‘No Record,’ dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo, ngayong Sabado sa ‘I-Witness’

“NO RECORD”

Dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo
October 19, 2019

What if you’re unsure of your age or have very few details of your family history? What if you did not have a legal identity?
 
Such is the case of Rosa Gatorian. She estimates that she is more than 100 years old. No one can vouch for her as she is now living all alone.  She gathers plastic from trash and sells them for a living. What she earns is barely enough for her to get a decent meal a day.  The government’s benefit, a cash gift for centenarians like her would be of great help to her.
 
But the problem is she cannot prove her age because she has no birth certificate.
 
Life has been not been kind to the old lady and it would seem that opportunities passed her by. She has never set a foot inside a classroom.  Her husband and only child have already passed away.  Could her fate have changed if only she had a birth certificate?
 
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are over 5 million unregistered Filipinos. Almost 40% of those are minors. The I-Witness team met a mother who is registering her 7-year-old child who she claims is a victim of abuse. She needs the birth certificate in seeking justice for her child.
 
From birth, to attending school, to seeking employment and until you reach your golden years, this piece of paper entitles you to claim your rights as a Filipino. 
 
This Saturday on I-Witness, Sandra Aguinaldo tells the stories of people seeking for their identities on “No Record”, after Studio 7 on GMA. 
 
Filipino version:
 
Paano kung hindi ka sigurado sa iyong edad?
 
Paano kung wala kang detalye ng iyong pinagmulan?
 
Paano kung wala kang pagkakakilanlan? 
 
Ganito si lola Rosa Gatorian. Tantya niya mahigit isang daang taon na siya. Mag-isa sa buhay. Nangangalakal ng basura para maitawid ang bawat araw. Malaking tulong sana ang benepisyo ng gobyerno sa mga centenarian na tulad niya. 
 
Pero wala siyang katibayan. Wala kasi siyang birth certificate.
 
Tila ba mula bata, napagkaitan ng mga oportunidad si lola Rosa. Hindi siya nakatuntong kahit grade 1. Nakapag-asawa ng katutubo pero maagang na-biyuda. Nauna ring namatay ang kaisa-isang anak. Nagbago kaya ang kanyang kapalaran kung may pinanghahawakan sana siyang sertipiko ng kapanganakan?
 
Ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority, mahigit 5 milyong Pilipino ang walang birth certificate. Halos 40% ng bilang na yun, menor de edad. Isang ina pa ang nakillala ng I-Witness na kasalukuyang kumukuha ng birth certificate ng 7-taong gulang na anak na biktima diumano ng pangmomolestiya. Kailangan din daw ng birth certificate sa paghahanap niya ng hustisya.
 
Mula pagkapanganak, pag-aaral, paghahanap ng trabaho hanggang sa pagtanda, may isang dokumentong kailangan para magkaroon ka ng karapatan bilang isang Pilipino.
 
Ngayong Sabado sa I-Witness, kikilalanin ni Sandra Aguinaldo ang mga kuwento ng mga taong naghahanap ng pagkakakilanlan. Abangan ang “No Record” pagtapos ng Studio 7 sa GMA.