Revisited Documentary "Batang Langoy"

In this era of social media, it is the preference of most students that they can't even live a day without their gadgets for status checking in their favorite social platforms. Let’s all be conscious that finding happiness in life is all about contentment because in this documentary you would realize that you are more privileged than others on what you had in your  life right now. We often hear stories of children who would walk a 2 kilometer hike just to get to school but for some children in the Magalumbi island they had to swim for their education.

The I Witness  Team headed by Sir Jay Taruc had traveled to the 5th class town of Binon an in Iloilo province where they discovered the everyday plight of students from Magalumbi island. The documentary starts on the first day of the new school year for the students of Magalumbi island. Where most of the family in the island believes that education is their only hope to uplift their current living situation. The island population that comprises mostly fisherfolks, give all their support that their children need to have a proper education even though traveling to the main island is very challenging in many ways economically, geographically and physically.

In Magalumbi island the team meet Raul and his  cousin Queenche who both are enrolled in a Binon-an Elementary School. Raul and his cousin just like all the children that are excited to attend the first day of there school both had woken up early and along with some kids from the community had gone to the beach front to catch a small boat to take them to the main island Tabunan beach. From Tabunan beachfront they had to walk a little more to reach the school. The children from the island all reached the school late for their flag ceremony and they all did not bother to attend it. On the first day of school most children often boost all there new school supplies while Raul, a 13 year old boy but still 2nd grade had to attend his first day of school with his swimming goggles and without any school supplies at hand, a sad reality for a child from the island, fact that his parents cannot provide even a single pad of paper and a pencil.

Sir Jay asked Raul teacher why the child logs behind his peers and the teacher said that it's a common situation that a child from the island would  be late and in bad weather those children can not  cross the narrow stream. Also because poverty is prevalent in the Magulundi island, most children always drop out in the middle of the school year for the reason that they had to help their parents fishing at night or they had to find some jobs that can pay even a small amount.

After a day in school all the children from the island go back to Tabunan beach and wait before sundown if there would be a fishing boat that would fetch them all back to Magalumbi island, if no boat had come to fetch them for their parents are all in sea making a living, the inevitable would happen the dangerous swim across from the mainland back to Magalumbi island .First all the children had to dig a hole in the sand to hide all their school supplies and pray that it would not rain at night so that their equipment would not be wet. After all their school supplies are secured they now start to swim from the beachfront of Tabunan, their strategy is to all swim close by in a group and  have a bamboo pole to hold onto if they would eventually feel tired swimming. The narrow crossing is 1 kilometer and almost 20 feet deep that would eventually be a half hour swim in a good weather condition but that day, when the I Witness team and the children are doing the crossing swim they had been hit by a torrential rain and immediately the team decided not to take chances on that kind of  weather  when they spotted a incoming fishing boat they quickly put all the children on board and be on their way to the island. They all made it to the beachfront of Magalumbi safe and all the children back home. 

In the comfort of their house but still some of the children in the island need to help their parents fishing at night just like the younger brother of Queenche, Raymark had to go with his father out in the open sea at night to try to bait some fish for dinner and breakfast. 

As Queenche ambition in life is to be a nurse and Raul a policemen someday, Queenche  mother told the team that there is someone that would like to help take Queenche in from the mainland to help her in her education but the sad reality is Queenche and Raulparents are fisherfolks that earn almost 4$ daily it would hard for them to pursue their dream economically in their current parents livelihood. Queenche mother added when asked why they choose to live on the island it’s because they do not own land in the mainland and they cannot afford rental payments if they want to rent a house in the mainland. Her husband's livelihood is also based in the island that is why they still choose to be in Magalumbi island.

Early morning comes and all the children need to wake up early and travel back to the mainland for they all need to make their assignment before attending school again. While other children were busy digging their bags and other equipment, Queenche was preparing their lunch box filled with rice without any other side dish.While walking to the school all of the children had their breakfast of boiled banana and some cotton fruit. The island children thus do not have a lot of other friends other than themselves, for they all eat lunch together far away from other school children. The children from the island all look up for each other like their swimming strategy that they can have support and care from their group to achieve their goal in life. 

Final Thoughts

The children of Magalumbi island face some enormous challenges in their everyday lives. Thus it does not dither their will of going to school and being educated. Raul and Queenche both have a simple dream of someday finishing their college education and help their family that they both still hold a will to fight their current plight even how hard or daunting the swim for their future.

 We living in the internet age and in the rural areas, we often complain about some slightest inconvenience that we encounter. Let's be aware that some children do not complain of a half hour swim in the open sea to have an education and  to get home to their family. The children's struggles are real but they face without complaint and still be able to play and laugh upon their current situation in life is mind boggling.

Reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOp2hnA4Q_8