“A note from Leslie: How desperate would you have to be to eat “Pagpag”? No, it’s not a delicacy intended to tease the palates of the rich, it is simply days old food from the garbage dump, the maggots and dirt shaken off, and recooked for human consumption! To many of the garbage scavengers that live on or near the dump, it is all they can afford to eat. Some of this waste will be sold to Pagpag vendors who recook it and sell it at a low price to the many poor who are hungry and cannot afford to buy fresh food. There are many health risks for those eating Pagpag, including ingestion of poisons, toxins, and food-borne illnesses. Many health and government agencies warn against eating Pagpag because of the threat of malnutrition and diseases such as Hepatitis A, typhoid, and diarrhea. Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death for children under the age of 5 in the Philippines. Despite the risks, families living in extreme poverty continue to eat Pagpag because they are desperately hungry. Realizing the prevalence of the poor families eating Pagpag everyday has brought me to tears many times. Seeing the effect of malnutrition on the children such as stunted growth, poor brain development, and disease is overwhelming. But, once I get my emotions in check, I am more resolved than ever to continue our efforts to see change happen in the poor communities! There are many days where we at Project Life Subic celebrate the good changes that are happening through the efforts of our ministry and through your giving of time, finances and prayer. But there is still so much to be done! Health education, job training for the unskilled, and sharing Jesus and his love to the people here can help us see lives changed.
