Inspiration is the word. We always see street people
residing on side streets. Almost all of
them are in need of food and money. For them to sustain their living, they need
to earn money and feed themselves. Even middle class people find it hard to
work for money. This is not easy for them because they’re not few in
population. Yearly, the number of
homeless families is increasing. Mind you, increasing, not decreasing. Pangangalakal,
pagbebenta and pagsisilbi are
some of their ways to produce money. If they don’t act and move, they can’t
fill out their stomach; No food to eat. This is the reality, so all of them,
must think of their own ways.
“Mahirap na ang buhay ngayon” is one of the most rampant
phrases in the society. Some would agree; some will not. Even wealthy people can state comparisons of
the value of money before and in the present time.
As for Manong Jojo, life is tough. You have to function in
order for you to last, matira matibay nga
‘di ba? But this man is different; he is full of positive thoughts and aspects despite
of questionable situations of our society. He loves reading; in fact he reads
everything. Early in the morning, newspaper is his breakfast. He starts his day
with this before doing his task for source of income which is pangangalakal. In kariton is where he stays and lives. He considers this kariton as his home. You can see a lot of people pushing their karitons, but Manong Jojo labeled
himself as “scavenger” which vastly poles apart. His life can be described as
“come what may” discernment or “positive vibes all the way” . He mentioned that like everyone else, he has
full of problems. What is different is that he does not live considering all
his problems. Rather, he takes this as a challenge in life. Forward, forward he
goes. He reads novels and magazines where he get from his pangangalakal that serves as his relaxation. Where does he get his
strength? Living on side streets is much different in living in a decent home.
Manong Jojo states that reading gives him the potency to endure. Believe it or
not, but this man gets strategies to survive in life with the use of reading
materials. Somehow, it is hard for him to understand some words but he’s trying
his best to comprehend. Admirable, right? He even mentioned that he uses context clue
for him to be able to understand phrases and sentences.
This man knows the situation of our country but does not
make it to the point that he’ll get too much affected. He knows very well that
his being optimistic matters. I am very much encouraged by his story because I did not
know there’s still an extremely hopeful person like him. I hope that the
segment that was shown in Storyline will spread encouragement among Filipinos
especially to the underprivileged people like him. He speaks naturally and
truthfully with conviction. Kudos, Manong Jojo!