By Virgilio C. Ventura
Pagpag is the Tagalog term for leftover or trash foods salvaged from garbage and re-cooked for consumption by the poorest Filipinos in the slum districts of Metro Manila. Despite being considered a survival food and a symbol of the poor Filipinos’ resilience, pagpag has become a controversial issue due to the health risks associated with it. In this article, we will explore the cultural significance of pagpag, the reasons why it is consumed, the health risks involved, and efforts to address the issue.
The Cultural Significance of Pagpag
For many poor Filipinos, pagpag is a reminder of their struggles to survive and their determination to make the most of the meager resources they have. However, where pagpag is the very poor’s symbol of resilience it is also the well-off people’s symbol of excess. Such is the social stratification drama that we continue to witness in Philippine society today.
“Though millions of Filipinos go hungry, the amount of food waste generated by the Philippines remains staggeringly high. Environmental group World Wide Fund Philippines (WWF PH) and its partner, composting company GreenSpace, collect about a ton of food waste every week from 100 to 120 partner households and 20 to 25 partner businesses in Metro Manila alone.
“The capital region generates around 2,000 tons or 2 million kilograms of food waste daily, according to 2017 data from the Philippine Institute of Development Studies.”1/
Pagpag exists not simply because of the poor people who feed on them, but because of their very limited purchasing power to afford fresh and healthy foods among other basic needs denied to them by virtue of their poverty. Yet, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the very poor have taken it upon themselves to innovate available trashed food disposed by the rich to address their hunger and at their own peril.
The Reasons Why Pagpag is Consumed
The primary reason for pagpag consumption is poverty. Since many Filipinos living in the slums cannot afford freshly cooked food, they rely on leftover food found in the garbage of nearby restaurants and fast-food chains, or those they are able to collect from major dumpsites in Metro Manila. Pagpag is also much cheaper (costing P10 to P20 per re-cooked serving) than fresh food, making it a more accessible option for those struggling to make ends meet.
“A lot of scavengers sell recycled food that they segregate from other waste. It’s common practice around here,”said Amy Ignacio, who has been collecting trash from a fast-food restaurant in Manila for the past six years.2/ “If you get past the idea that this is leftover fast-food chicken, it’s not actually bad. But still, no person on earth deserves to live off food right out of the dumpster, right?” said Asian Boss host Joshua in his YouTube coverage on pagpag vendor Mama Rosita.3/
The Health Risks of Pagpag
While pagpag is a source of food for the poorest Filipinos, it also poses health risks. The leftover food from the garbage may contain harmful bacteria and toxins that can cause food poisoning and other illnesses like diarrhea, typhoid, hepatitis, etc. The re-cooking process may not be enough to kill these bacteria and toxins, especially if the food has been left in the garbage for a long time. The lack of proper sanitation and hygiene practices among those who salvage and re-cook pagpag (from the dumpster collector to the reseller/recycler chef to the consumer) also contributes to health risks.
“Food is the third most basic human need, after air and water. Only when food is safe can it contribute to our food security and health. When food is not safe, people cannot thrive, hunger and poverty cannot be alleviated, and a healthy life is not possible. If it isn’t safe, it isn’t food.”4/
Pagpag Boodle Fight: Would you care to join their feast?
Efforts to Address the Issue
Government and non-government organizations have focused on pagpag in recent years. The Philippine government has launched programs to address poverty and food insecurity, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Department of Agriculture’s Gulayan sa Paaralan Program. These programs aim to provide financial assistance and promote food security for poor Filipinos.
Non-governmental organizations such as Gawad Kalinga and Caritas Manila have also launched initiatives to address pagpag. Gawad Kalinga has established community kitchens that provide nutritious meals for the poorest communities in the Philippines. Caritas Manila has launched the Segunda Mana program, which collects and distributes surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets to the poorest communities.
Beyond the culture of consumption of pagpag by the poorest Filipino to reduce food waste, the food waste issue brings to the fore the impact of corporate social responsibility’s (CSR) food waste management model that could reduce the negative effects of hotel operations on society through the proper disposal of their food wastes with the full participation of everyone involved in the hotel business, from the corporate executives, employees, and suppliers to the guests.5/
Conclusion
Pagpag is a survival food innovation of the poorest Filipinos. It is a symbol of their resilience to hunger in the face of food insecurity. However, pagpag consumption health risks cannot be ignored. While efforts have been made to address poverty and food insecurity in the Philippines, more needs to be done to ensure that every Filipino has access to fresh and safe food. It is also imperative to promote proper sanitation and hygiene among those involved in pagpag production and vending to reduce health risks. Pagpag may remind us of the struggles of the poorest Filipinos, but it should not be a source of illness and suffering. END
NOTES:
1/ Cos, Wena, Food wasted by the tons while millions of Filipinos go hungry, ABS-CBN News, October 4, 2022. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/04/22/tons-of-food-wasted-as-millions-of-filipinos-go-hungry
2/ Cabrera, Michael, (April 30, 2008). “Filipino poor scavenge for recycled food to survive”. Reuters. Retrieved April 19, 2017. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-food-scavengers-idUSSP32323420080430
3/ This Grandma Cooks Garbage Food Waste to Survive in The Philippines | THE VOICELESS #15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4a_QuVAP80
4/ https://www.fao.org/food-safety/background/qa-on-food-safety/en/
5/ Srijuntrapun, P., Sukwong, P., & Marshall, A. (2022). The role of food waste hierarchy as Thai hotels seek to fulfill their corporate social responsibility. Heliyon, 8(10), e11201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11201
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