The Middle Class Pinoy is Imaginary

Middle Class People are Unicorns

In the Philippines, there are only two classes of people: the rich aristocrats and the barefooted servant class. The not-so-rich almost aristocrats invented the fiction of the middle class. But before I go on let me define the aristocratic class. These are the people, no matter whether they are billionaires or not who can afford to hire other people to serve them. That simplifies the definition of the servant class:  specifically - those who serve for pay.

For statistical convenience and no other reason, the middle class was invented. This is composed of non-millionaires who are employed as blue collar workers. Many are lucky to be counted as being part of "junior management." Many rent houses or apartments and a few own modest-size houses and may also own a car or two and probably a second home. A lucky few become entrepreneurs and become millionaires. The rascals go into politics and become multi-mllionaires.

When we moved to BF Resort Village in Las Pinas back in the mid-70's, I was under the impression that my family belonged to the middle class. We owned a small house for which the mortgage was a mere PhP400 pesos. Back then the exchange rate was about PhP17 pesos to a dollar. We owned a TV set, a refrigerator, a stereo, an electric cooking range, CB radio, sewing machine and a few minor doodads. The car came later. I was employed as a lowly advertising kigmy called "a/e."

Initially, we did our own house cleaning in BF but since we could afford it, we hired a servant to do that chore. We even had a cook! See? we were almost "aristocrats" but that's where the similarity ended for I still worked for the capitalist. The laundry was done by Andeng, a middle-age professional laundrywoman from Pangasinan married to Pedro, a diabetic gopher who did odd jobs when he's not driving a jeepney for a living. Andeng and Pedro lived in a rundown shack built on somebody's land. They were the encargors of the owner (surnamed Leelin) The two had six children who sporadically attended public school only when Pedro had a driving job. When driving, he can give his children free rides to school 3 miles away. That is a long walk under the burning sun or pouring rain hence when no free ride is available their children stay home or hire themselves out to do odd jobs such as gardening, driving a tricycle or running errands.

One quality Andeng possessed was unquestionable honesty. If she finds money or anything of value in the clothes she's laundering she returns them. Her honesty also meant she had no secrets from us. If they had no food she lets us know indirectly and we share with her whatever extra we have. Andeng also helped my wife do some cooking. The most she enjoys doing is help us roast a leg of pork in the oven. Andeng collects all the fat that dripped into the baking pan plus some of the crispy skin and some lean meat to bring home with her.

"We'll fry our rice with this pork lard, add some anchovy paste and tomatoes to it and we'll have a delicious supper," she'd say. "I'll save the crispy skin and meat for Pedro so he'll have more energy when he drives the jeepney." Since we also had plenty of vegetables growing in our yard (spinach, sweet potatoes, taro, gourds,  etc.) she would ask my wife for some to take home to add to the vegetables  she harvests from her own yard (which is frequently picked and therefore almost bare). We didn't complain if one or two of her kids hang out with her while she's washing or pressing our clothes. We felt we had no reason to complain as we shared our meals with them for we were well off, comparatively speaking. However, we did feel uncomfortable and somewhat guilty when they eat the crab gills that we normally throw away.

When anyone in her family fell ill, their recourse is the public health center and their major "medicines" were Vicks, aspirin, oil of wintergreen and some watery cough syrup.

We left BF Resort Village around 1985 and my first visit was in 2008. My former neighbors said I missed Andeng by a few minutes. I passed by their former shack on the way home and saw a big modern apartment there. I asked people which apartment Andeng occupied. They never heard of her. I did learn that Pedro had passed away long ago about two years after his legs were amputated. I failed to learn where Andeng and her family were by the time I returned to New York.

Yes, Andeng was still hiring out her services to people but since washing machines were already everywhere, Andeng's work was mostly pressing clothes. I'm now 78 and Andeng must be 5 or 6 years my senior and she's still a part time servant. Never having held a factory or office job she doesn't qualify for social security pensions.

Andeng, as I write this, is probably dead by now. And all the billionaires (mostly Chinese) and millionaires in the Philippines will not feel the effect of Andeng's passing. There will be millions more of Andengs to take her place to make the rich richer. And there will be millions too of Pedros who will lose their legs or fingers  or eyes before they die.

The middle class? It's a pigment of the imagination. A few wrong turns and I could have been another Pedro, or even worse. And the  people are saddled with a government composed of aristocrats who work mainly for the benefit of fellow aristocrats! To paraphrase Lincoln in a negative way "it is now our hope that a government of aristocrats, by aristocrats and for the aristocrats shall perish from the earth."