EDITORIAL - The tragic case of Jennifer Tampus

People usually die in the streets from vehicular accidents or violent crimes, but the other day a woman died in the street from giving birth.

According to a report in this newspaper, Jennifer Tampus, 39, from Sitio Tabay Lawom, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, a woman living in the streets with her live-in partner, died after giving birth to a child along General Maxilom Avenue last Wednesday.

Tampus went into labor and delivered her baby right there on the sidewalk. It was already dead when it emerged. For whatever reason, Tampus also refused to be taken to the hospital and later died.

Her situation is tragic but not unique, many are living in the streets. They come in many forms, from kids clambering on to public vehicles singing for coins, old people sitting and begging in place, and even working-age men who look like they can actually get a regular job but choose to loiter instead.

Their constant presence is often interpreted as a slight to our status as a highly-urbanized city.

Progress always comes with its share of squalor; people will always be attracted to places where jobs and livelihood opportunities are available, but not everyone can find a place in it. As a result, people just try to live where and how they can, even if this isn’t befitting of human dignity.

Admittedly, there is no clear solution to the problem of street dwellers. As a city right smack in the middle of a province right smack in the middle of a region, not to mention being the premier city in that region, we cannot help but get our share of people who have nowhere else to go.

But what is clear is that if nothing is done, and with how the city is still developing more and more areas where jobs and livelihood opportunities are available, we can expect to see more street dwellers and perhaps more tragic cases like that of Jennifer Tampus.