PROJECT CITIZEN

Introduction and Problems/Issues Identification

COMMUNITY PROFILE

The students of this group chose Barangay 293 in the district of Binondo. This barangay is headed
by Barangay Capt. Marissa Alejandro. A visit was conducted to interview 2 barangay residents and 2
barangay officials (tanod and SK).

1. Demography

Binondo has a fairly average population size, with a little over 20,491 residents. Religion-wise,
most of the residents are Catholics but there are also Muslims present, and even Buddhist temples.
Culture-wise, the community and its atmosphere is a blend of Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino with
Chinese-themed products and architecture being ubiquitous in the marketplaces and buildings, Catholic
churches placed around the district (such as the famous and iconic "Binondo Church''), and Philippine
mannerisms and language. The Prospect Barangay, which was Barangay 293 has a population of 3,565
according to the 2020 Census.

2. Location

Barangay 293 faces parallel to the back entrance of Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo. Binondo
is a district located in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It is commonly called Manila's
Chinatown, the world's oldest. It is a multicultural community, mixing elements of Philippine, Spanish,
and Chinese culture, making for an excellent and interesting place to visit. It is characterized by its
crowded markets and streets and vibrant atmosphere.

3. Occupations

Binondo's common occupations include government and transportation workers, low-wage street
vendors in marketplaces, and independent businessmen striving to make a living by running and operating
establishments. Most of these are retail stores or restaurants selling Chinese-themed products.

4. Social Structure

Binondo's social structure consists of people from various financial classes. As mentioned
previously, there are lower class people such as the low-wage workers, who despite their unfortunate
struggles, are necessary because they provide useful products from food to clothing and help keep the
economy stable while providing the general population their needs and maintaining the overall culture of
the community. Government and transportation workers help uphold and maintain the community's and
its citizens' safety and security, especially because the community deals with heavy traffic problems. and
independent businessmen. Then, there are the businessmen who are generally from the middle or upper
class, and they are responsible for economic growth and development.

5. Culture/Languages/Tradition

From its architecture, vibrance, and products, Chinese culture is present in Binondo. Everything
essentially paints the picture of traditional China with a slight tinge and blend of Filipino. Buildings,
especially the Chinese-based temples and ancestral halls, are masterfully and intricately carved and
designed. Many buildings are also painted red, symbolizing luck, good fortune, or prosperity in Chinese
culture. Walking around the marketplace in Binondo will make you hungry with the aromas of the
sizzling street food. People commonly communicate with each other through the use of English and
Tagalog, but there are also some who speak Mandarin or other Chinese dialects.

6. Environment

As previously stated, the environment is brimming with vibrance, crowded markets, and bustling
streets. There is also a very rich and robust presence of culture. It is an interesting place; it looks
particularly fantastic at night and the atmosphere is also remarkable.

7. Health

Since Binondo is in the city, the air in the congested streets causes pollution. Furthermore, even
with weekly cleaning and garbage segregation, garbage can still be seen on some parts of the streets that
should be thrown properly. Despite the presented problems, residents of Barangay 293 seem to be used to
it and there is no known disease outbreak caused by the aforementioned health hazards.

8. Lifestyles and Daily Life

We asked about the lifestyle and the daily routine of the folks around the community and they
were mostly average. There’s no significant difference between the people of Binondo and those outside
of Binondo. Their lifestyle is the same as most usual Filipino lifestyles, including commuting, working,
caring for their families, etc.

9. Education

The predominant Chinese culture in Binondo had also impacted the education system in that
jurisdiction. Schools in the area have Filipino-Chinese students, if not, a pure nationality of each.
Moreover, the staff in these schools, include Chinese teachers. Their curriculum adheres to the
requirements of the Department of Education (DepEd) at the same time incorporating Chinese culture.

10. Community Participation

 As stated by the Barangay official that we interviewed, the community is very active when it
concerns participation. She proclaims that the community is collectively always trying to actively help
each other solve the troublesome problems that are prevalent in the community.

