sorry life has no doubt been extremely difficult for you today. I wonder how you are.

Tina: Bern I'm now in seminar, we have lecture right now. But tomorrow we will start d formal seminar; my problem [is that I] need to buy personal needs.

Bern: Thank you for that info Tina. To avoid interrupting your seminar again, I'll text you from Yahoo maybe 3 hours from now.

Tina: I'm not sure if I can [come] back tomorrow in seminar, coz I cannot afford to buy uniform, sorry to say this. Please help me.

Tina: Please help me Bern, so I can buy my needs for seminar.

Bern: This is an extreme situation for both of us. I'll contact you later.

News from a poor job seeker is a very mixed blessing

Mel (14:18:58 GMT+10): Bern I have a job training [session] on Monday; I need allowance - that's a 2 weeks training [period] - I hope you will receive this message; I need your opinion and approval; I need your help for my job.

Bern (17:40:56): Mel, I'm glad you're eligible to receive training for a job but extremely worried about the cost and whether it will lead to work with a decent salary. If you receive this message and plan to be online again, please request Michael to allow you a text message (to +634 . . . 686) to say when: or even to send a miscall, free of charge. Communication is so difficult.*

Bern (17:43:08): Mike, Mel says he has an offer of job training. I'd be grateful if you'd share this message [above] with him. . . . Kind regards, Bern.*

Bern (20:40:32): Hi Michael, how are you? Mel needs money for job training Monday: I'm glad he has a chance but the cost worries me greatly. Hope to hear from you & him v soon. Bern. [Text to a cellphone.]

* Yahoo Messenger: "[This person] appears to be offline and will receive your messages after signing in."

Children are eating; adults will re-open eatery and make candies for sale

Bern (16:08:38 GMT+10): Hi Tina! I trust you received my text messages, especially the last one sent at 1:22 p.m. Philippine time, and that you have load and will be able reply soon.

Tina (16:55:31): Bern sorry for delay reply, we got d money, dis moment d kids was so happy, they are now eating at home, later I buy stock for eatery also chocolate, so we can [make candies for sale] tomorrow, thanks again.

Bern (16:58:12): Oh, thank you so much for that happy information! I'm relieved to hear the children are eating! I've some mixed news from Mel, though: he needs money for job training.

Tina (17:03:25): I'm interested to know what will be his job. Don't worry Bern, I know how important your money is. I will spent it wisely.

Bern (17:04:10): I don't know, but he [Mel] said several days ago that he and Michael would be canvassing supermarkets in Quezon City for work as sales clerks.

Benefactor reluctantly agrees to remit money for hungry families

SMS text messages via Yahoo Messenger program
Time: 10:31:32 GMT+08. Duration: 00:43:20

Tina: Bern, try out text if I sent. Pls, help us. D kids [are] crying coz they are hungry, I want to [start] back in making chocolate [candies for sale] again to have extra income and also [re-open] d eatery; pls help us.

Bern: Tina, with great misgivings, I'll try to help a little, but I'm going deeper into debt. I've finally decided to publish this online, hoping others will help.

Tina: Bern, can you help me start partial capital of 3K of making chocolate, 3K for d eatery, pls. All adult[s] [in the household] will help me to making a chocolate again; total 6K.

Bern: Tina, at 9:03 a.m. you said you were sending your last text and had no money to buy load. What happened? I'm deeply shocked by this sudden emergency. 6K is a lot for me.

Tina: I borrow[ed] 15 pesos load to [i.e. from] my friend, near lunch, we're not eat since a.m., if I have 6K, we can start again, to have business, income for d family, so we will not suffer hunger again.

Bern: I guessed you must have borrowed a little. I'm deeply perturbed but will try to help a little. I can't promise that much.

Tina: OK, thanks a lot, thanks for understanding, d kids will wait to your help, they are happy when I said you will help us, just wait for a little hour & we can buy food later.

Family with 7 children indebted, hungry and penniless

Bern (10:37:33 GMT+10): Good morning Tina. Yesterday afternoon Jason texted me, giving thanks for helping Mae-Mae. I'm wondering how you, Kert and all the Kalayaan household are now. [Yahoo Messenger: "Tina will receive your messages on a mobile device."]

Tina (10:46:58): Did you received my text last nite? I did not slept whole nite, coz our food cook all credit, only 100 [pesos] cash, no 1 allow me get stock to cook today. We don't have food today, kids hungry.

Bern (10:48:50): No, I didn't receive it. Most regrettably my phone was inadvertently turned off and it has just arrived now. This is a deep shock to me.

Bern (10:52:22): On closer examination, the text just received was one you sent at 07:32 this morning. I received no other warning about this extreme situation.

Bern (10:55:18): Most regrettably, also, because of a large price increase, my Optus cell phone credit load is already exhausted. To ring you I must use a public call box.

Tina (11:03:43): Dis [is] my last text. I don't [have] money to buy load; just only I cry for d kids [who are] hungry coz I'm so tired since last nite till dis a.m. [I tried] to find some 1 to give capital to cook for today; not lucky.

Last desperate plea for hungry children not received

At 7:32 a.m., Philippines time, Tina sent me a text from the rural town of Kalayaan, Laguna, requesting immediate financial help:

"Bern, dis [is] my last text, pls help us; we can't have food to cook for today, I'm worried for d 7 kids I have here [who] start now asking for food; no 1 can help me. Pls help me for sake of kids."

Regrettably my cellular phone had been inadvertently switched off and it was only an hour later when I enquired about the family welfare that I become aware of the crisis.

Wealth and poverty in the Philippines

Excerpt from the Global Education website initiated and funded by AusAID, the Australian Government overseas aid program

There is great unevenness in the distribution of wealth in the Philippines. A small percentage of the population is very wealthy while the majority of the people are very poor. The richest 10% of the population share over one third of the wealth while the poorest 10% share only 2.3% with 40% living below the poverty line. In rural areas, most farmers do not own the land that they work and are required to give a percentage of their crop to the landowner as rent. Nearly 10% of GDP is from Filipinos working overseas.