Senate urged to help workers sleeping on grass

Some senate workers prefer to sleep on the grass instead of going home to their far-flung abodes to save some money. PHOTO FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR SONNY ANGARA

For the past two months now, about 40 “stay-in” employees of the Senate had been sleeping on the grassy grounds outside the chamber in Pasay City —either using folding beds, pieces of carton or in tents—all without a solid roof above their heads.

Most, if not all, of them work as janitors and maintenance personnel. They live in places as far as Antipolo, Rizal; Sta. Cruz, Laguna; San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; and San Isidro, Nueva Ecija but they have to be in the Senate as early as 7 am up to as late as 10 p.m.

One of them is 54-years-old George Bendicion, janitor at the Senate Administrative Bureau, who has been working in the Senate for the past 24 years.

On Monday, Senator Sonny Angara took up the cudgels for them.

Angara said he first learned about the situation of the said employees sleeping outside the chamber when 41-year-old janitor Wilfredo “Wawi” Maliban approached him. He said the personnel had been working in the chamber for 16 years, four times longer than the time Angara had served as senator so far.

“Humingi si Wawi ng tulong para makabili ng banig o sleeping bag, para may matulugan siya na medyo komportable. Doon ko nalaman na simula Marso, siya at marami pang iba ay natutulog sa damuhan sa labas ng Senado, malapit sa Jose W. Diokno Boulevard,” the senator said in a privilege speech.

(Wawi asked for a mat or a sleeping bag so that he can sleep somewhere more comfortable. That’s when I found out that since March, he and many other workers have been sleeping on grassy grounds outside the Senate near Jose W. Diokno Boulevard.)

He also cited the case of Darwin Hilario, a janitor assigned at the Public Relations and Information Bureau, whose eyes had been swollen for almost two weeks now probably because of an insect bite while sleeping outside.

“May isang gabi nga na biglang umulan. Lahat silang natutulog sa damuhan ay lumipat at sumilong sa walkway na may green na bubong sa labas ng Senado. Kaso, hindi pa rin nila naiwasang mabasa dahil may mga butas ang bubong sa walkway,” Angara said.

(One rainy night, they all took shelter at the walkway outside the Senate. But they still got wet because the walkway’s roof had holes.)

The senator said that instead of taking the “long, arduous and expensive trip” home every day, the employees chose to sleep in the Senate on weekdays.

“Clearly, the minimum wage is no longer a living wage. What life would they be leading if they don’t even see their families in their desire to save whatever they can from the P9,000 to P10,000 they earn on average each month?” he said.

Before, the employees were allowed to sleep in the offices of the Senate until after incidents of theft had been reported within the premises.

While he understands the decision of the chamber to secure its premises, Angara said he was saddened that the employees had to sleep in the street.

“Some say the worse sin is that of omission. And at times, we get so concerned with “big” things that we forget about “little” things that are no less important. Even I can’t absolve myself as I believe I should’ve been more cognizant about the housing situations of those who work in my office.”

“Kung mandato po ng Senado ang makapaghain ng mga batas para sa ikabubuti ng Pilipino, hindi ba’t nasa kakayahan rin natin ang makarating sa isang solusyon sa problemang ito?” the senator asked.

(If it’s the Senate mandate to create laws that will benefit Filipinos, aren’t we also capable of solving this problem?)

In fact, Angara said, some of the stay-ins were not asking for much as they only want to be allowed to sleep on the covered basketball court or inside the Public Assistance Center (PAC) of the Senate.

“Perhaps a fund could be created that could help subsidize rents or other housing costs. Ultimately, if space and finances permit, a separate barracks for them could one day be erected,” he said.

Angara’s speech was referred to the Senate committee on accounts, chaired by Senator Panfilo Lacson, to immediately look into the matter. IDL/rga