Debt and homelessness

Inside a patch of tarpaulins and old sets of tables and cabinets put together in the middle of two huge buildings dwell Swan Anding Meraluo and her family.

The shanty near the corner of Mabuhay and Maginoo streets in Quezon City doubles up as a sari-sari (convenience) store by day.

House chores, like laundry and tidying up, take up most of Meraluo's time, and in between she attends to people buying from her little store.

Running a retail store like this on a homeless person's budget is tough, if not impossible, she says.

“Andami kong utang. Utang namin sa lending, sa bumbay. Minsan nagtatago na ako kasi hindi ko kaya magbayad e.”

(I’m buried in debt. I owe people money. Sometimes I just run and hide, because I don’t have money to pay those I owe.)

Her rent, at P200 a day, plus the inventory of goods she has to sell, coupled with the little she sells, is barely enough to recoup her costs, much more make profit, putting her in a cycle of debt and payment.

To make up for this, she accompanies her partner Jeffrey Magtuba to scavenging hunts during off hours. The scraps they find and sell to junk shops is sometimes enough to cover the day's rent.

“Mamayang alas-4 diyan kami sa city hall, kuha ng mga bakal, bote, plastic, karton, kahit ano. Pagkatapos pambayad lang sa bumbay, sa lending.”

(We’ll be around city hall to pick up garbage to sell. We’ll be lucky to get some discarded iron, pet bottles, even packaging cartons, to sell so we would have enough just to pay for our debts.)

TikTok and the quick buck

Through some of the bloggers who patronize the store, sometimes in the course of looking for content, Meraluo got to learn about TikTok and how the app can make money for people who go viral with their social media “challenges."

She had been looking for other ways to make ends meet, and spending time in front of the phone while making money seems to be a no-brainer, compared to countless hours scavenging for junk. She thought she found the answer to their woes.

She usually gets to perform at night. Just after closing the store and the used tables converted to sleeping areas, she take the time to get into her social media routine.

“ ’Pag gabi na rin minsan nag ti-TikTok ’pag hindi ako makatulog, inuutos ko na lang sa bata ang telepono para hindi mahulog.”

(At night, when it gets difficult to sleep, I use the time to dance. I just let other young people in the area hold my phone up so that it won’t fall.)

And with a little touch of make-up, a forced smile and app-based filters, she transforms for a few seconds each day, from an impoverished homeless lady into the night’s dance diva.

@swanandingmeral35 just for fun 😊#fypシ #foryoupage #fypシ ♬ original sound - Diamond RED 25🇹🇼🇵🇭🌈 - DIAMOND_RED🏳️‍🌈🇵🇭🇹🇼

Many young Filipinos find the app entertaining to pass their time. To others, like entertainers, it's a way to boost their celebrity status. Every like button hit, can be translated into cash and fame. For Meraluo, it's the opportunity to get just a little more cash.

For her, TikTok is a chance at a better life. If the store and junk cannot give her a living, she has placed a bet on social media to give her that. Enter Swan Anding Meral358.

Unfulfilled dream

Except that nobody told Meraluo that to earn from TikTok she needed to have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in 30 days.

She had been dancing in front of this social media app for more than a year now, still hoping to get a chance to be viewed by more than just 15 people who regularly view her, from a following of a few friends.

Meraluo remembered a blogger who once passed by and saw her dancing. “Sinabi ko sa blogger na dumaan dito, totoo ba ’yun, sir? Makakapasok din ako?”

(I asked that blogger, can I really make it to the big time with this?)

“Sige ma’m, they would say. Tuloy-tuloy lang baka sakali po matanggap ka.”

(Just keep going Ma'am, keep trying, who knows? You might get noticed.)

“Matagal (sumikat sa TikTok), kaya, tyaga-tyagain ko na lang, baka sakali lang ako. Hindi pare-parehas (ang oras mag-TikTok) kasi puyat kami, alas-12, katulad nito mag-aala-1 tulog namin, maglalaba tapos idlip na naman.”

(Yes, it takes a long time to get famous on TikTok, that’s why I just keep on doing it. Maybe I’ll get lucky some day. It's not the same every day. Many times we’re just too exhausted from lack of sleep. Like today, we’ve been up since midnight and nearly 1 a.m. We just end up taking naps.)

Sometimes, her young son would even call her out.

“Sabi, ma, hindi ka ba nahihiya?”

(Ma, aren’t you ashamed?)

“Bakit ako mahihiya? Mahihiya ako kung nagnanakaw ako, e hindi naman ako nagnakaw. Bakit ako mahihiya? Marangal naman ang trabaho ko. Kaya ’yun ang ginagawa ko.”

(Why should I be ashamed, I’m not robbing anyone? Why should I be ashamed? It's a decent way to earn money, that’s why I keep doing this.)

“ ’Yan ang gusto ko sa mga pangarap ko, sir. Makabili ako ng sarili kong lupa, makapatayo ng sariling bahay, magkakasama kami ng pamilya. ’Yung anak ko, ’yan gusto ko talaga.”

(This is what I want for my life, to buy my own plot of land, build a house on it where my children and I can live. That’s what I really want.)

“Kahit dito sa kalsada sir, TikTok din ako. Para meron din ako maipapasok sa TikTok.”

(That’s why I try to do it every chance I get, even out here on the street. So that i can make it on TikTok.)

With that she pushes a button and a narrator chimes in.

“Kalma, ako lang ’to.”

(Stay calm, it’s just me.)

And the Swan dances faithfully, blindly, even doggedly, for this once in a lifetime chance.

Swan Anding Meraluo takes care of the store on Maginoo and Mabuhay streets in Quezon City, which converts as her family's dwelling place at night. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo splits her chores between the house and the store in their informal dwelling place. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo takes a rest from her chores to browse on the popular social media app, TikTok. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Getting a hint from vloggers that have patronized her store, Swan Anding Meraluo tries TikTok on her own, hoping she could earn using the social media app. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

The rent for the store space, plus the slow number of customers, has forced Swan Anding Meraluo to take a look at social media as a venue to earn extra money. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

The sales from the store and other part-time jobs have not been enough for Swan Anding Meraluo to pay rent and the family's expenses. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Whatever income she derives from the store merely goes to the rent and the goods she has to sell, oftentimes forcing her to borrow money from lenders just to get by. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo sets her rig up in front of the store as she gets ready to produce content on TikTok. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo rehearses a dance sequence, as she regularly produces content on TikTok, hoping it will reach the required number to be able to monetize. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo performs her routine on the street, oblivious of the pedestrians walking past her store, at the corner of Mabuhay and Maginoo streets in Quezon City. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Literally the world is her stage, Swan Anding Meraluo records her performance out in the streets and for the rest of the world to see on the social media app, TikTok. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Despite the low viewership and even the ribbing she gets for her TikTok uploads, Swan Anding Meraluo dreams that the social media app can deliver on its promise when she accumulates the required numbers. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Rain or shine, Swan Anding Meraluo keeps up with the app, monitoring other accounts and thinking of ways she herself can hit the desired numbers necessary to monetize. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Rain or shine, Swan Anding Meraluo keeps up with the app, monitoring other accounts and thinking of ways she herself can hit the desired numbers necessary to monetize. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo practices a performance with kids in the area acting as back-up dancers. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo takes a nap after practicing and tending to the store. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Swan Anding Meraluo cares for her grandchild inside their informal dwelling place on Maginoo and Mabuhay streets in Quezon City. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News