This has to be one of the most memorable documentary I’ve ever seen. I’m glad to have seen it because the Payatas Recyclers had been censored from the mainstream media. The VBS camera crews aren’t allowed to film inside the site but they risk their lives to show us the real deal. This isn’t your ordinary fuzzy internet video. Instead this video comes with a better resolution and with stereo sound. There is also a use of strong language in the video, something new to me. The strong languages actually adds to the documentary’s vitality.
Click the links below to watch.
Part 1 of 5
Part 2 of 5
Part 3 of 5
Part 4 of 5
Part 5 of 5
Here’s a quote from the description. “The Payatas (in the Philippines) is a labyrinthine endless garbage sifting. And it’s not just people wandering in the back alleys looking for beer bottles, but rather well-organized armies of scavengers attacking truckload after truckload in shifts.”
Makes you not want to put awful stuffs in your trash; like broken glass, checmicals or any biohazards.
According to the video, the local government removes all the aluminums and plastics before they dump them at the dump site? That is awful.
According to the video, the Chinese are controlling the prices. So, the Chinese is trying to take advantage of their hard work? Talking about how it feels like to be eaten alive. This is not good.
Australian Village School in the documentary.
I have little opinion on where people choose to work but what I have to say is that if they are cool (the Payatas citizens) then I’m cool with it. If there are no long term health problems, then go for it. The family being interviewed has ten children — I don’t know if I can do that for myself, wow…. but God bless ‘em.
Text edited 4-07-08
I’ve never seen this side of the Philippine before, last I read was at ‘ma-noy’ K’s blog about his many beautiful islands.
I think what is so sad are the children, some as young as 4-5 having to help their parents making a living. What kinds of future will this lead to? I can’t imagine the aroma, and then there were talking about body parts and stuff.
Below is information that I found, that instead of the government taking care of the problem of the garbage, they actually importing more into the the country, if that holds true, I don’t foresee the problem will ever go away. I can’t joyfully say that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’
http://pinoypress.net/2007/07/09/7-years-after-payatas-tragedy-philippines-still-mired-in-garbage-crisis/
“Instead of working to solve the national waste problem and taking mitigating measures to protect the community’s health, the Arroyo administration is shamefully geared towards importing more hazardous foreign waste under bilateral agreements such as the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) and promoting a policy of plunder where foreign mining corporations can extract our mineral reserves and irresponsibly leave behind their waste to their heart’s content,” he said.
“The Philippine and Japanese governments deny that JPEPA will bring in more foreign waste. But this is contradicted by the Philippine’s record of foreign waste, which importation only shows that our country is increasingly being used as an alternative dumpsite for developed nations such as Japan and the United States. Data from the National Statistics Office showed that in 2001 alone, the Philippines imported a total amount of foreign waste worth $7,440,264. $2,114,892. Thirty-eight-point-four (38.4) percent of these foreign wastes came from Japan,” Bautista noted.
Instead of ending their livelyhood, I’d educate the people and the children about the effects of the exposure to chemicals and allow then to decide if they want to continue working at the dumpsite with protection gears. Their alternative is to export their labors abroad. And god knows what life they will live abroad. And god knows if they’ll ever see there family members again.
One woman said she’s pretty happy that she’s working near people she knows. Instead of searching for recyclables in downtown Manila where she could get mugged, she is in a decent place, manage by a funky general.
What bothers us, actually doesn’t bother them. Instead, ask what they want. Educate them and see if they choose to leave.
My solution to this problem is to provide the people with alternative choices to find money in dignified places, at their own choices. Here in California most Phillipines women tend to work in nursing homes or the hotel service industry.
People are born everyday… at a fantastic rate. Once these worker are exported, more Philippine will be born to fill the missing void in Philippines.
Your story indicates that more shipment and garbage is entering the Philippines is interesting. I’d wish someone has a high definition video documentary on that. I like to know the type of chemicals or biohazards being imported. You won’t really know until they Patayaians have mutant childrens.
You know, we have a corruption and a red tape problem of our own in Laos to deal with. I hope to solve that before I can think about solving the Patayas’ case. ;~)
Sim, at where we are, we take it for granted that life is full of choices, I’ve even mentioned in the past that not making any choices is a choice, but that’s sitting at where we know that it’s there if we’d ever need to make that choice.
In their situation, I think it’s best to use the example of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and they are not going to see what you’re talking about because that’s at the top level of “growth needs’, they’d have to satisfy their ‘deficiency needs’ first, and for most of them, it’s still at the bottom level of Physiological (breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion) and Safety (security of body, of employment, of resources, of morality, of the family, of health, of property), Love/Belonging (friendship, family, sexual intimacy)
Esteem is still at the deficiency stage, and I honestly don’t think that most would have this (self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, and respect by others)
Forget about Self-actualization, which is at the “growth needs” (morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts.), I’m not saying that they are not capable of having this, but more so that their ‘deficiency needs’ have to be met first.
As you can see in the videos that they’re still struggle on a day-to-day basis to try to feed their mouths. You on the other hand don’t have that problem and definitely at the level of Self-actualization, definitely can’t compare apple to orange. It’s a good idea though, with lots of money, anything is possible, but if I hit big, I’m thinking about the children in Laos first.
