GE20: Reading Visual Arts

Final Project: A mini documentary

“Dasig Lang”
Dasig lang – v., a Cebuano word “take courage, press on, and or never give up”

Narrator: Resilience. An innate characteristic among Filipinos. Ingrained deeply in

our culture is the narrative that we ought to pick ourselves up in the face
of adversity. Calamities abound in the country, with the ongoing
pandemic, natural disasters, and extreme inequality to name just a few.
But is resilience a false image or are we truly are born with thick skin?
Let’s find out.

Opening Sequence: videos of calamities, storm, food insecurity, pandemic.

Interviewer 1: In the face of adversities, we are thought to celebrate how we overcome

things. But this detracts us from the harsh reality of suffering and trauma
experienced especially by poor families.
Interviewer 2: Indeed, let us take a glimpse of the experiences Roxanne had gone
through during a typhoon. Roxanne is ___ year old student, who, at a
young age, had been fighting tooth and nails with life.

Insert video: Her experience, background

Roxanne: My childhood back in the province was a nightmare, having to recall my

family’s experience with typhoon almost every year. I remember the
winds tearing our roof apart, and coconut trees uprooted. I remember the
flooding that nearly wiped out our house in ____.
Interviewer 2: Can you tell us more about how this affected you individually as you grew
up?
Roxanne: Filipinos wear smile and are encouraged to do so despite the havoc in the
background. For me, it molded me as a person. I realized that overcoming
is never a solo act because there must be togetherness.

Interviewer 1: This togetherness you talked about; how did your family survive together?
Roxanne: On brighter days, our family could be a mess fighting each other but when
it comes to this, it is important for us to be cohesive as one unit. My father
_____, my mother would ______, my siblings and I would _______. So,
yes, that’s how we survived all these TOGETHER.
Interviewer 2: When the floods hit, can you tell us how do you prepare the worst case
scenario?
 GE20: Reading Visual Arts
Final Project: A mini documentary

Roxanne: You can never totally prepare for this. However, we take extra precautions
when alarms hit. We keep our important belongings in check, we plug out
electricity, etc. You cannot anticipate how difficult it is until you are
already in that moment. Those that can bend the wind will weather the
storm.
Interviewer 1: Storms come and go, and with every passing there is so much destruction.
How do you recover?
Roxanne When the sky clears again, you’ll see the aftermaths and it is painful to
witness. It puts you in a confined mental space of not knowing what to do
next because we all seem clueless, emotionally speaking. However, we
pick up what remains, and slowly build our homes and ourselves as again.

Interviewer 2: How long do rescues and aid come?

Roxanne: It is hunger that depletes your body. The scarcity of food is a problem.
Fortunately, rescue aids often come immediately, offering us what we
need. But imagine those communities from afar, they are inaccessible, and
it may take days or weeks or longer to be able to reach to them.
Interviewer 1: Roxanne, do you believe that there are rainbows after the rain?

Roxanne: Yes. I believe that there is a bliss and hope after such tragedies. It may
come in different shapes and forms. For others, having a new house under
a roof. For others, having to see their families again after being separated.
For others, recovering from injuries. To me, the rainbow for me is who I
have become after all those struggles. I’ve become not just stronger but
adaptable.