Aired (October 12, 2024): Isa sa mga dokumentong mayroon dapat ang isang tao ay ang birth certificate. Kailangan ito para makagalaw bilang isang bahagi ng lipunan— para makapag-aral, makaboto, makapagtrabaho at iba pa.
Pero sa malalayong lugar, isang pagsubok ang pagkuha ng papel ng pagkakakilanlan. Pero may isang tao na handang maglakad nang kilu-kilometro para matulungan ang kanyang katribo na makuha ang kanilang birth certificate.
Panoorin ang buong kuwento sa special anniversary episode ng #IWitness kasama si Howie Severino.
#iBenteSingko
‘I-Witness’ is GMA Network's longest-running and most awarded documentary program. It is hosted by the country’s top documentarists— Howie Severino, Kara David, Atom Araullo, Mav Gonzales, and John Consulta. ‘I-Witness’ airs every Saturday, 10:15 PM on GMA Network.
Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
Pero sa malalayong lugar, isang pagsubok ang pagkuha ng papel ng pagkakakilanlan. Pero may isang tao na handang maglakad nang kilu-kilometro para matulungan ang kanyang katribo na makuha ang kanilang birth certificate.
Panoorin ang buong kuwento sa special anniversary episode ng #IWitness kasama si Howie Severino.
#iBenteSingko
‘I-Witness’ is GMA Network's longest-running and most awarded documentary program. It is hosted by the country’s top documentarists— Howie Severino, Kara David, Atom Araullo, Mav Gonzales, and John Consulta. ‘I-Witness’ airs every Saturday, 10:15 PM on GMA Network.
Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.
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FunTranscript
00:00On the island of Mindoro, hidden in the mountains, are seven tribes.
00:15For those who live in Patag, Mangyan is their home.
00:24But the truth is, their language is different.
00:31They have their own culture.
00:34They have the same desire.
00:40One important role that many of them don't have,
00:45but there is one strong heart that cares for them.
01:00There is a small sea between Luzon and Mindoro.
01:19But it seems far away in Tabihasnat, one of the largest islands in the country.
01:25I will now accompany Jason Lino, a native of the Bangot tribe.
01:33In the vastness of their ancestral land,
01:39I felt why so many Mangyans became Makata, in their own writing.
01:47Jason will bring one of his tribe to a secluded place.
01:54Lolo Way Agat
02:14Jason visited Lolo Way Agat several times, the oldest of them all.
02:21He is able to walk, and he is also a farmer.
02:25Jason, on the other hand, is walking for Lolo Way Agat.
02:30A role that will determine his future in the world.
02:37He just needs to have the confidence that he is 100 years old.
02:41Does he know how old he is?
02:44He knows that he is 100 years old.
02:50But he is still young.
02:56He is 100 years old.
03:00He is a 100 years old.
03:03He can still reach Japan.
03:07He can still go to Japan.
03:1015 is the son of Wai Agan and the second son is Bawi.
03:17How do you know that he's 100 years old if he doesn't have a birth certificate?
03:22Because he has a birthmark like yours on the other side of his chest.
03:28It's not old, it's not old. It's almost his age.
03:32But my father was older back then.
03:35How do you know?
03:36My father's friend told me.
03:38They were small back then.
03:40Small?
03:41Yes, small.
03:42But he knows how old his friend is.
03:45Yes, I know.
03:46Because he has a birth certificate.
03:47Yes.
03:48So how old was he?
03:49He was 85 years old before he passed away.
03:51When did that happen?
03:53It's been a long time.
03:54It's been a long time.
03:55I think it's been 16 years now.
03:59Wai, Wai Agan, Wai Agan.
04:02For more than 100 years in the world,
04:05no document proves Wai Agan's identity.
04:10For 100 years, he has not received any benefits from the government.
04:15He will also not be able to vote.
04:18And in the promise of 100,000 pesos for centenarians,
04:22he should have a right.
04:25Why doesn't he have a birth certificate?
04:27I don't know, sir.
04:30This is Jason's mission.
