Minsan lang sila Bata

source:Google

Running Time (screen duration): 50 minutes
Genre: Documentary Film


                       This is a 1996 documentary film that tackles the issue of child labor in the Philippines. It features children from 3 different places in the country that were forced to work and gave up their rights of being a child just to help their family.

                       The first part of the film shows the life of children who works for a slaughterhouse in Cebu. The second part is about the life of children who works as a "Maghohornal"in some haciendas in Ormoc. And the third features the life of children who works as cement "kargador" in the port of Dapitan.  

sample slaughterhouse
source:Google

                         In the first part of the film child laborers were shown shaving the remaining hairs of a slaughtered pig with the use of sharp blades and knives and cutting the skin of a cow despite the foul smell and the numerous flies that are circling their hair. They shared that their were times that they got wounded by the sharp knives they use however they have to go on just to help their parents. They only earn a few pesos from their jobs which eventually will come from selling pig fats that their employer give them as an exchange for their service.
                   
                   In this particular part of the film, it is very scary to see children as young as them already being exposed to a bloody and brutal kind of environment.
               

A "maghohornal" trying to cut the weeds from a sugarcane plantation.
source:Google

                        From the bloody and brutal killings point-of-view from the slaughterhouse the story then transitioned towards a peaceful environment in the haciendas of Ormoc. However, with the peacefulness of the place lies the broken dreams of each "batang maghohornal". These children were forced to give up their studies just to pay the debts of their family. A child shared that when he was still studying his parents would tell him to spend 2 days for work and 3 days for school until it became 2 days for school and 3 days for work. Because of these many children have difficulty in catching up with the lessons and decided to stop schooling to avoid being bullied by classmates. 

                   When asked if they still want to go to school their answer is yes. However, hopelessness is very visible in their eye. Because even though they want to go to school they know it would be impossible since their parents has no funds to send them to school.      

"Kargadors" from the Port of Dapitan resting and waiting for the adults
 to finish eating so that they could eat their lunch.
source: Google

                           The last part of the film traveled all the way from Ormoc to the Port of Dapitan. At first you can see the children playing and enjoying the sea breeze at the Port. They seem to be very happy and free. The kind of happiness and freedom that those children from the first and second part we're deprived of.
               
                      However, when the night came the joy of these children fade away like a blink of an eye as they are about to carry heavy burdens of cement on their young and fragile backs. They work from night till morning. They will never stop working until they unload all the cement inside the cargo ship. Their work is very risky and health threatening as they carry heavy weights of cement (heavier than their weight) while sniffing and breathing all the dusts of cement. Aside from these, they usually eat late since they have to wait for the adults to finish eating. At a young age they already learn to drink alcohol since it is what adults advice them to do to avoid getting sick from sniffing too much cements.

                      In the interview these children really doesn't want their work however they are just sacrificing because their family is in great need of money. At a young age they want to help their family in their own ways even if it means to sacrifice education. One of the boys shared that he works not only to help his family but also to fund his siblings studies. Another boy jokingly asked if the interviewer wants a house boy because he will apply just to get away from their life threatening job at the Port.

             

Philippine children in poverty.
source: Google

                        Representation is used in this documentary film. The children that are featured are just representation of the many child laborers here in the Philippines not only during the 1996 period but until at present. Child Labor still remains a controversial issue that the Philippine Government failed to solve. This documentary used the Realism category of a film for it showed reality to the viewers. 

                     

                  It is a black and white film that used camera shots like wide, full body, medium, close up, and extreme close up shots. While it uses the Point-of-View camera angle shot.  

Here is the youtube link for the documentary film "Minsan Lang sila Bata". see for yourself...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXscl_d7UQ