We left Tama Zenshoen at around 4:30 in the morning. We reached Narita early, but that gave us time to search for the passport that one of us accidentally left behind in the bus on our way.

　

We have finally arrived in Manila! We were all very excited about the upcoming 9 days in the Philippines. In the evening, we had dinner with a Japanese journalist based in the Philippines, Mrs. Kumiko Anada. She has been living in Manila since 1985 and is working also as a coordinator of NGO activities. She told us the situations of many workers with poor income in Manila, what NGOs do for them and so on. We asked many questions and she answered us very kindly. We received various impressions. When we got back to the hotel, we discussed with each other on our thoughts until very late at night.

　

　

In the morning, Mrs. Anada took us to Sabana, which is an NGO helping children around "Smoky Mountain" area, which is a huge dumpsite of waste. The people who live in the area mainly make a living by "scanvenging" through the waste looking for recyclable items and selling them. In the bus on our way, Mrs. Anada gave us an explanation about the current situation of Philippine's economy, family finances, unemployment, etc.

When we reached Sabana, we were welcomed by many children receiving support from the organization. They presented us with many songs, which was an unforgettable gift for us. We were given some time to mingle with them, and they taught us their dreams and we told them ours. We also visited the job-training center for the residents of Smoky Mountain, so that they will have another means of making a living without having to go through the trash. Because of the bad weather, unfortunately we were not allowed to go into the dumpsite, but we say a glimpse of it through the windows of our van.

　

We departed Sabana and headed towards the center of Manila. Mrs. Anada guided us to both modern shopping centers as well as traditional markets. Her objective was for us to understand the huge wealth gap of the country. We also rode the local train, jeepney and bus, just to experience what an everyday life in Manila would be like.

The long day ended with a tour to the forest of neon lights just outside of central Manila, where the sex workers are found. We saw another reality of the Philippines.