04:33He is a volunteer who helps his tribe to get a birth certificate.
04:38For most of them, many witnesses prove the details of the birth certificate.
04:44How about a centenarian who has long been a parent,
04:48a sibling, and a relative?
04:51I was told that their father passed away.
04:55In this mission of Jason,
04:57he is accompanied by Cons, a nurse from the NGO IDEALS.
05:01Did you check the details?
05:04Yes, ma'am.
05:05Just tell him to be careful.
05:09Yes, ma'am.
05:11They also asked Yuri to go to Mindoro to look for people who do not have a birth certificate.
05:18Many of them live far from the government services.
05:33It's important.
05:35If they need to go to school, they need it.
05:41Jason and almost 50 IP volunteers in Mindoro
05:45only receive allowances from the NGO and local government.
05:51Why is their role important in this project?
05:54It's important because we are able to provide social services to our people.
06:04Jason travels kilometers.
06:16As long as there is someone who is not yet registered in his tribe,
06:20he will not be tired of walking.
06:23Why did you volunteer?
06:25I can see our poverty.
06:28I want to help them, but there is no one who can help them.
06:45Sometimes, in a faraway school, Jason himself delivers birth certificates.
06:59Good afternoon.
07:00Good afternoon.
07:03Class, this is Sir Jason Linong, an IP volunteer who delivers birth certificates.
07:09Sir Jason Linong, an IP volunteer who delivers birth certificates.
07:15Sir Jason, you can go first.
07:18Sir, I have a relative from our MCR.
07:25His name is Maling Saay.
07:28Maling Saay?
07:30He's here.
07:40Here, Sir. This is the PSA.
07:45The PSA is the Philippine Statistics Authority,
07:49an NGO that delivers birth certificates in the country.
07:55A child cannot graduate without a birth certificate.
07:58That is why this birth certificate is very important.
08:01This is my birth certificate.
08:03This is my birth certificate.
08:06This is my birth certificate.
08:08This is my birth certificate.
08:23We accompanied Jason to their home.
08:27You won't get lost as long as you follow the river.
08:44We saw the birth of his baby.
08:47He was 18 years old when he started volunteering for their tribe.
08:52He is 32 years old now.
08:55How did you find out that they needed help?
09:00I saw in our visits to the government.
09:06I saw our situation that we need help.
09:12Do you have a lot of tribes that don't have birth certificates?
09:15Yes, a lot.
09:17At first, but until now, we still have birth certificates.
09:20Why don't they have birth certificates?
09:22They don't understand the importance of birth certificates.
09:29According to the law,
09:31a new birth certificate must be registered within 30 days.
09:36A new birth certificate must be registered within 30 days.
09:42It is already a delayed registration if it exceeds the deadline.
09:46That is the first document that every person should have.
09:50And that is what they can use as their legal identity
09:55in any transaction with the government
09:59or wherever they can use their birth certificates.
10:0420% of the population of the town of Bongabong
10:09is made up of indigenous people.
10:12They include the three remote barangays.
10:16Our problem when we do information dissemination
10:20is the language barrier.
10:22When we speak, they look at us
10:26and they don't understand what we say.
10:29That is why we came up with a strategy
10:33to ask for volunteers, IP volunteers.
10:39They asked people like Jason
10:42how to interview for the process of birth certificates.
10:47Did you consider recruiting and hiring indigenous people
10:51to be your regular staff?
10:53We were given.
10:54We were asked if it is per document.
10:59For example, if they have 40 documents,
11:02it is equivalent to 300 per day for 16 days.
11:07At least they have money for daily expenses
11:14and they can focus on registration.
11:17The requirements are based on the proof that the person received.
11:24With the help of a group of ideals,
11:27the birth certificate will be more effective for indigenous people.
11:41In spite of their remoteness in Manila,
11:46they are affected by the issue of fake birth certificates
11:50that broke the news recently.
11:53In 2024, the problem started in the National
11:58with the Chinese fake birth certificate.
