Minsan Lang Sila Bata is a social documentary about child labor in the different parts of the Philippines. The heart clenching documentary exposes the bitter reality in which the children live. The documentary is so raw and engaging that it usually moves the audience to tears due to feeling sorry for the children. The brutal reality that these children has to face everyday is often struck the audience with a sense of guilt for not being able to do something to help these children. Others may blame the system and the parents who allows their children to work instead of going to school. Whatever the audience reaction may be, one thing remains irrevocable: The character components of these children are limited by the social parameters that hinders them to achieve more in life.
Components of Character: Reality in the Reel
The child labor documentary was narrated through the stories of different children from three provinces in the Philippines. Dio and Tikboy works in a slaughter house for pigs and cows in Cebu from dusk to dawn. They are only paid a portion of the fat scraped off from the animals. Farmer kids works in a Sugar cane hacienda in Ormoc to repay the debt of their family. While another group of children works in the pier and unloads 250 sacks of cements for two days and gets a payment of P10 pesos each.The children are underpaid and abused. They don't go to school either due to financial problems, or the lack of support for parents. Because of the lack of education, it became apparent that the dreams of these children became limited as well. When ask what they wanted to become when they grow up, one of the kids in the pier said that he wanted a better position in life. Unfortunately, that better position for him is not to become a doctor or any professional but to become a utility boy on the ship! For him, dusting and cleaning the ship is a better role than carrying the sacks of cement. A more logical person can't blame the child though, indeed, dusting is far more a lighter task compared to the 45 kilos of cement he has to carry. The physical health of these children were also greatly affected. Due to lack of sleep and proper nutrition, most of the kids are smaller for their age. The children in Cebu suffered from skin diseases due to the poor working conditions of the slaughter house. The children in the haciendas of Ormoc suffered from cuts for using sharp bolos and the children in the pier were in danger of lung cancer due to the cement dust.
The over all impact of the film is so strong and the effect may remain for more than a few days. The poignant reality this time is more empowering than the martyr-en-fiction.
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