The moment I heard that the streets of Divisoria have been cleared of sidewalk vendors, I flew to Manila to witness the momentous sight. This once busy section, riddled with various bazaars and people, has finally been stripped off its chaos.
As I stride aimlessly on one of its thoroughfares, I couldn’t help but sigh. It feels different. Everything is new to the eyes. Who would have thought we were walking on square blocks of concrete before?
“It’s so empty,” I voiced out.
“So are our stomachs,” the man from behind replied. He is Renato, a vendor for 45 years.
Word Count: 100
It has been a while since I’ve written for Friday Fictioneers and I am happy to be back for this week’s prompt.
Friday Fictioneers is a weekly writing challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields where a photo is used as a prompt for a hundred-word piece of fiction. The photo prompt this week is a courtesy of Rochelle herself. 🙂
This one is inspired by the ongoing road clearing operations in the Philippines. Last July, the Department of the Interior and Local Government gave local executives 60 days to reclaim public roads from private use and to clear streets of obstruction. While this project scheme comes with good reasons and intentions, it could not be denied that the street vendors, whose lives relied on their meager earnings, were greatly affected. When the stretch of roads have all been emptied, what happens to those who strive to make ends meet. Is change truly for all? Here’s a photo of the real Divisoria.
Up for a challenge? Join the fun here:
DoodleScribbles 
October 17, 2019 at 3:20 pm
A shame, the loss of both livelihoods and the character of the place.
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October 17, 2019 at 4:03 pm
removing chaos is not always a good idea. Thought-provoking piece
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October 17, 2019 at 4:48 pm
One man’s mess is another man’s market.
Three sides to every story, I guess.
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October 17, 2019 at 5:25 pm
That ending tho. 👏👏👏 As always. So striking. 😎
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October 17, 2019 at 5:50 pm
Surely it wouldn’t have been impossible just to set aside a market place. These places are often the thriving heart of a place for tourists.
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October 17, 2019 at 6:24 pm
A moving piece. Well done.
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October 17, 2019 at 9:24 pm
The atmosphere must have totally changed and not for the better. What a mistake.
Here’s my story!.
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October 18, 2019 at 3:42 am
When they remove our market place, then what.
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October 18, 2019 at 7:55 am
That’s heartbreaking for the vendors, not to mention bank-breaking. What was the government’s motivation?
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October 18, 2019 at 10:18 am
Interesting. It’s easy to see this happen when U.S. cities gentrify areas. Usually the character is lost as are the people who were it’s life blood that can no longer afford to live and work there. Good tale.
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October 18, 2019 at 6:38 pm
Dear Maria,
Progress isn’t always progress, is it? Nicely told.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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October 18, 2019 at 10:02 pm
They cleared it out and removed all its character. A sad story…
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October 19, 2019 at 2:34 am
One man’s chaos is another man’s life.
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October 19, 2019 at 10:35 pm
Every renovation will have a casualty. People that were making both ends meet will go hungry till a new place is allotted to them.
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October 21, 2019 at 3:59 am
The loss of livelihood is such a dark side-effect… and after all the street is dead afterwards.
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October 26, 2019 at 11:13 pm
I grew up in Manila and i honestly was not a fan of Divisoria..for obvious reasons…and now that it has been cleared up, i am not even sure how i felt about it..maybe you are right…what happens to those vendors?…where are they now?
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