00:00In the heart of Sierra Madre, there is a watershed that is almost the size of the entire Metro Manila.
00:19It covers almost 58,000 hectares.
00:23The Angat Watershed Forest Reserve is well-known for its water and electricity.
00:30It is one of the places where the entire Metro Manila is supplied.
00:37From the drop-off area in Angat Dam, about an hour's boat ride will go to Sitio Pinaganakan.
00:43There is no other way to get there but by boat.
00:47But it's just a small boat and it's a bit shaky.
00:51I hope our trip will be fine for an hour.
01:03The sky is gloomy.
01:07The water is shaky.
01:10And our boat just won't stop.
01:18But no matter how shaky the journey is,
01:21that is how peaceful the paradise we passed through is.
01:34In the middle of the mountains, there is a community of seabirds.
01:40They live in a quiet environment.
01:53They consider nature as a part of their culture.
01:57But for the elderly residents here,
01:59they don't have enough to eat.
02:02They want to change the image of the community.
02:08Their main occupation in school is to be a seabird and a piece of antipara.
02:16This is the place where they will be taught about the importance of knowledge.
02:20Their main occupation in school is to be a seabird and a piece of antipara.
02:27This is the place where they will be taught about the importance of knowledge.
02:31This is the place where they will be taught about the importance of knowledge.
02:47We couldn't see anything earlier.
02:51I thought there were no houses inside, but there are still a lot of people living here.
02:57When we arrived at Sitio Pinaganakan,
03:00we had to walk a long way to reach the so-called classroom of the seabirds.
03:20Look at this.
03:21They pulled it off.
03:26Nice.
03:33We haven't walked for two minutes yet.
03:36The terrain here is a bit challenging.
03:57It's so beautiful.
04:05As we arrived, the old people entered this small cave.
04:13You'd think there would be a Council of Elders.
04:18We're lost.
04:24But their attitude is different.
04:29They are the students of the parateacher, Ma'am Melona.
04:38They are all underage because they don't have birth certificates.
04:47The classroom is here in the living room of their house.
04:57There is a small blackboard and a few papers and pencils.
05:03Even though we are old, we still have hope to learn.
05:09That's why everyone is interested.
05:18The schedule of the class determines when each student is free.
05:24The students are their relatives, neighbors, and neighbors.
05:31There is no signal in Sitio Pinaganakan.
05:35That's why the students are on the radio during class.
05:39The students are on the radio during class.
05:43The students go to the radio whenever the class is over.
05:50Because there is little knowledge in reading,
05:54Ma'am Melona showed them flashcards.
05:59La.
06:01Ma.
06:03Ma.
06:05Ma.
06:07But the classroom slows down when the lesson starts.
06:11They can write all the names,
06:15but they can't write the names of the seniors at the same time
06:19because their eyes will be blurred.
06:21They have to wait for one person to finish so that they can borrow the flashcards.
06:26This flashcard was bought for 50 pesos.
06:33An antipara was given to an old student by Ma'am Melona.
06:38The antiparas will be handed to the next student.
06:42Will you join the class?
06:46No.
06:48I have blurry vision.
06:51I can't read.
06:52I can't write.
06:54I can't write.
06:56I can't write.
06:58I can't write.
07:00I can't read.
07:02I can't write.
07:04I can't write.
07:05I can't write.
07:07I can't write.
07:09Okay.
07:11It seems like the grade is high because it's blurry for me.
07:15I can't read.
07:17I can't read.
07:19I can't read.
07:21The grade is high because I'm 100-100 but it's still blurry for me.
07:27I think this is 200.
07:29I think this is 200.
07:34This is how the scene in the class usually looks like.
07:59Some of the students haven't started their activities yet because they're still waiting for their exam.
08:06Their vision is blurry.
08:07They can't do it now.
08:20They're measuring the length of the legs of the students to learn.
08:29I can't read.
08:30I can't read.
08:32I can't read.
08:34I can't read.
08:36I can't read.
08:38It's small on the top.
08:40It's small on the top again.
08:47Here.
08:50Just make it bigger.
08:51You have to do so all your life.
08:55The younger ones are still struggling because they can't leave their children.
09:10To be honest, they understand each other here in Sitio Pinag-Anakan.
09:15But there's a reason why the young ones are trying to learn how to read and write.
09:24Even if it's just a small mark, don't make it bigger.
