Characters:

● Julio - breadwinner of his family, a husband and a father, dumpsite worker, undergraduate high
school
● Remedios - is the wife of Julio
● Jun - a carpenter and the dyingeldest son of Julio
● Thomas - is the second son of Julio
● Mike - middleman of illegal organ transplant
● Tatang - is the old person who sold his kidney for 15,000 pesos to finance his vices. He died from
complications.
● Simon - is the neigbor of Julio who sold his kidney for 120, 000 (but only received 90,000) to
operate or build a small business and send his children to school but end up having
complications after the operation and is dying.

Who is the protagonist?

● Julio - the story focuses on his life

Major issues:
EXPLICITLY GIVEN
● The existing practice of human organ trafficking specifically kidney
● Lack of financial resources for the operation of Jun
● Prevalence of poverty in developing countries specifically philippines
● Easy money
● Health risk and complications
● Lenient implementation of the policy to regulate the human organ trafficking in local, national,
and international levels.
● The prevalence of human organ trafficking in the philippines because of the price differential
● The role of Julio as a father to Jun

IMPLICITLY GIVEN
● Religious aspect wherein it violates human dignity
● Lack of livelihood programs for the poor

Considering all these factors,

● If you were Julio, what you will do?
● What the government must do?

Concluding:

Key take aways/learning

● Every choice involves trade-offs