DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

IN UCSPOL

I-Witness: Diskarteng Bata

dokumentaryo ni Kara David

Submitted by:

Paula Gabrielle T. Miranda

Jane Bernadett Gonzales
Maria Jhoyet Milag
 I-Witness: Diskarteng bata

Life depending situation leads to misconception on understanding how an individual

should live. Age is not factor for a person to be conceived, different ways for different reasons.
Poverty, lack of Education and belongingness is a big impact on how a child acts. A child may
look young but for this problems, they will act old enough.

Children who spent almost their whole life laughing, interacting and learning new things
may be a need for others, but not for the children who keeps on running, interacting with
unknown people and learning unpleasant deeds. Back in 2011, I-witness released a documentary
called "Anak ng Kalye" , where these children acts as how they are needed in life. I-witness
reporter, Kara David, met a 14-year old boy named JM-"batang hamog" from Davao, his parents
left him here in Manila. The streets became their home, doing bad deeds became their habit. Few
weeks passed after the documentary was aired, JM died, and was run over during his dirty
tactics. In the same year, the legislators debated about "Age of Responsibility" from age 9 to 15.

Year 2019, Kara went back to Guadalupe bridge to find JM's friend "Roy". She asked
someone living under the bridge of Guadalupe to where she can find Roy. Makati City Jail is
where she found him. Eight years passed yet his old ways did not change. Never did his family
visited him. This rehabilitation centre inside Makati City jail became his home. At age of 18, he
was them released from jail hoping for a bright chance for him to live in the outside world. He
then found a job as a barker, he earned small amount of money, he became addicted to
gambling. From then on, he became hot in the eyes of the police. Anti-drugs campaign became a
hot topic that day, two policemen came to Roy and said that there was a snatching that happened,
little did he knew that he was accused of drug use. Roy is 22 years old and he spent almost half
of his life in prison. His only wish is to be reunited with his family again and grab the chance of
changing. According to Philippine National Police Statistics, the number of children handled or
served by PNP from year 2012-2016, a number of 4,095 in year 2012; 5,937 in year 2013; 9,844
in year 2014; 7,947 in year 2015; 9,655 in year 2016 and Roy is only one of them.

Pasay City barangay holds a record of a 14-year old boy, named "Dodong", according to
barangay Councilor, Joan Flores, his name is all across the log book. He's a kid that needs to be
sent to a centre. Accusations such as, stealing a battery of an E-bike and a cellphone. he was
reported for at least four times in the log book, a record from July 2018 to February 2019. A
record from 2017, his name was also included but this kid has no other vice, his only habit is
stealing. Dodong started his deeds when he was 7, he learned it from his cousin. When his father
was imprisoned, that was the time he learned to beg, but he never thought of stealing. His ways
changed when he was caught for vagrancy. He learned to steal from the youth centre, inside this
centre is said to be mixed, children caught from vagrancy with people having cases. He said that
if he was not caught from vagrancy he would not have learned to steal. He was sent to youth
centre's for three times, first one is from vagrancy, second and third is with a case of stealing.
During his second time in Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), he learned
robbery. Instead of learning good deeds, he was able to develop unpleasant deeds because of
meeting people with the same interest.
 The national Commission on Human Rights denounced the bill, saying that “punishing
children for the crime and abuse of syndicates and other people is against the state’s
responsibility to look after the interests and welfare of children. The arrest, detention, or
imprisonment of children should only be used as a last resort, and rehabilitation is a
priority. Children don't really know what they are doing until they reach a certain age and
intelligence. The brain is not yet developed in the right and wrong instinct regions. These
children should not be accountable for things they do because they don't know that it is
wrong for them to do so. If the crime is as serious as murder there have been some cases
where the parents have been punished for the children's crime but as of this generation
those children who committed crimes are the one who doesn't have parents or proper care of
a guardian.

Based on the documentary that we watched they have been punished by police to pay for
what they have done, they suffered from pain but still doing the same thing .PNP’s data shows
that there had been hundreds of cases involving children aged 11 and under since 2016. But
comparing the total for each year, the numbers have considered and steadily gone down in
the past three years. In 2018 crimes involving 9- 11 year olds decreased . Comparing this to
the 2016 figure, it shows that “children in conflict with law” (CICL) have decreased by more
than half. There were more CICL recorded by the PNP belonging to age groups 12 to 15 and
16 to 17, reaching thousands compared to the previous age groups’ hundreds. Still, the
trend had been the same for the past three years.

Department of Social Welfare and development (DSWD) is an organization that care of

an offender that is underage. Most of these children have many complains in barangay, just like
Dodong he still have his guardian and yet he lacks attention from them. Those children needs
proper care and love, instead of doing good things they committed offenses like gambling and
stealing things like money and accessories. DSWD Acting Secretary Virginia Orogo said the
agency "strongly objects" to the move, as studies showed it could further endanger majority of
children in conflict with the law CICL who come from lower-income families. She added,
"Lowering the MACR has ever resulted in lower crime rates based on the Philippine experience,
and other countries as well." Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice Law of 2006 sets the
minimum age of criminal liability at 15 years old. This means that those between 15 and 18 years
old may be detained in youth centres and go through rehabilitation programs. Those under 15
years old are exempted from criminal liability and undergo intervention.

