Brgy 20, Parola, Tondo
Parola is one of the Philippines' largest slums with a land size of 205,800 square meters. It is separated into two clusters in the City of Manila: Barangay 20, Zone 2, District I in Tondo and Barangay 275, Zone 25, District III in Binondo. Its population is currently estimated to be at 57,246 people (of whom 11, 861 are men, 15,389 are women and 29,996 are children, according to National Statistics Office or NSO report).
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Parola is lacking in the basic facilities that a large community should have. There is no Health Center, the streets and roads are extremely small, the drainage system is inadequate, there is no garbage/waste disposal management, and, most critically, the water supply system and electricity facilities are both insufficient. Most of the people living in Parola are just paying 3 pesos per gallons of water and the word "jumper" is very common when it comes to electicity because there are people who cannot afford to have a legal access to electricity.
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Most of the people living in Parola must be resourceful in order to live. Being a pedicab driver, assistant, having a small “sari sari store” (where things like sardines, rice, candies, shampoo, and soap are sold), laundry washer, and garbage collection are all common alternative sources of income in this place. Even peeling off garlic and onion skin is a popular way of earning money. Drug addiction is also prevalent here and most users ‘inhale solvents,' which prevent them from feeling hungry. However, despite of this situation, there are still people and volunteers who are reaching out to this community and are trying to help the residents here by giving them foods and some are having projects like community service.


