Joy Adalia
Last week, netizen Archel Cabanas posted the snapshots on Facebook of a man on crutches in the streets of Thailand. Under the pouring rain, a disabled man can be seen struggling as he tried to continue selling sampaguita garlands to passing motorists despite him being soaked from head to toe.
Wearing only a white undershirt and short pants, this unnamed man wiped his face as he continued to sell the flowers while using a single crutch to move around.
Many netizens were concerned about the man’s well-being, especially since he could get sick from being soaked in the rain. While a lot of netizens were angry at the man’s family for “abandoning” him and allowing him to work, many also pointed out that this man possibly volunteered to sell sampaguita to help feed his poor family.
Even Cabanas’s caption pointed that out. In his post, Cabanas wrote, “Ung iba nag tratrabaho ng patas kahit umuulan gagawin ang lahat para my ipakain sa pamilya, pero ung iba pumapatay pa ng tao para lang makuha pinaghihirapan nila. God bless you kuya. (While some people work fairly and do everything they can, even under the rain, to feed their families, there are others who kill people to make money. God bless you, big brother.)” Even without us knowing the full circumstances behind the photos, it is heartbreaking to see them nonetheless.
The DailyPedia got in touch with Cabanas who informed us that these photos were taken in Thailand where he is currently based. He has no idea who this vendor was and what actually happened after the photos were taken since they came from viral posts in Thailand of undetermined origins.
Still, the plight of this poor vendor is something that goes beyond race, and his determination is something all of us can admire.
