‘There’s no other job’

Plantation workers harvesting pineapples inside the Del Monte plantation. Decades after independence, the Philippines lacks the kind of factory economy that has lifted up other Asian nations, tying millions to farm work. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

RODINO Sawan stepped into the wire harness and dug his toes into the muddy track that threads the sweltering plantation. He pushed forward, straining against the cargo trailing behind him: 25 bunches of freshly harvested bananas strung from hooks attached to an assembly line.

Six days a week, Sawan, 55, a father of five, tows batches of fruit that weigh 680kg to a nearby processing plant, often as planes buzz overhead, misting down pesticides. He returns home with aches in his back and daily wages of 380 Philippine pesos (about US$6.80).