Full transcript of “I-Witness: ‘Isang Banyerang Isda’, dokumentaryo ni Kara David (full episode)”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:02 [Music] Their little dreams were born in the sea . On the island of San Ramon in Rapu-apo, Bicol. In the sea that sustains the flow of [Music] life. Dictates fate, brings [Music] sustenance. But no matter how rich nature is, sometimes the ocean is just plain rough . [Music]
1:06 Biboy is the youngest of the three siblings. At the young age of 13, the boy was forced to work at sea. Sometimes when I go with my dad, I just play there. Sometimes I want to go with my dad. Why do you want to go with your dad? I want to help Pa because he's already having a hard time . When he's not with anyone, he gets angry because he says he's been ignored. Sometimes I go to school, even though there is school, I don't go. I go with my father
1:56 [Music] to go to bed at 7 in the morning, my father and I go out without our stomachs being empty. Breakfast and lunch still need to be eaten . [Music] We are like children, Father Vicente was only 13 years old
2:41 when he learned to fish by shooting arrows. [Music] They say that back then, with so many fish, it was easy to catch big fish. [Music] But now, no matter how many hours they spend on the reef, the father and son can't catch a fish.
3:29 I felt sorry for him, I didn't get to study. I just thought, even if you were a boy, you wouldn't be able to study for now because if you help me, I think we're already struggling. He might have me later, we won't have anything to eat, so I'm taking him with me, so he didn't get to study sometimes. After an hour, the father and son decided to go upstairs. But not to go home or rest but to catch fish in a different way. They call this
4:17 style of fishing where the water is agitated by hitting it. [Music] According to fishermen, when the water becomes turbulent, fish will give birth towards the net that is spread out. [Music] After the net was used up, Mamo was also releasing it to the other group, he was playing with it, I was playing with it too, and the other group, there were three of us, were also playing with bamboo, after we played, the net would be filled up.
5:05 [Music] After a while, the net was taken down. Biboy hoped they would have caught many. [Music] later [Music] [
5:55 Applause] [Applause] [Music] The children went straight to the financier's house [Music] [Applause] [Music] there there you are
6:40 there what else was there carefully as the net was laid out and one by one the fish were removed [Music] the children caught almost all small fish this type of fish is not very marketable [Music] [Applause] Ah not including the black ones. Not
7:26 included in any price, the price of black is different. How much does that cost? If you buy 30 per kilo. Can I get 30 kilos? Mm. This one, this one is 30 kilos, this one is 60, if not, it's just a little bit, and when the shaking is over, so this one kilo is 120, then this one is 21, 120, 141, all of it, what's that, boy, dish ? Is this dish your favorite? The
8:13 children earned just over 20 PO from the game. The worst part is that it will be divided into four. 140/ 4 35 dada na ka [Music] na Biboy went home holding PHP5 to buy rice and a few pieces of fish that could no longer be sold because they were too small. How could this fit an entire
9:00 family? Your brother at their house, I noticed a child. Jim Boy is the youngest of the family. How many years has that been? Eight, huh? Eight? Oh, it's eight. The size of the stomach, right? Because something is broken. Oh, look. Mm. He didn't get it . What happened there? When he was very small. Oh, it fell, yes, it fell. Broken. There is a large lump on the child's back. Because there was no money for the doctor, they didn't have Jim Boy operated on. Just let it heal on its own and
9:46 it bent. Only then did I understand why Biboy was so determined to make money. He has siblings who still depend on him. [Laughter] [Music] After lunch, the boy headed straight back to the ocean to look for [Music]
10:34 dinner. Hoping that this time, the ocean will not be stingy. Stitch by stitch. [Music] At first glance, it seems like these kids are just playing . That's right. But this is not a game. They call it Woswos. A method of catching squid where
11:20 children beat the water to stir up the squid. Meanwhile, a circular net was laid out to catch the squid inside. Biboy and I did this repeatedly for almost two hours in the middle of the scorching sun. But in the end, the [Music] group only got a piece of squid
12:06 . It is said that there used to be a lot of fish on San Ramon Island. But as time passed, the fishing style of some people also changed. Biboy's father, Vicente, admitted that aside from shooting, he also once used dynamite to catch fish. How? We can't get anything. We don't have our own land. Or maybe the self is really deep. Mm. That's all we eat there. But as the sea's bounty gradually ran out , they discovered the bitter effects of
12:52 [Music] dynamiting. Now, the father and son are back to traditional fishing, but it seems the sea has turned sour. [Music] Because fish are scarce around the island. Many people from San Ramon are forced to go to distant seas just to earn a living. [Laughter]