09:28Because writing is more important than making it bigger.
09:35Don't make it like this.
09:37Yes, don't make it like this.
09:40That's what we need.
09:42So that we can at least sign our names.
09:48The adults, like Rudy, Roberto, and Armando,
09:53are already tired of the pain they experience every time they go out of the mountain.
09:58But I have a son who is also a bit illiterate.
10:03If he faces the Tagalog people,
10:06the Tagalog people will treat him differently.
10:10Because they know that he won't be fooled easily.
10:13But if it's just us, they are happy.
10:15They don't want us to be ignorant.
10:17They are happy.
10:18Okay, let's go. Let's sit down.
10:22In the case of Rudy's father,
10:24every time he sells his last fish,
10:26they are always in a dilemma when it comes to payment.
10:31Sometimes, we are still in a dilemma when it comes to paying our bills.
10:36When it comes to paying, what happens?
10:38Sometimes, we think that that's the price of a kilo.
10:44But we are also aware of the price of a kilo.
10:49Sometimes, we are aware that that's the price of a kilo.
10:54But if it's five kilos,
10:57they will say,
10:58this is five kilos, father.
11:00I am not angry with you.
11:02You are the one who is fooling us.
11:05We won't give you rice.
11:07We won't give you rice.
11:08We won't give you rice.
11:09We won't give you rice.
11:10We won't give you rice.
11:13The situation is getting worse when it comes to the election.
11:18When we vote,
11:20someone will assist us.
11:23I will tell them who I want to vote for.
11:26I am not sure if they will vote for me
11:29because I don't know how to write and read.
11:32We don't know if we want to vote or not.
11:37We don't know if we want to vote or not.
11:41Our children who know how to read
11:45cannot assist us if they don't allow it.
11:51They cannot read because of the receipt.
11:54Yes, the receipt.
11:55In father Armando's experience,
11:58when it's time to vote,
12:00they lose their right to vote
12:03because they are not sure
12:05if they are marking the ballot correctly.
12:10Do you know what you are writing?
12:12No, we don't know.
12:14So some of you are just saying,
12:16this is it.
12:17Yes.
12:18This is it.
12:19We won't give you rice.
12:21We won't give you rice.
12:23Now, there are people who will vote.
12:26They will ask me,
12:28what do you want to vote for?
12:30I won't tell them.
12:32When they say the name,
12:35that's the only thing they will remember.
12:37But when they give the ballot papers,
12:41I don't know how to write or read.
12:45I don't know how to write.
12:52This is the challenge for Ma'am Melona.
12:55But because she is alone,
12:57it's hard for Ma'am Melona
12:59to teach all of her students.
13:06They study for two hours a day.
13:11The movement is limited
13:13because of one school.
13:27After class,
13:29the hardworking Emy and Anely
13:31will get ready to go fishing.
13:36Because there are other students who need to study,
13:38both parents have to help out.
13:45I was joined by the women
13:47in their search for a job.
14:09Ma'am Melona is also a part of the movement.
14:13They will sacrifice themselves to go fishing.
14:19Our small boat was left unattended.
14:29We will go fishing.
14:31We will go fishing.
14:33We will go fishing.
14:35We will go fishing.
14:38We stopped at a mangrove.
14:42Ma'am Emy is singing
14:45while we sacrifice ourselves
14:47to go fishing.
14:58It's hard to breathe
15:00because of the roots.
15:05And it's cold.
15:06The water is cold.
15:12I'm going to cry.
15:16Because
15:18it's hard to step on
15:20and it's uneven.
15:22Slowly.
15:24It's stuck to the rocks.
15:28The water is murky
15:30and we can hardly see anything.
15:37But they continue to sacrifice themselves.
15:46At the bottom,
15:47they are choosing a hiding place.
16:01And they will wait while they are walking.
16:06They will wait while they are walking.
16:26I estimate
16:27that they will hold their breath
16:29for more than 10 seconds
16:31just to catch a fish.
16:36Let's go.
16:54Finally,
16:55Ma'am Melona caught something.
16:57She caught a fish.
17:04We caught three small fish.
17:07There are a lot.
17:23Ma'am, what happened?
17:27My clothes got stuck
17:29and I almost drowned.
17:31This is how it is.
17:33It's not hot.
17:35The fish are stuck to the grass.
17:37It's deep.
17:38It's hard to catch.
17:40It's hard.
17:41And it's cold.
