Pobreng Pinoy

Episode on August 18, 2007 Saturday late night Sine Totoo airs “Pobreng Pinoy" – Imbestigador’s shocking report on how the poorest Filipinos cope with poverty. While many public affairs programs have tackled poverty before, no one has discussed it in the way “Pobreng Pinoy" first did three years ago. The episode shows urban poor homes built in the most seemingly absurd and dangerous places. There are slim shanties built not beside but between two sets of railroad tracks, resting places built in a tree in the middle of a street’s island, floating karitons built with Styrofoam in esteros so residents can easily move from one place to another. The special also reveals that the rural poor – while having safer homes – sometimes resort to eating poisonous root crops, worms and even farm rats when they are hungry. Decent jobs are hard to come by, so for everyday subsistence, some Filipinos sell their body parts. “Pobreng Pinoy" shows folk who have sold their skin, teeth, blood and one even his left eye in exchange for money. The final segment shows a 75-year old man still working in the sex trade to earn a daily thirty pesos to buy himself food. Imbestigador host Mike Enriquez and veteran segment producer Mike Manalaysay discuss this disturbing episode with Sine Totoo’s Howie Severino. They say even they never expected to encounter what they did while shooting the episode. To what level of desperation has poverty led the “Pobreng Pinoy"?: Find out this Saturday at midnight on Sine Totoo.

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Pobreng Pinoy Isang matinding palabas ukol sa kahirapan ang hatid ngayong Sabado ng Sine Totoo – ang “Pobreng Pinoy". Dito mapapanood hindi lamang ang mahihirap – kundi ang pinakasaid sa mga said, ang matatawag na ngang mga desperado nang dahil sa kahirapan. May mga Pilipinong naninirahan na sa pinakakarumal-dumal na uri ng tahanan. May napipilitang kumain ng daga at may lasong halamang ugat. At meron pa ngang dahil sa walang makuhang trabaho ay ipinagbibili ang mga parte ng kanilang katawan – mula sa dugo, balat, ngipin hanggang sa isang mata. Makikilala rin sa “Pobreng Pinoy" ang isang sitenta anyos na lolo na hanggang ngayon ay nagbebenta ng kanyang laman kapalit ng trenta pesos niyang pagkain sa inaraw araw. Nakapanayam ni Howie Severino ng Sine Totoo ang ilan sa bumuo ng “Pobreng Pinoy" – si Mike Enriquez at matagal nang segment producer na si Mike Manalaysay. Ayon sa kanila, pati sila ay nagulat sa tindi ng kanilang mga nakita habang ginagawa ang episode na ito. Alamin kung hanggang saan ang kayang tiisin ng “Pobreng Pinoy" para lang mabuhay, ngayong Sabado ng hatinggabi sa Sine Totoo.