12:03We need to investigate before registering
12:07if there is any doubt.
12:09How?
12:11They need a personal appearance, parents,
12:14a mandatory national ID,
12:17and more supporting documents.
12:19For us, it is just a job.
12:22That is why they are burdened.
12:42Jason is the representative of his tribe in the bureaucracy of the government.
12:50Thank you, ma'am.
12:53Today, 50 birth certificates are ready to be distributed by Jason to his tribe.
13:01Thank you, ma'am.
13:05It is a long process.
13:08It is a long process.
13:23Jason just borrowed a motorcycle
13:27to travel to his hometown.
13:38Hello.
13:45It took him more than two hours to travel from his hometown.
13:50Hello.
14:04At any time,
14:08the mission continues.
14:18The birth certificates are waiting for him in the mountains.
14:38Hey, Jason.
14:40How are you?
14:42Where are we going?
14:44I will just distribute the birth certificates that can be given.
14:48That's great.
14:50How long is this process?
14:53It takes two months.
14:55Two months.
14:57So this is the day of success.
15:00They will finally receive it.
15:02You will live.
15:04Take care.
15:05Take care.
15:10Are you from there?
15:12Yes, we are.
15:14Take care.
15:35The birth certificates are ready.
15:37Thank you, ma'am.
16:05We are not from there.
16:07Where are you from?
16:09Do you know where you are from?
16:11The birth certificates are already in a bucket.
16:18They are from different parts of the mountains.
16:26But instead of joy,
16:29others are anxious.
16:30That's why we want to be a part of this.
16:33We are the ones who are talking.
16:35They are not the ones who are making the decisions.
16:42Why did the papers take so long?
16:45If you are not comfortable with the papers.
16:48And why are we still waiting for Jason?
16:52We also want to see the place.
16:54We still need to explain our mission.
17:00We still need to explain our mission.
17:21We wrap it like this?
17:23Yes, we wrap it like this.
17:25And then?
17:26You have to blow on it before you roll it.
17:29Try it.
17:35It's hot?
17:37Yes, it's hot.
17:49Is it wrong?
17:56It's been 16 years since I first came to the territory of the Mangyans in Mindoro.
18:02One of the things I discovered back then is that
18:05despite their poverty,
18:08they are very rich in culture.
18:14There are only a few Filipinos who have their own writing
18:20that they still use to this day
18:23along with the Mangyans there.
18:27The Mangyans in Mindoro
18:38The team agreed to go down there on Tuesday.
18:43When I came back to Mindoro,
18:45this is the first tribe I met.
18:50They have their weaknesses in the long process of preparing the papers.
18:54We just need to follow this.
18:57That's all.
18:59It's just hot.
19:01Why does it take so long?
19:04What we know is that
19:07when you arrive,
19:09when you give,
19:11you will get it.
19:13This is a registration.
19:15There are processes to follow.
19:17We don't have proof.
19:19We don't have other documents to show.
19:22That's why we need other documents.
19:25It's also a pre-process.
19:27We went back to Hagan three times
19:30to go through the process.
19:32The process took a month and a half.
19:35It's not just in Mindoro.
19:37It's all over the Philippines.
19:39Yes, it's all over the Philippines.
19:41It's taking a long time.
19:43We can't do it right away.
19:45Yes.
19:47There is also a bias about us.
19:49But for now,
19:51their agreement is not true.
19:54It's not true.
19:57Under the law,
19:59they have the right to their ancestral domain.
20:06Before we went to their place,
20:09we reported this to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
20:14in the municipality of Bungabong
20:17and to the military.
20:20But when we arrived here,
20:23they didn't allow us to go up to the far side of the mountain.
20:29And we understood this.
20:32There are issues.
20:34We don't know if the other group that came here
20:37might be forced to build a dam
20:39or mine.
20:41We don't want that.
20:44It's okay with us.
20:45We are thankful to you
20:48for accepting us here.
20:51We understand that there are many issues
20:54with the IPs,
20:56not just here in Mindoro.
20:58What's your name?
