A blind woman begs for money on a traffic island in downtown Cebu. This woman is at this spot regularly. She can’t see if anyone is standing near her, of course, so she simply holds out her hand at all times and moves slightly in the direction of sounds that she hears. I’ve noticed that she gets a lot more money given to her than other beggars. It could be because, being blind, she is such a nonthreatening presence. People have no problems walking up to her and placing coins in her outstretched hand. They might not be so brave with sighted beggars.
This traffic island can be extremely busy and crowded, and this woman is often lost to sight. I’ve found myself waiting for the light to change and suddenly realizing she is right beside me on the pavement. Being on her knees, she is short and lost to view when so many people are standing around her. I don’t know if the young boy sleeping behind her is related to her. There are often children here as well. Many will sleep here and leave their begging cup on the ground beside them.
I often wonder what the “standard donation” is for beggars in different countries. I noted that 5 pesos is commonly given to adult beggars here. One day, however, I was walking across this very intersection, and I gave a 5 peso coin to a beggar – an adult man. This man looked at the coin in his hand and then he looked at me and gave me a “Oh, come on! Is that all?” look.