Sunday, January 20, 2008

Youth @ 1/20/2008 08:18:00 PM

it's the fest day of Sto. Niño.
nagpunta kami sa church kaninang umaga. tapos nag homily.
nung una,hindi ako ginaganahan makinig. kasi heto na naman si Father, kinukwento yung mga anecdote nya. hahaha. let's laugh. parang ganun. hanggang sa nabaggit yung tungkol sa mga batang napagiwanan, sa mga batang hindi nakakapag aral, mga batang nasa lansangan na ang ikinabubuhay ay paglilimos. parang, kaya naman natin silang tulungan eh, kung gusto nga lang natin. pero looking at them, masasabi mo na makasarili nga ang mga tao nowadays. na kahit isang musmos na bata, hindi magawang tulungan. nabanggit pa nga yung fetus na nakita sa C.R nuon eeh. kasi naman, sino ba namang nanay ang hindi maaawa sa sarili nilang anak? tama bang iflush sa toilet yun? parang pumatay ka na rin. . .ng isang inosenteng bata.

paglabas ko ng simbahan, natripan ni Pa na bumili ng ube sa labas ng church. nagtitingin ako dun. nung una, mga leche flan lang tinitgnan ko. tapos, nakakita ako ng baby na natutulog sa maduming kariton. napaisip tuloy ako kung ano kaya yung kalalagyan ng batang yun paglaki nya. ngyon pa lang, hindi na mapigilang mapaisip kasi hindi malayo sa mga naiisip nten ang pwedeng manyare sa knila.

"wla na kasing ikauunlad ang Pinas eh"
ganyan yung palaging sagot ng mga tao sa halos lahat ng interviews na ginawa ng mga reporters at journalists sa mga napapanuod kong' palabas. at some point, tama nga naman sila. kayod tayo ng kayod, pero wala rin namang' nanyayare. sabi nila umuunlad raw tayo, pero bakit ganun? yung mga may kaya lang ang umuunlad? ang mga mahihirap, ganun pa rin. parang kung ano sila nuon, ganun prn sila hanggang ngayon. pati ba naman ang kaunlaran, nabibili na rin?

kaya ayan, napupunta ang kayamanan sa mga bagay na hindi naman kinakailangan. imbis na nkk2long sa iba, doon pa humahantong yung pera.
naalala ko yung documentary na pinanuod samin isang araw sa school, nakita ko na yung mga bata, parang wala nang gustong maging pangarap. sabi kasi nung isa, "ayoko nang mangarap, tumigil na ako, hindi nrn naman matutupad." parang ang sakit naman isipin nun, kasi tayo pinoproblema ntn yung college nten, sila kahit elementary man lang, di na kaya. kaya ayun, nagttrabaho na lang sila. hirap na hirap na sila sa mga ginagawa nila pero ginagawa pa rin nila para maiahon yung mga pamilya nila.

pagtapos namin mapanuod yun, binigyan kami ng essay na sasagutan, gusto ko lang ishare yung sagot ko sa inyo.

1. Among the life story of several children presented on the film, which among them strikes you most?
-the story of Bobbi and his friends made a very big mark on me. When I first saw the first part of their story, I thought the first ones were more striking, because I thought that “These kids are having fun, what’s the matter?” But I was wrong, I jumped into conclusions already. They work at night, where kids are age should be sleeping, they got the hardest job, they don’t go to school, they smoke, they drink, they’re helpless, and they’re tired of their lives. They work for just a little amount of money and the environment is really not good for them. They might be harmed and they don’t have enough money for hospital bills or food. And absenting from work means that they can’t come back, wherein they’ll lose their job and they won’t have any money. The hard work was all poured to them. The adults were the ones with the easy job while the children were the ones carrying the sack of cement twice their weight! And, as it was said in the documentary, the place where they get the sacks doesn’t get much oxygen for them to breathe, and when they breathe deep, all they can breathe is dust from cement! And each one of them carries 250 sacks of cement for one and a half day. Most of them don’t eat at all, because when the adults would have their break, the children would be asked to wait for them downstairs. It’s already past lunchtime but they’re at work, they haven’t eaten, they’re tired and they’re carrying heavy loads. These children are really helpless in their situation. They have dreams and ambitions, but they can’t attain them because they’re stuck in their work in the pier, buried in debts, and they don’t have enough money and time to educate themselves.

