“Once A Year”

For most us it is only normal to eat three times a day. Eating nutritious foods to keep our
body healthy and fit for everyday life. Sadly, some of us don’t have this kind of privilege. Just
like Mang Tusan and his family. Mang Tusan is an Abaca farmer in Sitio Banli in the province
of Sarangani. One of the most impoverished areas in Sarangani Province. Once filled with Abaca
trees that they harvest for a living but sadly due to illegal activities it’s number is now declining.
Making the life of Mang Tusan harder than it already is.

Abaca is one of the raw ingredients used in making our money. It’s only harvested once a
year and sold at a really cheap price due to poverty. So you will really question how does the
farmers and their family survive in this kind of work. Mang Tusan only have sweet potatoes for
his family to eat while their fruit of labor haven’t been given to them. Which is ₱1000 a year or
₱80 monthly. This cause their offspring malnutrition making their belly and cheeks swollen and
chubby thinking they are healthy infants but not. It pains me to see that they don’t have enough
for themselves. Waiting and waiting for them to eat a different kind of food to satisfy their body
needs. I give my respect to Mang Tusan for working twice the effort thinking nothing of himself
but of his family who is dependent of him for them to live.

I know for our government now. It’s important to clean this country of drugs and crime but
I need them to look on the other problems that our country is facing now. The problems of the
people that can’t reach the modern civilization due to poverty. I can’t fathom how do the hard
working ones are suffering through immense hardship while the spoon-fed people live with such
ignorance that they don’t even give so much of a thought about other people. They should also
focus on other people, other problems. I know our government is not perfect maybe it will never
will. Though I wish it could be more, much more than now.

So kudos to Mang Tusan and to all the farmers working themselves off just to live. They
may not have enough but they have hearts that are full. Me being an ordinary student don’t have
much power over this matters but just by writing this and sharing the documentary maybe it can
reach the one that is in the higher seat. To start the change for them and for them to start a new.