One of the recurring problems that continuously emerged during our interviews with the
community members and the Barangay official herself were the problems concerning garbage disposal,
lack of parking spaces, and traffic congestion. They expressed their heartfelt and deep concern for the
heavy traffic and the pervasiveness of trash around the district. Nonetheless, in response to these
challenges or problems, the community is actively trying to combat these problems through the
exploration of solutions and implementation of conventional methods such as the Barangay hiring janitors
or sweepers to clean the trash up every night, combating garbage accumulation or hiring barangay tanods
(traffic enforcers) or barangay police officers who are responsible for mitigating the traffic problems.

Mandates, Functions, Programs, Resources of Relevant Organizations

Regarding garbage disposal, Binondo’s barangay is trying to fix the problem with the assistance
of the Department of Public Services (DPS). DPS is an organization whose sole purpose is to address the
garbage or waste disposal problem in the Philippines. Their mission is to essentially clean and light the
streets up, remove graffiti, composting, repair garbage trucks, etc.

They also have an organization that helps them out with their traffic problem. This organization is called
the MTPB or Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau. They are responsible for managing and controlling the
traffic situation in Manila. They also have the capability to designate pay and no-pay parking areas on all
streets and bridges in the City of Manila.

Lastly, with the help of parking attendants. They can mitigate the severity of the parking situation.
However, it isn’t significant enough to completely fix the problem as many complaints from the citizens
about the parking situation in Binondo still exist.
 Policy Recommendations and Action Plan

Before we express our recommendations for how these problems should be resolved or addressed, we first
asked about the opinion of the people in the community itself on what they think should be done or
implemented by the Barangay to mitigate the problems they are dealing with.

Their action plan for how the problems that involved garbage disposal, traffic congestion, and inadequate
parking spaces could be solved was: (1) The creation of more parking spaces (2) Implementation of better
parking rules (3) Implementation of better waste management rules.

From a scientific point of view, we can improve the problem of traffic and parking spaces significantly by
having a professional traffic engineer analyze and predict traffic flow patterns and have them plan, invent,
and design transportation improvements in Binondo to reduce the possibility of and mitigate the severity
of traffic congestion, traffic incidents, and ensure the safety of commuters and drivers. They could also
suggest ideas for how the road could be improved and how to make appropriate parking spaces.

Further, to deal with the garbage disposal problem, we can promote community composting instead of
throwing food scraps away. Composting transforms food scraps, coffee grounds, and things of that nature
into a fertilizer that enriches soil and plants.

Aside from that, we can also start implementing new technologies such as smart bins that monitor the fill
level of the bin. When it detects that the bin is full, it alerts the authorities, delivering the message that it
is time to empty it. This suggestion, however, requires the government or barangay to spend a
considerable amount of money. Hence, it should only be considered until the Philippines has a great
economy to support and implement the idea. For now, the previous suggestions or recommendations will
suffice.
 Notes of Experience

Mamac, Vincent Gabriel

I had such a wonderful experience in Binondo. I was captivated by the warmth and hospitality of
the people there, who were incredibly kind and had no issues or problems with being interviewed at all.
Being there and seeing all these wonderful sights was, simply put, indescribable. At the moment, I had no
thoughts about the correlation of the concepts of science, technology, and society to the events going on
around my environment because I was simply living in the moment, fully immersing myself in the
culture, tradition, and enjoying the beautiful Chinese-themed sights and the multi-layered, complex, and
intricately designed architecture. However, now that I reflect upon it. I have come to realize and truly
appreciate the profound impact of science and technology in our modern society and how the world has
universally succumbed to these concepts, gladly accepts them as a part of society, and a necessity for
survival and growth. This realization makes me happy because of the fact that we have come so far from
how we lived back then where we had to depend on hard labor agricultural work to survive and had little
to no medical technology that could help us out if we ever got sick. The current need or desire for
scientific advancement and technology transcends cultural barriers or boundaries now in that no matter
what culture you are, you will now have to be in some shape or form dependent on technology if you
want to keep up with the times. It wouldn't be appropriate for a person to live a caveman-like lifestyle if
he wishes to survive in the world that he is in right now and it also wouldn't be appropriate for a person to
use horse carriages to travel around Manila. To survive, we have no choice but to keep up with the times
and to embrace modern science findings that could potentially change the world and technological
advancements. We have to accept and embrace modernity, but that doesn't mean that we should be slaves
to it. We should always remember that technological and scientific advancements are supposed to be for
the benefit of humanity, not a detriment to it. While technology is indeed very important and is a good
thing, we should never forget to preserve our cultural heritage, spend some time away from technology to
appreciate the very nature of life itself, or let technology hinder us from achieving our goals and dreams
in life. LIke with all things, technology is a double-edge sword. So make sure to use it wisely, in
moderation, and to treat it as a blessing and not an addiction nor a curse.
Sy, Felix

