Sine Totoo presents Philippine Agenda's "Trabaho"

Episode on February 7, 2009 Saturday, 11:30 p.m. With the world in recession and more Filipinos in the manufacturing and export industries now losing their jobs, Sine Totoo airs a special episode on labor problems from the ground breaking pre-election series Philippine Agenda. Hosted by Vicky Morales, Philippine Agenda's "Trabaho" episode follows college graduates who plough through the business districts everyday in search for high-paying jobs, only to come home empty-handed. But they are not alone. Over three million Filipinos remain unemployed. To secure a better future for their families, so many Filipinos now work in contractual jobs abroad. Sol, a former factory worker in Manila, left for Hong Kong to become a domestic helper. Vicky met Sol in her new homeland and found that even there, fortune has not favored many of our OFWs. Back in the Philippines, workers protest for higher wages and better employment benefits. But there is one place in Metro Manila where employees have taken their cause to a whole new level. In front of a bus company in Novaliches stands what is called the "longest picket line", which workers on strike have maintained for more than twelve years. Francisco Salvo, one of the strikers, tells the story of their long, drawn-out battle. In between fighting for his cause in the picket line, Francisco scurries to various call center companies, applying as an agent. Will fate favor the long-embattled Francisco? Or will he once again, find himself in a seemingly endless struggle for honorable work? Sine Totoo host Howie Severino interviews segment producer Lea Llamoso-Compendio and researcher Lora Queñano about how they put together the elements for this complex documentary. Sine Totoo airs Vicky Morales' "Trabaho" special episode, this Saturday late night over GMA-7.