21:00What's your name?
21:02What's your name?
21:04What's your name?
21:06What's your name?
21:08What's your name?
21:11They agreed to distribute all the birth certificates
21:15held by Jason
21:17instead of bringing them to their homes.
21:20Be careful.
21:22We serve as a guide
21:24to our IP volunteers
21:25and we also assist
21:27our local civil registrars
21:30and local civil registry offices
21:32so that we can register our children
21:35because that is also the objective of the project,
21:38which is a bridge.
21:42How do you feel
21:44when you are helping your fellow citizens
21:47to go up the mountain?
21:49For example,
21:51there are children
21:52who don't have enough requirements
21:55but when I help them
21:57and they receive the aid,
21:59I feel grateful.
22:06We can consider them heroes
22:09because what our IP volunteers do
22:12is not a joke.
22:14Like Jason,
22:16he doesn't just walk a few kilometers
22:18but he goes far.
22:20Not only in the birth certificate,
22:22but also in other social services.
22:29We saw the fruits of their efforts.
22:33For those who have already registered,
22:38they can now enjoy
22:40some benefits from the government.
22:49But for Lolo Wayagan,
22:51who is still waiting
22:53for a paper
22:55to officially announce
22:57his inauguration,
23:00how old is he?
23:18The day Lolo Wayagan has been waiting for
23:21has finally arrived.
23:23After 100 years,
23:25he has received
23:27his important paper.
23:31He is now being recognized
23:33that in May this year
23:35is the 100th anniversary
23:37of Wayagan's inauguration.
23:39I am happy.
23:41I am happy
23:43because he will still be able to help
23:45if there is a certificate.
23:47I am happy
23:49because he will still be able to help
23:52if there is a certificate.
23:54I am happy
23:56because he will still be able to help.
23:58When will he be able to
24:00receive his senior?
24:02When he has his birth certificate.
24:04That is what he wants
24:06for his pension.
24:08He wants
24:10when he has his birth certificate
24:12and his pension,
24:14when will he be able
24:16to receive his senior?
24:18Finally,
24:20there is an official confirmation
24:22that he is one of the survivors here.
24:24I am happy
24:26because I have my senior.
24:28I am happy.
24:30If there is help from the senior,
24:32he should be here in his house.
24:34He should not be there.
24:36He cannot go down.
24:38He should be brought here.
24:40He should be brought here.
24:42Aside from his pension,
24:44they are also hoping
24:46for the 1,000 pesos benefit
24:48that the government promised
24:50for the centenarians.
24:52But,
24:54the Municipal Social Welfare
24:56and Development Office of Bungabong
24:58is still considering
25:00if the birth certificate is enough
25:02to receive his senior.
25:04They will decide
25:06if he is eligible.
25:08What if he is 100 years old
25:10and you have validated
25:12that he is eligible?
25:14That is okay.
25:16They might go to the site
25:18to verify.
25:20To verify.
25:22But for me,
25:24I am satisfied
25:26because he is eligible.
25:31Last year,
25:33Jason and other volunteers
25:35were able to verify
25:37that aside from their services
25:39to the community,
25:43I hope the IPs
25:44will also be trained
25:46because they are the ones
25:48who can better understand
25:50their fellowmen.
25:55For a long time,
25:57people in the mountains
25:59have lived without papers
26:01for the land,
26:04for breeding,
26:06for marriage,
26:08and even for death.
26:11The modern era has come
26:12where in order for everything
26:14to be legal,
26:16we need papers.
26:21And there are rules
26:23in every community
26:25that guide
26:27the tribes
26:30in the world of papers.
26:37I am Howie Severino
26:39and this is Eyewitness.
26:43Eyewitness
26:45A film by
26:47Howie Severino
26:49A film by
26:51Howie Severino
26:53A film by
26:55Howie Severino
26:57A film by
26:59Howie Severino
27:01A film by
27:03Howie Severino
27:05A film by
27:07Howie Severino
27:09A film by
27:10A film by
27:12Howie Severino