DISCOVERING THE TOUGH REALITIES IN “THE TOUGHEST PLACE…”

            They were two people who make a living as bus drivers. Both of them were supposed to be born as equals. But why does one live in comfort and the other one struggles just to live?

      This is definitely the toughest question confronting anyone who has seen BBC’s documentary “The Toughest Place to be…” It is a series of documentaries that features British workers doing their jobs in some of the toughest conditions in the world. One of these episodes, “The Toughest Place to be a Bus Driver,” showed Josh West, a London bus driver, going to Manila to do his job. He filled in the shoes of Rogelio Castro who taught him how to drive his jeep. While in Manila, Josh stayed with Rogelio and his family and discovered the heart-breaking disparity in their lives.

You can view this BBC documentary at Youtube.com

            Throughout his stay in Manila, Josh lived the hard life of Rogelio.  He faced an array of problems confronting the poor people like Rogelio living in the developing world. Apparently, it was uncomfortable for Josh and embarrassing for Rogelio. Josh’s shocking discoveries were Rogelio’s awful realities.

      The documentary painfully hits even the hardest of hearts as it reveals the gut-wrenching realities of the many facets of poverty in the Philippines. These issues have long plagued our country and confront most of our fellow Filipinos every day:

- massive traffic,

- growing unemployment and  underemployment,

- insufficient housing,

- excessive population among the poor,

- inadequate health services,

- malnutrition and extreme hunger,  

- high illiteracy rate.

          One of the most disturbing scenes in the documentary was the sight of people eating “pagpag,” leftover food from fast-food restaurants scavenged by the poor from garbage. Josh went to a dump site and met with an old lady who owns a carinderia that serves pagpag. She processes the pagpag by boiling it and frying in hot oil, depending on the condition of the food, before she makes a dish out of it. She makes a living out of scavenging and cooking pagpag that feeds impoverished people who do not have enough money to buy “real food.” For Josh, it was the worst he has witnessed in his life.         

           This is certainly a must- see documentary, not only because it is about the Philippines, but because it is about us as Filipinos. This may be easily dismissed as one of those documentaries that make anyone cringe at the ugly sight of our country. But this is an exceptional documentary that tells about our kababayan’s story through the eyes of a foreigner who has personally experienced living in Manila.  

from BBC's documentary on "The Toughest Place to Be.."

             

          For Filipinos, this is neither a pleasant TV show nor an eye-opening documentary. This is because these dreadful realities point to the harrowing poverty that we often see in our midst. We have grown so accustomed to it that we become desensitized by the destitution of our nation, the inefficiency of our system, and the suffering of the people around us. Eventually, we tend to resign ourselves to this awful fact until it becomes “normal.”

            It seems that the idea behind this documentary is to bring the issues of the developing world into the consciousness of the British people and those from the developed nations. It may also seek to generate compassion among BBC audiences living lives of comfort. But from the eyes of the people who are the subjects of this documentary, it is a chilling reminder of the realities that should not be accepted as “normal.” This should prompt us to take these realities as something that we can overcome.

        After all, Rogelio’s life as a jeepney driver is also the same life that millions of Filipinos live. His anguish resonates with most of us who also feel his pain: “I put everything into my work. All my strength goes into it. If I could work 24 hours to lift my family out of poverty, I would. But no matter how hard I try, my life just doesn’t get any better. I’m just stuck here.”     

       Indeed, his story is our story. His struggle is our struggle. His life of poverty (uneducated driver with low income living in poor conditions) is a reflection of our challenges and failures as a nation. But this should not be our eternal doom. His hope in the future (having his own small business and getting his grandchildren to finish college) can be a motivation for us to do our part and help our nation.

         After living Rogelio’s life and driving his jeep, Josh went back to London a changed man. “He shouldn’t have to work so hard for the little things he’s got,” said Josh after he became witness to Rogelio’s life of poverty. But it was heartwarming to hear him say that, after all he has seen in Rogelio’s life, how can he turn his back on him?  

        Back home, Josh organized a number of fund-raising events to raise money for Rogelio’s family. Two years later, he went back to Manila to personally give Rogelio the financial support he needs for his family’s future. In the end, the show can be credited for being mindful in portraying Westerners, not as the savior of the poor, but as ordinary people who reflected empathy and solidarity in the face of global inequality.    

         Clearly, this documentary is not only for the British but it is also for us Filipinos. Though the show portrayed the state of our poverty as shameful and reprehensible, it also showed the everyday battle for survival and the struggle for dignity among our poor. For Filipinos who have seen the documentary, this must prompt us for collective self-reflection and hopefully, move us towards collective action. If a foreigner can be moved to take action to alleviate the suffering of others, then we should all the more take the lead in improving the lives of our own fellow Filipinos.  

       The “Toughest Place to be a Bus Driver” is essentially a conversation between two people who are searching. For Rogelio, his questions are the toughest to search for answers: Why is it that there are rich people? Why is it that there are poor people? Why is life so unfair? But even without any clear explanations, both men found the toughest to find. For Josh, his experiences led him to a special bond between equals despite the appalling disparity: “We started off as strangers, became friends, and ended up as brothers.”