The proposed law, lowering the age, varying form 9-12 of children committing crimes, is
said to be against a child's right. The lack of evidence that these children committed crimes and
is the reason for the increase of Philippines crime rate. Lawmakers strongly said that the
government should implement the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 before asking to
pass the bill on lowering the age of criminal responsibility.

Social Interaction is not only about people talking to one another , but to share thoughts
and emotions. For these children, it is the lack the attention from the crowd. According to a
study, mental health is a big factor in a child's action. Neglecting a child's need for attention, can
cause actions of harm to gain attention. Emotional expression, plays a big role on a child's life.
Anger from a certain event causes a child to neglect his or herself from interacting. As for
Dodong, the lack of attention and need for basic needs allowed him to act. The attention that he
gets from committing crimes can be as satisfying as gaining attention from his loved ones.
Economical status is also a factor, because of their basic needs and his father being in prison, he
acts up for his family, to fill in their needs for everyday. Lack of good environment,
surroundings can affect a child's thinking from what he can see from an early age, he tends to do
the same thing. He can see things interesting that increases his ability to copy it. Limiting a child
to have a good environment will boost up the need to cope with the things around him.

Social and economic issues are one of the biggest challenge that our country has been
facing until now. This can be considered as problem that influences many people and a lot
of us strive to solve this case. Poverty is the main and best example of significant issue that
Philippine has been facing. This causes criminality specifically for those who lack money. They
tend to do unpleasant deeds even if it may lead them to their death. Filipinos are having hard
time surviving through this that leads them to extreme poverty. According to Philippine Statistics
Office (PSO) Filipino families incidence poverty has been estimated to be at 16.1 percent and the
poverty among Filipino individual was about to 20.1 percent in the same year 2018. This
unstoppable poverty has a lot of bad effects to our country like malnutrition, not capable in
affording a shelter and providing their daily needs, child abuse, prostitution and lastly crime and
thievery.

One of its example is Kara David’s documentary film about street children “I WITNESS:
DISKARTENG BATA”. This film discusses how street children do their living by doing dirty
tactics. Based on the documenatary, one of their reason why they do this kind of act is
because of poverty. Instead of going to school like other children, they try making money
by means of malicious tactics specifically pickpocket (pandurukot). JM is one of the
"batang hamog" that Kara met. According to thedocumentary, he was abandoned by his family
and eventually learned doing unpleasant deeds by means of stealing, where it led him to his
tragic death by being hit by a car. Fourteen-year-old “Dodong” and 12-year-old “Jocelyn” not
their real names, they were both an elementary student, yet in their young age, they learn how to
steal. “Dodong” said that he was only doing it because he want to give his siblings their
allowance while “Jocelyn” was still learning this dirty act.

This means that the problems that we are facing now can be caused by poverty.
Without poverty, there is no criminality . There will be no people, specifically children who are
suffering this dark side of life, if our government and people are doing their own jobs properly.
Another thing is, Filipinos should really know the importance of family planning. Children can
have better future for themselves and not just intend to do bad deeds. Because in this case, a
family that consist of large members, are the families who are mostly affected by extreme
poverty.

In conclusion, a parents love is important, in reality we cannot control the law we should
abide by it. But we can control our children, by giving them their need, emotionally and
physically. There is no greater feeling than being loved by those people around you, especially
those who are related to you. As parents, it is a responsibility to look after the children, you may
not be aware of a child's feelings but you should be aware of the obligations of being a parent.
Providing them a healthy environment is a must, your home is the first step on making a better
environment, rather than sending them to school, still you are the first teachers.

Having good education can open up the minds of the children. In learning what is the
importance of education comes with wisdom and determination. Allowing a child to have a good
education, will boost their moral, their confidence and wisdom to become the person they want
to be. Every person has their own dream, an adult can have his goal set but a child can dream
more of a better future that suits them. Development in social skills, can lessen the need of
belongingness, creating a set of friends that reaches the path on good conduct will set the
standards on having good social skills.

A child may commit petty crimes but within them, they are still innocent. We cannot
judge a person, we should set our own feet within their shoes, knowing why and the reason
behind their actions. The reasons behind their actions may be the only reason that keeps his or
her family's going, the only reason that they can have money to be able to buy medicines for
their sick relatives, the reason to provide to his or her family's basic needs. Understanding one's
situation can lessen the threat on a child's innocent mind. Giving punishment is cruel and is
against a child's right. Punishment and Development are two different words, whereas in
developing a child's act for a better life is different from giving them punishment and hurting
them physically. A child acts more violent once they feel violated. The need to release stress or
anger from the punishment received, pushes them to the limit of using the same way.

We don't need them punished, we need them educated. Their right to experience the love
and attention from people, the capability for them to show their own capacity in their own skills,
and allowing them to experience the fullness and acceptance of the world. We may be neglecting
them from things they should experience. A child can learn, it is only up to us on how we will
educate them, from letting them know what is right from wrong and giving awareness to the
existence that the world is accepting people like them, they are only a child with the assurance
that they also have their own dream.