'Hindi Paiiwan', dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo, ngayong Biyernes sa I-Witness

I-Witness
"Hindi Paiiwan"
Dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo

Sa isang kinakalawang na bubong ng isang bahay sa Baseco, may isang binatang nangahas mangarap na makawala sa masikip na mundong kinalakhan niya.  Gamit ang hinuhulug-hulugang cellphone sinisikap ni John John Silos, isang engineering student, na mairaos ang online classes niya  sa patingi-tinging wifi.  Kailangan niyang tumuntong sa bubungan ng kanilang barong-barong. Dito lang kasi malakas ang signal. Aminado siyang mas mahirap matuto sa ganitong sitwasyon pero sa panahon ng pandemya, kailangan niyang tiisin ang lahat ng hirap dahil ayaw niyang matigil sa pag-aaral.

Sa Batangas, isa pang engineering student ang natutong maging mapamaraan pagdating sa online class. Gamit ang ilang pirasong kahoy, lumang kumot, at cellphone holder na gawa ng kawayan, nagtatayo ng “virtual classroom” si Mark Joseph Andal sa isang mala-gubat na espasyo makasagap lang ng maayos na signal para sa klase. Tulad ni John John, cellphone lang din ang gamit niya, at 50 pesos naman kada 3 araw ang inilalaan niyang budget para sa internet. Desidido raw siyang mag-aral kahit hirap. Siya lang kasi ang inaasahan ng pamilya lalo pa ngayong may sakit na ang tatay niya.

Kung dati nang mahirap abutin ang pangarap na makapagtapos para sa maraming naghihikahos na Pilipino, tila lalo pang nagpabigat ang mga hamong dala ng online learning.  Ang “digital divide” o hindi patas na access sa internet at gadget ay isa sa pinakamalaking balakid na kailangang malampasan ng maraming estudyante ngayon.

Abangan ang I-Witness kasama si Sandra Aguinaldo ngayong Biyernes, September 18, alas diyes ng gabi, sa GMA News TV.

English translation:

A young man sits on the rusty roof of his house in Baseco.  He stays there for a while focused on his cellphone.  John John Silas is not there to chat with friends, but to attend his online classes.  In their poor community, students like him rely on coin-operated wifi connection.  He has to climb the roof too to get a better signal.  As an engineering student, he admits this situation is not conducive to learning but he has to make do, because the pandemic has forced him to adapt to a new way of learning. Despite this, he says he is not ready to quit school and give up on his dreams.

In Batangas, another engineering student has learned to be resourceful with his online classes.  Using pieces of scrap wood, an old blanket, and a cellphone holder made of bamboo, Mark Joseph Andal constructs a makeshift virtual classroom at the edge of a forest. He says, the internet signal is better there than inside his house. Like John John, he has no laptop for his class and just uses a cellphone. He allots 50 pesos on wifi, good for 3 days. He’s determined to finish his studies because all his family’s hopes and dreams are anchored on him especially now that his father is sick.

If before the pandemic, graduating from college seemed to be an unattainable dream for many poor Filipinos, there is a greater challenge now for those who have to adapt to online learning.  The digital divide or the unequal access to technology and communication information, is also a social divide—separating those who have and have not.  Bridging this gap is a major challenge that students like John John and Mark have to overcome.

Join Sandra Aguinaldo as she gets to know two exceptional young men who are pursuing their dreams of an education on I-Witness this Friday September 18 at 10 pm, on GMA News TV.