17:48The sun is about to set
17:50so we can't catch anything.
17:53They have nothing to sell
17:55but they have something to eat
17:57this evening.
18:19Even though they are small,
18:22they catch fish almost every day.
18:31In order not to forget their lessons,
18:35they also review their homes.
18:45Nice land, Ma'am.
18:48That's why we talk about
18:50going to school.
18:54Our children are trying
18:56but they don't want to grow up.
18:59They know how to fish
19:00but they don't want to.
19:08Usually,
19:09Emy's hard work
19:10is being reviewed by the mothers.
19:18It's only been a month
19:20since they started going to school.
19:33The problem is,
19:34they don't go to school regularly
19:38because their priority is
19:40to learn how to fish
19:42instead of spending time in class.
19:45We go to school once a day
19:47for about an hour.
19:50We don't go to school together.
19:53We look for jobs.
19:55We look for jobs.
19:58That's our job.
20:04Most of the students
20:06are the wives.
20:08Because they are busy
20:10looking for a job.
20:13Why did you decide to go to school?
20:16You could have gone to school
20:18when you were young.
20:20I didn't go to school.
20:22We are thankful
20:24to Ma'am Arlene.
20:27She helped us.
20:29Every uncle went to school.
20:34But the worst part
20:36of this community
20:39is that they exchange knowledge.
20:43Ma'am Melona's oldest student
20:45shares different traditions
20:47of the fishermen.
20:52One of them is
20:54the common communication
20:56that only a few remember
20:58and are afraid to lose.
21:06When there were no paper
21:08and cell phones,
21:10the fishermen would talk
21:12on the leaves.
21:14For example,
21:16we would talk
21:18to each other
21:20and he would pass by.
21:24For example,
21:26the leaves are like this.
21:32Especially if there are
21:34a lot of leaves,
21:36it means something
21:38to us.
21:48He's there.
21:56Now,
21:58the fishermen use
22:00two-way radio.
22:04We don't know
22:06what to do.
22:08We don't know
22:10what to do.
22:16But the batteries
22:18of the two-way radio are limited
22:20and only rely
22:22on solar power.
22:28That's why
22:30Ma'am Melona
22:32uses technology
22:34to keep
22:36the culture alive.
22:52This mountain is the classroom
22:54of the children today.
22:58Together with Ma'am Melona,
23:00there are two grandpas
23:02who are also students.
23:08They first pick
23:10the leaves.
23:22Each one
23:24has a meaning.
23:26We call it
23:28pag-ebig.
23:34I love you.
23:38I love you wholeheartedly.
23:46So,
23:48what is the name
23:50of the leaf?
23:52It sounds like the word.
23:54It is used
23:56to express
23:58love.
24:00I love you
24:02wholeheartedly.
24:04I promise.
24:08These children
24:10go from grade 1
24:12to grade 10.
24:14They are students
24:16at Pinaganakan Integrated School
24:18in the subject of Culture and Tradition.
24:20I promise.
24:22I promise.
24:24Unlike their parents,
24:26they have the privilege
24:28to read,
24:30write,
24:32and know when they were born.
24:34I promise.
24:36What is that?
24:38But it is important
24:40to the children
24:42to not forget their culture.
24:44I promise.
24:46I love you wholeheartedly.
24:48I promise.
25:18There is no way
25:20to erase the lineage of the ancestors.
25:22As a millennial,
25:24I admit that
25:26the ancestors'
25:28way of communication
25:30is old but unique.
25:32It is a shame
25:34that this culture
25:36is almost extinct
25:38in the place
25:40of the ancestors.
25:42There is nothing better
25:44for a teacher
25:46to see that you have changed
25:48the life of your student.
25:54And for the
25:56children of Sitio Pinaganakan,
25:58there is no age
26:00that is too old
26:02as long as you are determined.
26:04For them,
26:06learning to read
26:08and write is
26:10their only defense
26:12so that
26:14the future will not be repeated.
26:26For us,
26:28in the past,
26:30we were closed.
26:32Maybe now,
26:34we can read
26:36when our children are able to study.
26:38We learned that
26:40we can study
26:42and our children can learn
26:44while we can't.
26:46That is why we are
26:48fortunate
26:50to be in this situation.
26:54And we can study
26:56at any age.
27:08I am Mav Gonzalez
27:10and this is
27:12Eyewitness.
27:38Thank you very much.
