Will trade for food: online bartering soars in virus-hit Philippines

新冠疫情期间，菲律宾出现“以物易物”热潮

Struggling to make ends meet, Lorraine Imperio swapped a pair of Nike slip-on shoes for a whole dressed chicken on an online bartering site, one of dozens that have sprouted up during the Philippines' virus lockdowns.

为了维持生计，洛林·因佩里奥在一个易货网站上用一双耐克便鞋换了一整只加工好的鸡，这个网站是菲律宾疫情封锁期间出现的几十个易货网站之一。

With millions stripped of their jobs and many forced to stay home to slow the coronavirus spread, Filipinos have flocked to Facebook groups to exchange their possessions, including kitchen appliances, children's toys and designer handbags -- mostly for food.

由于数百万人失去了工作，许多人被迫呆在家里以减缓新冠病毒的传播，菲律宾人纷纷涌向脸书群组，用他们的厨房电器、儿童玩具和名牌手袋等财物做交换，其中大部分用来换取食物。

"It's so difficult nowadays. You don't know where you'll get the money to settle the bills for groceries," said Imperio, a mother of two whose husband works part-time at a doughnut shop in Manila.

因佩里奥是两个孩子的母亲，她的丈夫在马尼拉一家油炸圈饼店做兼职。她说：“现在太难了。你不知道从哪儿能弄到钱去买百货。”

His hours have been slashed because of the pandemic and he now only earns about 9,000 pesos a month, half of which is used to pay the rent for the family's apartment.

由于新冠疫情，因佩里奥丈夫的工作时间减少了，现在他的月薪只有大约9000比索（约合人民币1267元），其中一半用来支付家庭公寓的租金。

Online bartering groups have provided a lifeline to the Imperios and other Filipinos hit hard by the country's months-long virus restrictions that started in March and have sent the economy plunging into a deep recession.

网上易货群组为因佩里奥一家和其他菲律宾人带来了希望。菲律宾从三月开始实行长达数月的疫情限制措施，令民众生活受到影响，也令经济陷入严重衰退。

At least 98 groups, some with tens of thousands of members, are operating across the archipelago, according to an AFP tally.

据法新社统计，整个菲律宾至少有98个易货群组，其中一些有数万名成员。