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Documentary Analysis
today. As a matter of fact, according to the most recent data collected by international
sources concerning poverty in the Philippines, 44% of the population survives on less
than 2 US dollars per day (Smith, 2010).
There were quite a lot of scenes in the movie that strongly supported the issue
mentioned above. Rogelio Castro, the Filipino driver, lived in the heart of Manila where
houses were really small and seemed impossible for a family of six or more to fit in them
but they had no choice. In addition to that, the homes that these people call there were
not even close to being described as well-built and were very close to each other that it
looked like one house is being dependent and leaning on the next. Describing the
situation will make viewers understand even more the circumstances of the character. The
strategy was used very well because it was able to feed the audience much information
and understanding. The second strategy that was used effectively was comparison. Josh
West, upon seeing the vehicle that Rogelio drives to earn a living, was in total shock. He
thought of his automatic two-decker bus and compared it to the small manual jeepney
that was the source of income of Rogelio. The jeepney was very narrow and people will
have to cram themselves in for them to fit. The big red bus was automated and airconditioned. Josh does not have to check the engine every time he starts it and make sure
that the bus will run well throughout the day. The jeepney obviously was not and was
prone to break down. Comparison makes it easier to identify the differences of almost
two same things.
There are a lot of people who can relate to this especially Filipinos who are living
in the urban poor area and Filipinos who are used to seeing the situation. Other viewers
have to be aware of the situation in Manila, Philippines being the setting of the
documentary. Having knowledge that the circumstances are still ongoing will also help in
understanding the film. The reason why there is such difference between the lives of two
people having the same occupation should be given further analysis. How the poor stays
poor and the rich get richer should be discussed because it is the main reason why people
experience such inequality in their lives.
References:
Aldaba, F. (2009). Poverty in the Philippines: causes, constraints and opportunities.
Philippines, MNL: Asian Development Bank Publishing.
Smith, J. (2010). Philippine Unemployment in the Philippines. Retrieved on 2012
November, 6 from http://www.poverty-in-the-philippines.com/2010/05/poverty-inphilippines-philippine.html