Junior: Dokyu ni Jay Taruc

How do you measure a father’s love? In a remote town in Cagayan De Oro is the story of a father, Tatay Odon, and his son, “Junior." Tatay Odon has been taking care of Junior since he was five years old. Junior has cerebral palsy and is now 21. After his wife left him, Tatay Odon has learned to rely on himself to look after Junior. But with no one else to care for the boy, Odon leaves Junior inside their house, tied to his bed with cloth linings to prevent the boy from harming himself. It is a daily struggle, and a daily battle with his fatherly instincts. But even during Odon’s duty as a watchman in a public high school, he steals a quick look to see if Junior is doing okay. And while he is home, Odon is the one seemingly tied to his son – feeding him, bathing him, providing therapy to Junior’s joints and muscles through the traditional hilot. In the four corners of their small home, the two are inseparable. Odon knows that their situation is not ideal. But in a poor town where basic services are lacking, let alone care options for children and persons with special needs, how does a family cope? Jay Taruc uncovers a different side to the struggles of single fathers living with children with cerebral palsy. This is the unusual, yet poignant story of the relationship between a father and his son, their fates intertwined, tied to each other as long as the other one is alive. “Junior" airs this Monday on I-WITNESS.