Behold, the poor in our midst

Who among those who lined up for a precious space in the Wowowee anniversary show ever thought they would never make it home alive that fatal Saturday morning?

Thousands, in fact, lined up for days on end, to bring home their much-needed cash, prize, or whatever giveaway items they may win and share with their waiting family members back home.

One young child hoped she could show off her dancing and singing talent to the program host or another wanted simply to see and meet Willy Revillame in person.

Lofty or simple, no one among the 73 dead ever thought their dreams would lead them to their unexpected death!

Will their loved ones ever be consoled if told that their dead are now where all their wildest dreams are fulfilled with the greatest Host of all? Can promises of aid and other benefits ever replace those they loved dearly and lost all so unexpectedly and briefly? Can joy and entertainment ever be the same again after last Saturday's stampede?

The Saturday tragedy, however, was a wake-up call, a rude awakening for us all Filipinos. The stampede showed and reminded us all about the real face of so much poverty in our midst.

For those in government and among our people who continue to deny the existence of the poor, behold, the faces of the poor among Saturday's dead.

The stampede highlighted the poor among those in power, who continue to promise redemption for the poor but lose millions, even billions for the cause of the non-poor or for the selfish goal to stay in power. These are perhaps, more correctly, the real poor, those deprived of real moral values and God?

The stampede also showed the poor among the living: Those who pushed, who trampled upon others, unmindful of who would be hurt or killed in their rush to instant fame or cash.

Saturday's tragedy also showed the poor in spirit, those who only thought of profits and ratings without concern for the welfare of the thousands under the sun, the strain, and stress of daily life and poverty.

There were also the poor in sight, whose myopic view only showed them how to entice, lure, and capitalize on thousands to dream beyond their means and who failed to see that the thousands, hungry for food and change, would instantly convert into an unruly, unthinking mob.

There were the poor in mind, who failed to imagine that gates and guards could not contain, hold back the burning desire and dreams of the thousands promised an instant crack at millions!

There were the poor in heart, those who can, those who continue to deny the existence of the real poor, those oblivious to the urgent need of their neighbors and their kababayans to go beyond their daily bout and struggle with hunger, joblessness, desperation, hopelessness.

The list of the various types of poor who appeared with the dead in last Saturday's stampede can go on and on and on. Perhaps, it is clear to us all now that the poor in our midst are not only those whose bodies are in need of nourishment; the poor in our midst are countless, with the face of poverty, legion.

Beyond the blame and finger-pointing, however, what do we do now that we have witnessed the poor among the dead and the living mirrored in last Saturday's stampede? What do we do with the various types, legions of poor in our midst, and do we also see ourselves among the real poor?

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