As part of the community of Binondo, I felt like I did not know my own community well
enough. Living on the other side of Chinatown and observing the daily lives of people in the
community of barangay 293 made me realize that life is not a bed of roses. I have seen with my
own eyes how people live day by day just to provide for their families. Although it was a fun
experience conversing and learning new things with them. I have realized that their community
lacks or doesn't utilize technology due to their limited resources. Despite the limited resources,
the captain and SK chairman of the barangay still overcome the challenges that their community
is facing day by day. The way they organize the structure of their tanods, the MMDA officers
and sweepers, they are able to manage even just a little the problems that they are facing such as
traffic, waste disposal and issues of children stealing in the public. Overall, as a Filipino-Chinese
that lives in the Binondo area, it is my responsibility to help neighboring Chinese communities
that experience problems in their environment. If I have the opportunity, I would like to give
awareness or a program in connection with what we have learned regarding science, technology
and society. In this case, more effective methods or solutions will be made in facing the problem
of the community.
Zamora, Francesca Beatriz Krystel

Personally, conducting this visit was fun. As a little girl, I often went to Binondo with my
parents. That’s why going there with a purpose related to science and technology is even more
exciting. This enhances my learning experience further as a pre-medical student. Moreover, I got
to know some of the locals with my groupmates and how their community cares about their
Barangay. It has pushed us students to be more aware of our neighboring communities and how
we can contribute to helping them by using the knowledge we gain from the exclusive education
provided to us.

My favorite part was listening to the interviewees’ answers. There are some of them that
got shy. However, the others have answered wholeheartedly, which is evident in how they speak.
It is not easy to trust people from the authorities because often they don’t speak from their heart.
Yet, it is nice to know that some LGUs are genuinely interested in bettering their communities.

If given the opportunity, I would do this again but for a different area. I believe that more
problems need to be tackled. In addition to that, more voices need to be heard from the LGU.
Had the Philippines allowed the annual budget correctly, Barangays would not have lived
through the existing problems in the community. Then again, it is all up to society in how we
utilize the technology gifted to us by Science.
Appendices:

I. Interview Questions (All questions translated into Tagalog)

A. Barangay Residents
1. What are the common problems that arise in the barangay?
2. If the barangay had enough funds, how would you allot that to propose a
solution to the existing problems?
3. What is your daily lifestyle?
B. Barangay Officials
1. What are the common problems that arise in the barangay?
2. If the barangay had enough funds, what would you do to solve the
problem?
3. How would you describe the environment in your barangay?
4. Are there any organizations/programs that help solve this problem?
5. How do you describe the cultures and traditions present in the barangay?
6. How often do community members participate in barangay activities?
II. Photo documentation of the Visit

All individuals were asked for their consent before picture-taking. Mamac was not
seen in photos because he was tasked to roam around the vicinity of Barangay 293 for
community profiling while Sy and Zamora went to interview the community..

Figure 1. Exterior of Barangay Hall 293

Figure 2. 3rd floor of Barangay Hall

Figure 3. A further view of the 3rd floor of Barangay Hall

Figure 4. View of the environment around the Barangay

Figure 5. Pre-interview photo with Barangay tanod

Figure 6. Pre-interview photo with SK Kagawad

Figure 7. Pre-interview photo with Barangay resident 1

Figure 8. Pre-interview photo with Barangay resident 2
References:

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https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/147765/a-cultural-walking-tour-of-binondo-manila/

De Leon, S. (2024). Binondo–World’s oldest chinatown–turns 430. Philippine Information

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