Therefore, we must provide them with basic needs, and that shall include an education. What the Australians have done for them is very helpful. This is because as they (the Patayans) may come to realize their existence, they may come to realize whether they should continue to exist or not.
Most leaders will not like the idea of educating the lower class. Because they want their citizens to obey and never revolt.
As you notice, the host speaks about an enormous population growth. If there hadn’t been an education system, more would give birth. Maslow’s hierarchy should be changed to also include education as one of humanity’s basic needs. Brain needs food, too. And some will go crazy for not having the option to learn.
My parents have told me that they will endure every little torture they can imagine so that our basic needs are absolutely met, no matter how impoverish we may be. Because they knew that is when we can study. Education is part of our humanity, without it, we may just cease to exist, my father said. Once our basic needs are met, I realize that the next thing I’d pursue is education, all at my own will. The Patayas may do the same for their children, if they want it.
Maslow’s hierarchy – Eat, drink, sleep, sex, love, protection? I’d forgo the rest, just give me a good book and tons of gruel.
My mother had tears of joy when we first step into our first school bus. She had expected to endure a lot of hardship for our education.
Here, from where I’m sitting, even though my basic needs are met, (which includes education) I’ve come to realize that having children for me is not the right thing to do – that is my realization. If I’d lack education, I may have had five children.
I’m not depressed nor pessimistic. For the best part of me, I want 2 children. Each to replace the parent.
“Sim wrote: Maslow’s hierarchy – Eat, drink, sleep, sex, love, protection? I’d forgo the rest, just give me a good book and tons of gruel”.
I love books also but I don’t know what is your ‘tons of gruel’. I say we still need to eat, drink, and sleep, a good book feeds your mind and not your mouth, and you can’t eat your pride, if you can…come back and let me know.
Education is a basic need for you because your father was a former school teacher, but not to most poor people, many times in our country, the older children forgo the education because they have to help their parents working, to help feed the mouths of younger siblings. If I were still living in Thailand, 4th grades would be the highest education for me and I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you. My parents saw that higher education is important to all of us also, and that’s why we’re here, but sadly, not all eight of us see the importance of higher education, but they excel in other ways which to me make up for the higher education, and if they need help in anything, they’d always come to me or my oldest sister for help, the knowledge part can be shared. I’ve always considered us the lucky ones, but not everyone is fortunate, thinking back now, I don’t think it’s mainly the better education that our parents want us to have, it’s better opportunity.
As in the Patayans case, all they see is inventory of first in, first out (FIFO), that’s equivalent to garbage in garbage out, and you want them to think about higher education, how could you when your stomach is still rumbling, and looking at all those mouths to feed, what do you tell your children, ‘read this book, it’s food your mind’, and they’ll come back and say, ‘Duh, my mind is not hungry, it’s my mouth that’s hungry, Dad!’
I’m not arguing that it’s not ideal to educate the people, as far as the government funding in this respect, if not parade around town, and put torch of flames on the officials’ butts, nothing is going to get done, and even by doing this in a third world nation, be careful that you might come down with an illness called ‘Kaih Pongk’ (shot in the head), that’s how many problems are being solved.
“Sim wrote:My mother had tears of joy when we first step into our first school bus. She had expected to endure a lot of hardship for our education.”
Your mom had tears of joy because you guys are at a different setting than those Patayans, the Patayans would have tears of joy when they see good garbage that can turn into quick cash. Its different mentality and mind set all together, besides, most female are very emotional, we cry about (almost) anything.Lol.
Sim, after ranting and taking up quiet a bit of your space here, my point is that it’s a different world from where you come from. It’s different in living condition, mentality, and priority in life. You have good ideas, but they are just ideas if you’re not wiling to do something about it. Educated individuals have the tendency to have very few children because they’re thinking in terms of higher education, I’m the same way, but then my Hmong co-worker that’s in her late 40s has 8 children, but she and her husband has to work 2 or 3 jobs to feed their mouths. The children care for themselves, and without proper adult supervision and guidance, no telling what the future will hold for them.
>…you can’t eat your pride.
If you can grasp this; my thinking is similar to “give me liberty or give me death.” Some may choose to die from eating our pride. I assume you’d rather live.
If I had a choice of shelter or books, I would choose books and knowledge. But at the same I will need lots of gruel, one of the most cheap punishing prison food you can find. I’ll need to eat them to survive while I learn to build a house or learn something self-fulfilling.
So, you’re saying that the Patayans cannot think in the same lines as us because of their harsh conditions. And that they will quickly prefer to have their basic needs instead of just knowledge and food?
Have you notice in the film, the general said,” there are three stories: one for the kitchen, one for the living and the last for the “loving, loving (reproduction) business.” There is actually extra money left over and that is for “loving, loving business.”
I have assumed for good of mankind that every man wants knowledge based on the fact that we are a magnificent species that are capable of utilizing our amazing minds in unimaginable ways. Every man and woman are created equal and should have access to common knowledge that will help them find better shelters and attract abundant resources. If they refuse this knowledge then that is their decision to make, and I’d be happy to grant them their wish.
If I have to eat my pride, I just might crock and die.
Sim, not everyone is created equal; we like to think this because it makes us want to reach our goal in life, but in reality, not every one have the same ability such as smartness or even attractiveness, this you can’t deny.