2. Do you think that what you have watched is possible to happen to you? How and why?
-Yes, of course. If I wouldn’t be doing good in my studies, if I would be dependent to my parents all my life, if I wouldn’t set goals and achieve them, I would probably end up being like those kids.

3. What are the things in life that was realized in the film?
-Manila is a busy place. People tend to think about all its wonderful places, hot spots and bright lights. But what they don’t see are these people under the bridges, street children, those that knock at your car window asking for alms, sampaguita vendors... What about those at the provinces? Where education is very poor, establishments aren’t present, where books are limited... What’s common about them? They’re mostly children. Our country is one of those places called the “third world” and because of that “label”; we’re being hopeless with our problem. We think the more laborers we get, the more money for the family, but just as what the documentary have shown, child abuse causes failure rather than success. Because rather than having doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers, architects, chefs, pilots etc… the so-called “hope of the future” are out there in the fields, in factories, in piers… thinking that that is what they will be doing their whole life. Some of them are even tired of life in such an early age. They became helpless and hopeless due to their status. They’re handling too much pressure in them: the pressure of being the provider in the family, the pressure of wanting to go to school, the pressure of striving for food and the pressure of being just like any other child. Our country is facing too much problems, but they’re not making solutions to those problems that need more attention, like more jobs and child abuse. They say that our country is developing but some people who don’t taste much of the sweet life don’t think that our economy is even growing. If it is, then why can’t everybody benefit from it? We can’t take away the fact that some of the Filipinos are greedy, because most of the country’s benefits go to them-the few people who receive these pleasures while the majority suffers. Our country’s resources are enough for each and every one of us; it’s all in the matter of sharing.

4. How is respect reflected on the film?
-The children have respect for their status. They are tired, but they don’t complain. They wait for a blessing to come to them; they try their best to achieve their dreams. They know that what they are doing is a big help for their family. And we should respect them as well.

5. What is the moral of the story?
-For those children who have the same situation as those to the children in the documentary that we watched, being poor is not a barrier between them and a bright future. It’s just a test or maybe a phase wherein they need to try their best for them to get through the hardships. But, child abuse is a mistake. It doesn’t help our economy and it doesn’t help them. It’s okay to work, because we all know that they don’t pretty much have a choice because it’s a way for them to help their parents, but it becomes wrong when work is taking over the child. As long as they have room for education, work is okay.
-And for the fortunate ones, we shouldn’t be thinking that we would always and forever be fortunate. What we have now doesn’t necessarily mean that it would also be the things we would be having ten to twenty years from now. We make our own future. We decide for ourselves and what we would be taking. Every step in life is a decision that lies on our hands, it’s up to us if we would take the right ones, or the wrong. For now, we should be contented with what we have. We hate classes, but what we don’t know is that it is a formula to success. Aren’t we thankful that we are here? Listening to lectures no matter how boring they are than being out in the world where these less fortunate kids are? We should learn to be contented with what we have; we shouldn’t envy others because believe it or not, others envy you too. Be happy with what we have and thank God that He has given us a good life and that we are not suffering as these kids are.

6. If given a chance to change the life of a child in the story, how would it be?
-I would probably be doing some outreach or give donations, but those things wouldn’t erase the fact that no matter how many clothes I give them or how many food I would be donating, that wouldn’t send them to school, that wouldn’t educate them. These children have dreams of their own, they want to finish their studies, make the world a better place because they believe that we, the children of our generation, are the hope for a bright and better future. I would probably educate a child when I’m older, and when the time comes that he would grow up, he could send a child to school too. And I could set an example to others as well so that they’d be doing the same thing. These children are the ones that we should be helping, because when the time comes that we are already the “adults” that we have today, what can we show the next generation? We should’ve been setting a good example for them. When will we prove that we are the hope of our society? We shouldn’t wait; we should start proving it now.


so, kelan pa ba natin uumpisahan tumulong? kung kelan huli na ang lahat?