The amount of Inequality in the Society around Metro Cebu: Rich neighborhood, Poor neighborhood

Hello Steemians! How is it going?

It looks like everybody is on the hype for the Valentine's day with their loved ones. Well, everyday is a Heart's day for some. We can all show our love to our families, friends, neighbors everyday even to our little enemies. We can always tell them our appreciation in every little things they do for us everyday. We can always say "I love you" to them even not on Valentine's day.

Every time I go out and drop by the malls, I always see different types of chocolates, different colors of flowers in various kinds, stuffed toys, etc. Since the special day is coming, the malls, the streets are discerned to be really crowded. So, one afternoon I decided to go hiking instead and be with the nature for a couple of hours.

While going up, I saw a huge construction site a few meters away from where I live and was a bit troubled because of the grimy, dusty road with the speedy cars passing by me. Suddenly I remembered that there are these new homes that are constructed around the neighborhood inspired by the vibrant spirit of colorful living on the San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA. Out of great curiosity, I got in and gave myself a quick tour on how these new homes looked like.

Let me share to you some of the things I witnessed during my tour.

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The Rich Neighborhood

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_{The Grand Entrance}

It wowed me when I saw the grand gate. I felt like a princess that was about to enter the palace with my prince waiting for me inside wearing his lavish embellished tunics and cloak with gold lacework and rich embroidery. His nifty clothes and spicy aroma is appealing while riding on his white horse. He had a viking gold hair, bristly eyebrows, hawkish and defined cheek bones with a dazzle of his friendly smile. Then I sighed. I know this is every girl's dream. Let's go inside.

_{The Victorian-style fountain in front of the Gazebo.}

There were security guards all over the place. The guards on the entrance were wearing the typical guard uniform while the rest of them were wearing blue colored polo shirts with broader shoulders and stand about 5'9 in height. Some of them looked a bit scary to me but some had a very gentle smile to their guests. I asked one of the guards if I can go around the place and take pictures, fortunately I was allowed to do so.

Sprawling on a 2.8 hectare property, this subdivision features 3 different residential concepts namely: The Mansionettes, The Villas and The Towers. Each building is inspired by the Victorian Aesthetics of San Francisco Bay Area but with a contemporary touch.

_{The 12-storey Towers inside the subdivision with a little convenience store in front.}

I was astound by the architectural approach of this building. This is very different from all other subdivisions I've seen around Cebu. I am no architect but I can appreciate how the architects thought about this design to look more pleasant and friendly. Anybody would undoubtedly want to live in one of these. You might not see the real colors of this picture because I edited it but these colors are really soothing because they are pastel. It's a combination of light purple, white and ivory.

The convenience store looks irresistible. It is your not typical 7-eleven-store that you can see in all corners of the town. It is well designed that resembles the gazeebo beside it. I didn't attempt to check out what's inside because I had this feeling that an ice cream costs an arm and a leg. I would still prefer to eat the vanilla ice cream at 7-eleven for only 15 pesos. These residents in the picture seem to have a good time shopping.

_{The other set of Towers.}

_{The three-storey Mansionettes with a small swimming pool in front.}

I always dream of living in a residence where the swimming pool is on my reach. I like to imagine living next to it when I can sit on a beach sofa sipping a glass of mango shake under a huge pink umbrella with my sunglasses on. Best feeling ever.

There is a small playground at the back of the gazebo near the swimming pool which I failed to take a picture. I think the whole area is child-friendly due to its exclusivity. The main benefit of living in a subdivision like this is the safety and security. Of course, you want to ensure that your children grow up in a safe environment. As parents you want to prioritize how your children are brought up to be good citizens in the society.

_{The four-storey Villas beside the towers.}

_{The Lobby Entrance.}

The outside of the lobby seemed to be really peaceful and quiet. I think there are only few people who passed through this area. Mostly I can see cars going in and out or some residents outside the subdivision. I can sense the tranquility of the area probably because it is located in the upper part of the city or maybe there are only few residents living here yet. You can't see any children playing in this area even how spacious it is. Unlike in the downtown area, you can always see children playing with each other in the afternoon after school. They are usually loud and happy.

When you are living in central Cebu, you are to contend with the sounds of the traffic during rush hours, cope with the crowd rushing in the malls and restaurants and deal with the unbearable noise from your neighborhood on the next door. But when you live far from the highway, you are distancing yourself from such troubles day and night and live more peacefully.

_{An intricate flower vase in the lobby.}

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The Poor Neighborhood

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While enjoying my time roaming around the place, I thought about some of the neighborhood outside the subdivision. I asked these questions like, "What about them? How do they live their lives everyday? What are their routines? Where do the kids play? Can they bare the noise from the cars that pass right next to their windows day and night? How are they coping up with the deadly, dusty environment cause by the construction site to make other families' home a better shelter to live?"

I paused and sighed for the second time thinking about the answers for my questions. My heart is somehow broken watching the kids play in the dusty road. They look dirty but very happy. I remember when I was a kid, I used to be like them. I used to live in an impoverished area where my parents raised us. Well, it was not as worst as you may think. The place where I lived was not this muddy and swampy though but it was this chaotic and noisy.

_{The typical look of most houses around outside the subdivision.}

_{A typical day for the children around.}

In a society where poverty is a day-to-day struggle, children are the first to suffer for they are the most vulnerable group in any population. Poverty directly impacts on their mental and physical growth. Despite of the recent economic growth in the Philippines, there are still millions of people who suffer insufficiency on their basic needs. This is quite evident among the number of youths in the street looking for food in the dumpsites and forced to drop school to become the breadwinner of the family.

It is a challenging task to eliminate the classes in the society. It is heart-rending to admit that children are deprived of proper education, health, and shelter because of their lifestyle's inability to sustain.

_{The Jollibee tarpaulin to protect them from sun rays at sunset.}

_{The on-going construction.}

Looking at the 2.8 hectare land, I realized how many families were demolished when they started to build the subdivision. I thought of how many hearts were broken when they were told to destroy their houses. I wonder how many friendships were shattered when they had to transfer to another place because they have nowhere else to go. As I contemplated my thoughts, I could only think how inequality created a negative impact in the lives of the many.

This is a growing evidence that the segregation of the society allows bias and disparities between communities. I am saddened by how fortune makes you more of a person and how poverty makes you less of it. I hate the fact that money has become a measurement of the person's worth. The poor shouldn't be judged, not to be looked down upon, not to be discredited, not to be discriminated. They should always be given chances and should be entitled to gain every opportunities and achievements of life.

_{A small dumpsite near the houses.}

Fighting inequality is a commission for everyone. According to Edwin Lacierda, a former spokesman for the president of the Philippines,

The key to reducing inequality is better education, better healthcare, social safety nets and higher and broader economic growth, especially in agriculture.

I hope and pray that Cebu will atleast improve from this circumstance. I hope that everyone will help each other to have better lives in the coming days.

Thank you for reading everyone!

Until next time,

@honeyletsgo