Monday, August 28, 2006

Kara David's "Buto't Balat"

I thought it would just be another boring weekend for me, waiting for the clock to move its hands for another hour or so. But then, I remembered that I-witness, a documentary program of GMA 7 would be showcasing some of its documentaries in school. Being a documentary addict, plus the bonus of meeting some of GMA’s famous journalists, I, together with my friends, decided to go and watch.

First to be shown was Kara David’s “Buto’t Balat”, a documentary on severe malnutrition in the Philippines. Perhaps almost everyone on the audience was affected by the things and the facts presented in the documentary. There was a case of a girl who was bed ridden because of malnutrition and when asked of the reason why she became that way, her mother said they only eat once or twice a day. The family could not provide enough food for themselves, which resulted to the girl and her other two siblings’ death. Also featured was a family of nine which would eat three times a day but with improper food intake. The weight of the oldest child, 14, would only pass for the weight of a two-year-old. And when data were shown, the Philippines ranked 2nd in cases of severe malnourishment.

I have only watched two of the four documentaries yet I knew that it was enough. I was greatly affected with what I have seen that I couldn’t help but wonder what the world’s richest tycoons are doing with their wealth when millions of people are dying of hunger. It is indeed ironic how the “rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer”. Buto’t Balat also showed what the Philippine government has somehow been denying by building more super highways and infrastructures: poverty. This documentary stood up to its duty of showing the reality behind the entire façade of the government’s claims of serving the people. In a world where the price of perfumes cost almost a month’s salary, there are also people who could not even afford a day’s meal.

Links to sites that contain information on malnutrition:

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