Photoblog: Life in waiting — common sights in Quezon City

Ever wondered what our communities are like without the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life? Without the sounds of laughter, cries, footsteps, vehicles, pushcarts, peddlers, shouting, dogs barking, roosters crowing, horns honking, conversations, basketball games, loud music, flowing creeks and so on?

Allow me to take a breather from sharing images of faces, human activity and busy streets by showing this mix of still-life photos from Quezon City, Philippines. These moments make me think more of what could happen, before or after, rather than what is currently taking place. Here are the moments in between. Here are signs of life in waiting.

A jeepney in need of repair also means a stalled income. Jeepneys are some of the major public transportation vehicles around metro Manila. Driving them is a common source of income among families in the communities. Unless this jeepney in the Batasan Hills community of Quezon City starts rolling again, life for the family it is supporting will also be on hold.

In many of our communities, scraps and junk are a source of income. This pile of junk car parts is awaiting resale.

This net used for fishing recyclable trash from the slow-flowing creek lies at rest while the waters are clear of a catch.

School uniforms and physical education wear hang outside to dry. Many kids don't have enough uniforms to wear every day at school, so they must wash them as often as possible.

It's a quiet afternoon in Batasan Hills, where kids typically play and run around its sloping streets.

Unused clotheslines mark the skyline.

Safety and security are at stake in most communities, just like in this riverside community in Quezon City. (But a cat seems to have accepted the challenge to guard it.)

Wells are common sources of water in the communities. Here, a bucket hangs at rest before it gets used again to refill empty water containers for daily use.

This is the hallway of our Betty Lou Daul Center on a holiday — eerily quiet and almost lifeless without kids playing or our volunteers and staff at work.

Competition among sari-sari shops (convenience stores) is strong due to the sheer number of them lining the narrow streets, situated so close to each other.

Most of these images seemed void of activity, but they are indicators of life nonetheless. And like any life, it is worth taking care of and supporting in order to grow. Thanks to CI and its advocates, waiting becomes less agonizing and difficult for the families in Quezon City's poor communities. Waiting is not in vain for them because now that they are sponsored, things are taking a turn for the better.