13:37 [Music] This type of boat is called a taksay and usually carries up to 30 fishermen. Their goal is to fish in the open sea near the Pacific Ocean. How much did you invest here? 20 30,000. How many bathtubs is the equivalent of 20 to 30,000? Only about 10. [Music]
14:26 Their goal tonight is to get 10 tubs of fish so that each of them can earn money. If it's less than the bathtub, they're definitely losing money [Music] . After several hours of sailing, our ship finally moved away from land. We've been traveling for almost three hours, but the fishermen say we still have a long way to go before we reach the buoy where they say there are plenty of fish to put their nets in. If you can see
15:12 the water here, it's very, very deep blue . He indicated that the water here was really too deep. The fishermen here say that the fish near their island are becoming scarce. That's why many people from San Ramon are forced to travel far out to sea, sometimes as far as the Pacific Ocean, just to earn money. [Music]
16:01 The sun was setting when we reached the buoy they were fishing for. [Music] There were small fish gathering in the leaves attached to the buoy. This is the buoy they were looking for, which was placed many months ago and then they covered it with coconut leaves so that it would attract fish there. So hopefully it attracts a lot of fish so that when we cast our
16:47 nets, we'll catch a lot. [Music] When it got dark, the two Petromax lamps were lit. Then they were floated in the sea. Fishermen believe that the light from the lamp will attract fish to the buoy. While the light was floating around, the
17:39 fishermen prepared for dinner. They estimate that it might take three or four hours before the fish are completely exposed to the light. [Music] It was midnight when the fishermen returned to the buoy. The waves were getting stronger at that time. [Music] But the fishermen continued their
18:25 work. After a while, the signal was given to throw the net around the buoy. So they are currently working out what the net is. This net is 250 m long. Then they'll spin it around, pull it with the boat until they can surround the buoy from earlier and hopefully they'll get the fish inside. You're the one who
19:12 jumped. What did you do there? You just laid the net. [Music] A few minutes later, the fishermen also quickly raised the net. Everyone helps each other pull. Everyone hoped that
19:57 their hard work would bear fruit. [Music] And they invested a lot more for this trip. They need to get more than a tub of fish to make a profit. Using a large net, the first batch of
20:45 galunggongs was harvested. This is the blessing of the sea they have been waiting for. The fishermen expected to catch 10 tubs of fish on this voyage. Someone is raising the net. The
21:32 fish they caught almost filled half of the container . The result of 10 hours of work, just a tub of fish. Short! The fishermen of San Ramon have no money to bring home now. They could do nothing but scrape the net and look for fish that would be useful so that they could at least bring home something to eat for their family. More fish? There are really many.
22:20 As in, how many kilos in 100 ha? 100 kilos. Now, it's 5:00 in the morning when the fish returns to the beach, I thought the fishermen would be resting, but after a few hours, here they are, heading back to the sea again. It's 6 in the morning, maybe two hours since we got home from the raid. But oh, the whole of San Ramon is awake again. Not for fishing and boating. But today is
23:05 their Penya Fransya festival and the entire community will be participating in it. Even though they were struggling last night, the fishermen of San Ramon were in a state of shock. Not to spread a net but to hang
23:54 banners. Today is the feast of the Virgin of Penya Fransa in Bicol and fishermen have already vowed to join the position. Of course, the only way to survive is if you're lucky at sea. Huh? Well, we were unlucky last night, we were out at sea again, we're sure. Thank you for coming home, because you are still alive and well with your family. In the middle of the taksay there is a special place for the Virgin of Salvation, the savior and protector of those who sail.
24:49 Prayer of every fisherman. I hope the ocean's blessings return . But otherwise, it's enough for them to be grateful that they got home safely.
25:36 The traitor is taking away hope from the beloved mother of France. The little Biboy at school is looking for a dream. This is one of those days when the child is lucky to get into school. Because he usually works at sea. But what I really want is for him to stop cheating. He'll still have a hard time if he takes a taxi . He only handles the one he studied with, a bullpen
26:23 . But inside the classroom, Biboy briefly forgot about the ordeal at sea. 2 * 2 okay so for a moment he became a child again what is your dream I want to be a police officer I want to bring back those who were dynamited ah dynamited so that fish will increase here The life of the people of San Ramon is connected to the sea
27:09 . This is what dictates fate, brings livelihood. We spent four days diving for fish and sailing the sea. But he only invited one bathtub . Nature's patience has limits . The locals believe that the ocean is not rough . Maybe it's just sulking because of our abuses. I'm Kara David and this is Eyewitness.
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