Sa kabila ng ulan, mangolekta tayo ng kalat.

It means despite or in spite of.

Although kabila by itself can mean the other side, the whole expression sa kabila ng is a fixed phrase that means despite/in spite of. So sa kabila ng ulan means despite the rain.

Here, ng is part of the fixed expression sa kabila ng + noun.

So:

• sa kabila ng ulan = despite the rain
• sa kabila ng problema = despite the problem
• sa kabila ng hirap = despite the difficulty

This ng is not doing exactly the same job as the later ng before kalat.

It is a let’s construction.

In Filipino, verb + tayo often means let’s + verb:

• Kain tayo = Let’s eat
• Uwi tayo = Let’s go home
• Mangolekta tayo = Let’s collect

So there is no separate word that directly equals English let’s here. The idea is expressed through the verb plus tayo.

Because tayo includes the listener, while kami does not.

• tayo = we, including the person being spoken to
• kami = we, excluding the person being spoken to

Since let’s collect includes both speaker and listener, tayo is the correct choice.

It is a verb meaning to collect, and here it is used in an actor-oriented form.

For a learner, the most useful thing to notice is:

• mangolekta = collect
• mangolekta tayo = let’s collect

You do not need to read it as a tense like English collect / collected / will collect. Filipino verbs are not organized around tense in the same way English verbs are.

This ng marks the thing being acted on: the thing being collected.

So in:

• mangolekta tayo ng kalat

the kalat is the object, and ng marks it.

A simple way to think of it is:

• mangolekta = collect
• ng kalat = litter / trash as the thing being collected

Kalat can mean mess, clutter, or scattered litter depending on context.

In a cleanup sentence like this, it usually means litter or trash lying around.

A useful contrast is:

• kalat = scattered mess/litter
• basura = garbage/trash in general

So this sentence feels close to Let’s collect the litter or Let’s pick up trash.

Because Filipino nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural the way English nouns do.

So kalat can already mean litter or trash in a general sense. If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can add mga:

• mga kalat = pieces of litter / various messes

But in many cases, kalat by itself is enough.

Filipino does not use articles the same way English does.

English needs words like a, an, and the. Filipino usually does not translate those word-for-word. Instead, meaning is often shown by context and by markers such as ang, ng, and sa.

So ulan and kalat do not need a separate word for the here.

Yes. Filipino word order is more flexible than English word order.

This sentence starts with the circumstance:

• Sa kabila ng ulan, mangolekta tayo ng kalat.

That puts emphasis on despite the rain.

You could also say:

• Mangolekta tayo ng kalat sa kabila ng ulan.

That is still understandable, but it gives slightly less emphasis to the contrast at the beginning.

It is understandable and grammatically fine, but some speakers might choose a more everyday-sounding verb in casual speech.

For example:

• Sa kabila ng ulan, mamulot tayo ng kalat.
• Kahit umuulan, mamulot tayo ng kalat.

Mamulot often sounds more natural when talking about physically picking up litter. Mangolekta can sound a bit more formal or organized, like in a cleanup campaign.

The comma separates the opening phrase from the main clause.

• Sa kabila ng ulan = introductory phrase
• mangolekta tayo ng kalat = main idea

The comma helps readability, especially in writing. In very casual writing, some people may leave it out, but using it here is clear and standard.