Before the sun fully shines, the streets of Metro Manila are already being cleared and made passable by workers whose labor is rarely noticed but deeply felt.
Among them is 63-year-old Leila Arasa, a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) street sweeper from Paco, Manila, who moves her broom back and forth, clearing not just trash but helping protect the health of the entire community.
“If there are no sweepers, many people will not follow the rules. Our surroundings need to stay clean,” she said.
Street sweepers like Arasa do more than keep streets clean. They also help prevent disease and sustain the basic systems that keep cities functioning. Without them, these systems would quickly break down.
“Street sweepers and waste workers play a crucial role in ensuring not just a clean environment, but the overall well being of communities,” Marian Ledesma, Zero Waste Campaigner at Greenpeace, told Fyt. “If they are not given proper protection and support, the impact will be felt immediately.”
Yet recognition alone is not enough. What is needed are systems that respond to the realities of workers on he ground.
“There should be access to health services and clear support systems at the community level,” Ledesma said. “Women should also be included in decision-making so their voices are heard.”
Yet, women like Arasa remain largely absent from decision-making spaces despite their frontline role. Their needs are often overlooked, and few hold leadership positions in disaster and community planning.
A 2023 report by the Philippine Commission on Women found that only 26 percent of peace agreements worldwide included women’s agenda, reflecting their continued exclusion from key decisions.
Across the Philippines, women are at the forefront of environmental work that keeps communities safe and liveable, yet this labor remains undervalued.
A study by the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines on gender and plastics shows that tasks such as waste reduction, segregation, and recycling are often assigned to women, reflecting expectations rooted in household roles.
The United Nations also say women play a major role in environmental stewardship and climate action, particularly in developing regions where they account for up to 80% of food production and are central in managing resources such as water and forests.
“Women’s role in environmental stewardship did not begin with modern movements,” Ledesma said. “It is deeply rooted in cultural and community roles as caregivers, leaders, and knowledge bearers.”
She added that, in many indigenous communities, women are seen as guardians of nature.
“In some traditions, women are considered waterkeepers, or protectors of ecosystems. Even before modern systems, these beliefs already recognized the importance of women in caring for the environment.”
These roles reflect knowledge passed down through generations and shaped by everyday experience.
Essential yet underestimated
Arasa’s story shows how these roles take shape in everyday life.
She first worked as a street sweeper during the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Her employment ended in 2013, but she returned in 2020, like many workers in precarious jobs.
Now, she works from Fridays to Tuesdays, from 7 am to 4 pm, earning a daily wage of ₱705 along with a monthly allowance of ₱2,000.
For her, the job offers not just income, but independence.
“I still want to work. If I want to buy something, I can. I do not have to ask from others,” she said.
Assigned to areas such as Baywalk and the Philippine International Convention Center, Arasa believes her work protects the community.
“Street sweepers are environmental stewards, yet their contributions are often underestimated,” Ledesma said. “Without them, communities would struggle not only with pollution but also with worsening impacts of climate change such as flooding.”
Arasa’s works under conditions that are often difficult and at times, unsafe.
She spends long hours outdoors exposed to intense heat, sudden downpours, and the constant risk of traffic. Beyond these, she also encounters public disrespect.
“Sometimes people are rude,” she said. “You have already cleaned the area, and they throw trash again. Then they say, ‘That is your job anyway.’”
As a woman, she also has to think about her safety.
“I just move away,” she said. “It might get worse. For example, sometimes someone suddenly causes a scene and throws bottles.
These experiences may seem small, but over time, they accumulate. The work becomes not only physically exhausting but also emotionally and mentally draining, requiring restraint, patience, and constant awareness in public spaces.
Taken together, these moments reflect a broader pattern of gendered vulnerability. Women in low-wage environmental jobs navigate overlapping risks, including limited protection, unsafe conditions, and exposure to harassment.
This inequality extends beyond the workplace, and is also reflected in how women’s labor is valued.
A 2019 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies found that women performed 76 percent of unpaid work, compared to 24 percent by men, reflecting how much of women’s work has long gone unrecognized and undervalued.
This imbalance shapes expectations placed on women beyond paid employment. For Arasa, this continues at home, where she takes care of her grandchildren, who have lost their mother, after long hours on the street.
Like many women, she is expected to remain cautious, avoid confrontation, and carry on despite difficult situations, adding another layer of strain to her daily life.
These challenges are further intensified by climate change.
“During extreme weather events, women are expected not only to protect themselves but also to care for their families,” Ledesma said. “These additional responsibilities are disproportionately carried by women.”
For workers like Arasa, unpredictable weather directly shapes their workplace environment.
“Whether under heavy rains or extreme heat, the conditions are tough. On hot days, your sweat just keeps pouring,” she said.
“We cannot deny that climate change is making the heat and working conditions worse,” Ledesma added. “Their contributions are still not fully recognized, and systems for protection and benefits remain lacking.”
“Please help us,” she said. “Let us respect our surroundings.”
She believes caring for the environment is a shared responsibility.
“If we truly love our country, we should show it.”
Arasa’s work may appear ordinary, but it reflects a larger system of care that keeps cities livable. Her story is not just about one woman who sweeps back and forth, but about the many women whose labor quietly sustains communities.
As Women’s Month draws to a close, Arasa's quiet work stands as a powerful reminder that recognition may fade, yet its impact remains in every space made safer, every risk reduced, and every community made more resilient. - fyt.ph
