SA TUNA AT GINHAWA

Director: Marilen Go

Reporter: Sandra Aguinaldo

Casts:

Donie – regular buyer in a store where fishermen buy on credit
Rosalie – pregnant wife of Donnie
Jerry – captain of the ship.
Amy – wife of Jerry who is doing business to provide additional earnings to their family
Nonoy – had been gone for almost a week and his family had no longer food to eat
Danny – a fisherman in his young age; His father is also a fisherman

Synopsis:

“Sa Tuna at Ginhawa” reflects the story of many of the Filipinos in poverty line who work hard but not enough to uplift their social status. In Infanta, Quezon, most of the occupation of the residents is fishing. Fishermen are risking their lives just to earn a living. From the seashore, they can see the Pacific Ocean where they go fishing.
One of the fishermen is Donnie. He is a regular customer in a store wherein fishermen buy on credit. He had all the attention of Rosalie every time he comes back. Usually, they were gone for almost one week.
Nonoy who is also a fisherman bought food for his pregnant wife and children before he took his precarious journey in the sea. He had been frequently returning in Pacific Ocean because they don’t know any other way of living.
Jerry is the captain of the ship. His wife, Amy, is preparing his baggage before he left. Amy is already used of it because his father and brother were also fishermen.
The wave was moving strong. As the fishermen would take their journey, they cannot ascertain if they could go back.
Only 7 persons can be accommodated in the boat that’s why they need to rent another one where they can place their things.
The relatives were waiting for the return of their love ones. They all gathered as if there is a feast. The children were crying. The travelers have their dreams as their strength.
Those who were left were just basing the conditions of their love one on the movement of the wind.
Rosalie was just trying to ignore. Nanay Lily, who acts as the mother in their place, was staying on the shore. Her husband is also in the midsea.
The fishermen waited the night to pass. They even work as a carrier when they don’t have plenty of catch. They stop indulging in sentiment when the dinner was prepared.
Pacific Ocean is the widest sea. Magellan named it Pacifico which means calm, but it’s contrary to what is perceived by the eyes. They went to the coral reefs where the fishes dwell. They began to stretch their bones. They were not able to carry and support the weight of the fishes.
One of the fishermen said that he will let his children study only if the are willing. There is merriment for a while, but then action proceeds. Fortunately, their luck had come. They caught big fishes; 2 tuna in 2 separate hooks and a swordfish. They slept early, but suddenly, it rains. They depart in their voyage. They were disturbed when a boat submerged which accommodate the staffs of I-witness. The fishermen are like sardines as they sleep. Donnie doesn’t have a catch yet, but the only thing who’s making him happy is his family. He was working as baggage carrier. His only daughter who was studying doesn’t want to go to school sometimes. She wanted to buy toys for them. She cried. And Sandra Aguinaldo didn’t know how to comfort a child who’s crying because of poverty.
Amy, the wife of Jerry, was selling cell phone load, beauty products as an additional earnings for her family, and it’s also her pastime when her husband was still away. Their return is like good news. They caught 15 tuna. And the male tuna costs higher than female tuna, because it has a firmer meat. But as we all know tuna has a high price either male or female. Most fishermen are being outsmarted by buyers. Danny had caught 50-kg tuna which is the biggest caught. Fishermen oftentimes bear the loss. When fishes cost high in the market, it costs 300. But they only gave him 3000 for 50 kg? It costs 280 per kg. He won’t earn 30% of the gain because he did not contribute to the boat. It’s almost a week that Nonoy had not returned. The fishermen who already returned were celebrating because they came back with a caught. They took long in the midsea because the whether was unfavorable. The worry of their love ones subsides. They were paid 83000 for 10 tunas. The tuna they difficultly caught were not tasted by their families. It falls in the hands of the exporters who will bring this tuna to other countries.
Now, the question that was leave by the reporter is how we will protect the fishermen?

Commentaries:

It’s not your fault if you were born poor, but it’s already you fault if you die on the same situation…This quotation is true. But somehow, many of our countrymen are still poor despite of all they do. Just like the families in this story. They even risk their lives, but they only earn a certain some of money.
I can quite relate in their story because my grandfather is a fisherman. And I can say that my mother grew up as a good person even they had experienced poverty. Well, at this point, maybe we belong to the middle class people because of their hard work. I also experienced some sort of a depressed situation wherein we just have sardines, “tuyo” or even coffee as our viand, but it’s not so much to what my mother had experienced. That’s why I want many, if not all, poor families to have the chance to uplift their present social condition especially those who really work hard to achieve their dreams.
I think the families in Infanta, Quezon are fortunate enough for they can just go fishing because they are near the sea if they don’t have food to eat. That’s what my grandfather did. And sometimes, he is giving us the share even we’re in a stable condition now.
I am also concerned with what kind of situation they have every time a typhoon visits the country. As we all know, typhoon may damage their houses. So what will happen to them if their houses are ruined?
Also, I want to say that they are brave for entering such risky work. Their life would be at jeopardy every time they go fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
Above all, poverty, for me is the biggest issue that needs to be solved because it can greatly affects our society… A person can kill because of destitution… and any other affects. Another thing, poverty is a result of unequal distribution of wealth. But how can we equally distribute the wealth of our country if billions of people are sharing on this wealth. Unfortunately, our resources are not enough… We also need to control the population.