My heart bleeds for Kristel

JUST BE By Bernadette Sembrano
The Philippine Star 05/07/2006

"Matakit." She was too young to pronounce the word Masakit right. Two-year-old Kristel sobbing from her scalded back, buttocks, legs and feet, exposing the flesh underneath. The unfortunate happened at the pier where she lives. While her pregnant mother, Erlinda, was resting in a hammock under a chassis truck, little Kristel was left playing at the rear of a parked trailer truck where their makeshift kitchen was, and accidentally tipped the pot of boiling water that fell on her.

The day I met her, Kristel was covered with gauze that has not been changed for days. Every part of her body, except her face, was burned that it was impossible to carry her without causing her pain. I learned that on the day of the accident, the mother brought Kristel to the hospital but had her discharged soon after because they had no money.

My staff and I volunteered to bring them to the PGH to have a specialist check on her. Erlinda hesitated. But one of her neighbors, Isang talked sense into her, so she finally agreed. Unfortunately (again), when we arrived at the hospital, there was no space in the burn unit. There were two more toddlers in the emergency room who were also scalded with boiling water. The doctor aptly suggested that Kristel be brought to the hospital every day for a week for cleaning. Erlinda immediately refused saying that they had no money for jeepney fare. We settled it to make it more convenient for them.

We visited Kristel at the pier the following day, only to find her grimy again, with flies on her wound. Erlinda didn’t want to bring Kristel to the hospital anymore. She said she wasn’t feeling well, so she’d do the cleaning herself. Apparently, she did not.

I featured Kristel’s story in The Correspondents last Monday and there were quite a number of people who wanted to help her get medical attention. My problem is the mother. It was clear that Erlinda didn’t care about Kristel at all.

Frankly, I don’t know if poverty causes a mother to be indifferent towards her suffering child. Kristel is the youngest of six children, and Erlinda is pregnant with her seventh! It is heartbreaking that Kristel is going through so much agony, and it is a tragedy that another child is about to suffer the same fate.

Some have inquired how to reach baby Kristel.

Go to Pier 16 in Manila and look for the carinderia. She lives in the 1 x 1-meter cardboard house, on top of an old truck engine.

To our readers, thank you for expressing your interest to help the Rosels at the pier, the family that lives under the chassis of a trailer truck, featured in this column last week.

To those who watched Correspondents last Monday and wanted to help Baby Kristel, Maraming Salamat Po!