Daughter just returned from Philippines.Is a P. family poor if a girl must sell bananas for school supplies?

Question

Philippinos,

My daughter had a great time in the Philippines with her boyfriend's family, but she told me that the family "is very poor." She said that one of the young cousins had to sell bananas in order to pay for her school supplies. Is this unusual in the Philippines?

Answer 1

I don't think the family would get insulted.  The fact that they accepted your daughter's "help" meant that they appreciated the overture.  It isn't about pride but out of necessity they had to.  Include a message for them, I am sure they will be very happy and truly appreciative.  Good luck!

As for a young cousin selling bananas - it's an honest work and nothing to be ashamed of.  Most poor and middle-income families here do that, sell banana/camote cue, ice water, ice candy...anything to augment their meager income or help the parents off some of the financial burden.  

Answer 2

I don't think it's uncommon. The Philippines is really poor.

Answer 3

Its normal there.  Not only because they don't have lots of money but it also teaches those kids the value of money.  There's nothing wrong with it and it doesn't necessarily mean they are near starvation.  Its a different culture and it would do a lot of American kids good to experience just one week of the normal life of a Filipino kid.  

Answer 4

Poverty is high in the PI. Even with a job wages are very low. Like about $1 a day.

Answer 5

Well that is pretty sad on how most of the answers on here keep saying it's not unusual to see a child like that in the Philippines. There was even one answer that would like for American kids to experience what poor Filipino kids do. That is a bunch of B/S to say let the American kids experience that. It's not America's fault for the poor Filipino kids having to sell bananas on the street. Rather than all of you writing "oh it's not unusual to see kids like that" you should write that it is sad and your pissed off about it. The Philippine government is a bunch of c**p and now I realize it's not just them also it's many of the Filipino people as well. For having an attitude of "oh it's not unusual to see kids like that" shows you don't even care and that stuff happens everyday. So many people also come on here ask about what do you think about Filipinos. You get the lame answers like I am so proud to be a Filipino which is c**p again. How can you be so proud in which look what your country is doing to the children? That is why many other countries think the Philippines is stupid. The biggest hint of them all is do you ever wonder why other countries don't do a d**n thing to help the Philippines. It's because of it's people. I don't see celebrities adopting from the Philippines.

Answer 6

Rich or poor good manners are good manners.  Would you send a thank you to a rich or middle class American family?  Then why would not do the same to a poor family that showed your loved one hospitality.  

Most likely according to your standards the family is poor, but that does not mean they are poor by Philippine standards.  Obviously the fact that whatever they had they were willing to share with your daughter speaks well of them.

I am an American that has lived in the Philippines for a number of years.  It is not unusal for children to work and contribute to the families income even if they are not poor.  I believe it would be benificial if the same was true in America.  It teaches them responsibilites.  

I do not take your question as demeaning I believe that you are simply not aware of the realities of the world.  A message sent by one of the carrier service like Western Union with a cash gift would be very appropriate.  Perhaps the note could simply say I wanted to return the hospitality you showed my daughter on her recent visit.  It is difficult to send material things with custom and all so I am forwarding a cash gift.

Why are you not making these inquires from your daughter's boyfriend if he does not know he certainly could ask his mom.  

Answer 7

Here are some pics of children selling cigarettes and other stuff in the cities (Manila):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/omsel/23156...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/omsel/21795...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eeckart/526...

and these are kids selling in the province:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kerolic/272...

Answer 8

It's not unusual but it's also not prevalent. If a girl has to sell bananas to buy school supplies (not because of just being creative but because of having no choice at all), then the family is definitely poor. A cousin though is a relative. When you say family, people would usually think immediate relatives like mom, dad, siblings, children, and maybe grandparents. It's not unusual to have relatives poorer than your family there..

Answer 9

selling fruits is not uncommon to earn a few pesos to buy basic needs. it's like some youngsters here in the states too flipping burgers to earn extra bucks.

Answer 10

About 40% of Philippine households resort to measures such as this to maintain what essentially amounts to a hand to mouth, day to day existence.

A child selling bananas is actually a fairly dignified way to earn school money. I've heard and seen much much worse fates for most of these unfortunate souls.

Tens of thousands of kids in Manila sell cigarettes, flowers, snacks to travellers by jumping and weaving onto chaotic and heavily trafficked/polluted highways for hours a day to feed their parents and themselves, much less have any left to go to school.  

Their tiny fragile innocent lives are at great risk of death and injury all day long.  Nobody really cares about them.  If so, why are they still there?  It's a sin.

http://www.hobotraveler.com/2007/04/stre...

http://www.mindanao.com/blog/?p=295

These are the places where they live:

http://www.odyssei.com/travel-gallery/12...

People often don't realize that if not for the grace of God, this could easily be us, our friends, our children.

Answer 11

I live in the USA and its not uncommon for some kids to have to get a job just to buy new school clothes or supplies. I know it was a long time ago, but when my Grandma was growing up she had to go pick cotton in the feilds just to buy cloth to make her own school clothes. Her parents could only afford to buy each of the kids one pair of school shoes to last ALL year.  

Answer 12

That is not an uncommon scenario in the Philippines at all. Children often help their parents earn extra income for home and school needs. If you go to wet markets, you'll see children, as young as 7 years old, along with their parents selling anything like vegetable, toys, cooked foods, etc. They seem to enjoy it and they know how to sell and they can even offer you a deal. I have had several elementary school classmates in the province with the same situation.

In response to someone:

I am only stating the FACT that kids selling in the market or in the street is not UNUSUAL, it's a FACT. How else shall I reply to the question, insert a lot of my opinions? construct an essay about it?

Answer 13

Yes. But not unusual for kids in the provinces, poor or from working households, to sell bananas. Its comparable to a lemonade stand, kids wanna go see a movie in town, then they either sell bananas which grow around abundantly. No harm in that. But your daughter said so herself, that the family is poor.

But what is it that bothers you most that the cousin sells bananas or because her BF is poor?