AGRARIAN REFORM PROBLEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

For your assignment, I want you to watch the attached video link below and make
a reaction paper on what you have watched related to the discussion we had in our
previous class. Follow the format given below:

Font style: Georgia

Font size: 12
Line and Paragraph spacing: 1.5 spacing
Margin: 1’ on all side
Name in capitalized and bold letters;
The title must be capitalized and bold letters;
The text must be “Justified.”
NAME: ALZATE, SOPHIA DOMINIQUE U.

AGRARIAN REFORM PROBLEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

‘UUWI NA SI UDONG’ A DOCUMENTARY BY KARA DAVID

"Uuwi na si Udong," a documentary film produced by Kara David and her

iWitness team, tells the story of a child trapped in a never-ending cycle of debt from his
parents. They are sent to a remote farming location for several months, where they must
work nonstop until their debts are paid. My initial reaction while watching the film was
sadness and sympathy, because they were forced to work day and night for their families
at such a young age. This episode depicts how a ten-year-old boy (Udong) and fourteen-
year-old teen (Toto) trades 6 months of physical labor as a sugarcane cutter for hours of
playful childhood. It got me thinking how they can let their children do all of the adult
work (farming all day in the sugar canes) when the debt is completely unrelated to them.
However, I soon realized that the majority of their parents are either disabled or
deceased. At such a young age, their childhood was taken away from them and replaced
by adult work and responsibilities. Part of me thought it wasn't so bad because it taught
them to be self-sufficient, but that's not a good reason. A child is a child; it is their right
to have fun, to receive an education, and to make their own decisions.
To think that after all of their hard work for the past six months, they still
couldn't afford to buy food, and in the case of Toto, he couldn't afford to buy his own
television. This, according to the plantation's owner, is due to the workers' commodities,
vices such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, and family debts being deducted from
their wages. As a result, these workers were forced to incur yet another debt in order to
provide food and toys for their families. No wonder if the next batch of Sakada contains
another Udong or Toto. Even if the wage distribution for some appeared to be
disappointing, for a brief moment, workers seemed to dismiss the thought; their desire
to return to their homeland appeared to outweigh the reality that their families would go
hungry once more. Babalik na si Udong, like other documentaries I've seen, made me
feel sorry for the characters.
It follows the life of Udong, a young boy who was forced to work as a sugarcane
cutter as a result of his father's indebtedness to his boss. Udong will work on his
innocent body as a form of payment in order to help his family. This is a form of child
labor that deprives him of his right to enjoy his childhood by preventing him from
playing with other children and forcing him to attend school. The documentary depicts
the sufferings of a young boy who is a victim of circumstance rather than human error.
This is a form of abuse directed at children. I only hope that action is taken on this issue
so that future generations do not suffer as Udong did. And that we will have better
programs for our farmers, sugar cane cutters or anyone who works at a field beneath the
heat of the blazing sun.
NAME: ALZATE, SOPHIA DOMINIQUE U.

AGRARIAN REFORM PROBLEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

‘GINTONG BUTIL’ A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY SANDRA AGUINALDO

As I watched the video, I felt a mixture of rage, sympathy, and sadness. Anger
because our government has not been able to solve our country's problem until now.
Pity, because those who work hard don't even get a taste of the rice they worked so hard
to plant and harvest, and those who work even harder don't get enough money or a
decent wage for their efforts. How the farmers' daily labor could not help them feed
their families because the capitalists profited more than they did. Unfortunately, as a
result of this, some of them are considering stealing due to a lack of money for daily
expenses, while others only eat two meals per day, and still others choose to feed their
child over their own. Instead of our farmers making enough money or becoming wealthy
because they are the ones who feed us rice, our government is using them to make more
money for its own.
If we fully support our farmers, they will be able to feed the entire country.
Instead, we ignore them by failing to provide them with the materials and machinery
they need to plant and harvest their own rice, which they can then sell to those suppliers
for a higher price in exchange for their labor. It is heart wrenching to see and hear that
our farmers are not receiving the assistance they demand from our government. This
has been an issue in our country for so long, and yet our farmers strive to progress so
hard for such a small amount of money. I used to avoid documentaries like this because
I felt so guilty for not being able to help them and for being better off than the majority
of the farmer's family. For being unable to stand in the burning sun and working
tirelessly to provide food and relief to my family.
While Locals in Manila and nearby provinces queue for a few kilos of NFA rice,
farmers in Tarlac province prepare for harvest season to begin. Many local farmers are
looking forward to reaping the benefits of three months of hard work. To say that rice
farming is difficult would be an understatement. A farmer's suffering includes tired and
sore muscles, as well as exposure to the sun and rain. Their feet are constantly encased
in mud. Rice prices have reached new highs. This should be the time when rice farmers
start to feel a little better about their plight. However, it appears that they are not
benefiting from the high rice sales price.