KALKAL: POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES

In the film KALKAL: POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES, the situation of our fellow Filipinos
that were located at the trading dump was the focus of the film. It is a short video but it made
me realize and also think, "Why is this happening in our society? Why do they suffer and endure
such hard work?
As I watched the short film, I felt emotional and it also made me realize that I was lucky
enough to not experience "kalkal" or to find some useful things in the dumpster. The film
recognized how important the work of being at the dumpster is as it emphasized the
experiences and also the reasons of the people who keep on continuing doing this work. As I
observed in the film, one of the people interviewed was Jeramil Albarico. He was a PWD but he
chose to work at the dumpster even though the place was foul, dirty, full of flies, etc. or the
place itself was not suitable for him. It made me sad when he said that it was the only job that
he could do because there were no jobs that would accept him. As I heard his reason, I kept on
asking, where is the government? Where are the people who have the power to give a solution
to this problem? I know it is so absurd to blame all of this problem on our government, but how
can I not? It breaks my heart to see people in need of assistance who were not prioritized for
assistance. This story of Jeramil Albarico was one of the reasons some people in the Philippines
were in poverty: there were no jobs available for everyone, especially those who have PWD.
The second person who was interviewed was Jocelo Andrade. He is a father and has spent six
years working at the dumpster. His story was so emotional also because he said, as a father, he
would do anything for his children and his family. He stayed working at the dumpster because,
just like with Jeramil, it was the only thing that he knew that was capable. But he emphasized
that at some point, he has high hopes for his children to finish their studies and to be successful
in life. The family of Jocelo was only one of the examples of why they end up suffering
difficulties like poverty, but as I observed them telling their stories, it made me inspired to work
hard also and to fulfil my dreams.
Overall, the film was educational but also an inspiration to us students who think that
we are not lucky in this world or feel depressed because of a simple problem, but because of
this film, personally it made me think, what if I am in their shoes? I was slapped in the face with
the reality that I am lucky to have what I have right now. At this point, this should be the focus
of our government: to help the people who are most needed and to find a solution to eradicate
poverty in our country.

References:
Jazman, R. (2017, April 4). KALKAL: A Documentary about poverty in the Philippines. YouTube.
Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ty1VWxCZ7p0&feature=youtu.be