June Robert C.

Zamora

The Slums , an Al Jazeera documentary about the Filipino community in the

Slums of Paradise Heights ,Tondo , really reveals and presents the world of the said
people and their everyday struggles regarding overcrowding.

The documentary somehow brought me up feeling mixed emotions. Guilt,

because seeing them makes me rethink how trivia my struggles are compared to them.
Awed on how much they strive to live by and endure the life they are in.Grateful,
because f what I have and where I am right now. Compassion, because it really makes
my heart ache seeing them suffer and fight through it especially as you know how it
felt lacking. What this documentary really speaks for me, is that , we need change,
this country needs change. One case of the change we needed is with regards to our
population which, based on what I saw on the movie , is one of the major constituents
of the harsh environment in the slums. This widespread overcrowding gives rise to
crimes in the slums like stealing and drug trafficking , food inadequacy, unhealthy
economic and business competitions , and etc.

One proposed solution for this, and probably is a hot issue , is the Reproductive
Health Bill which the Catholic Church being against it. The Reproductive Health Bill,
though I dont fully grasped the formalities of this Bill, objectively for me, can help
solve the problem we have today regarding our population. In paper , it can help
lessen teen-age pregnancy, unwanted children and also provides an avenue for
protection against sexual diseases like HIV and AIDS. The bill is somehow viable if
we look at it that way if you ask me.

My concern is though , the promotion of contraceptives ,though indirectly,

advertises the promotion of sex and somehow degrades sex itself as something you
can do freely as long as you practice it safely with using these. I mean, sex should not
be taken lightly, it should be a big thing, one which is pure. If we look at the countries
in which where the bill is based on, it did not go the way they expected it to be. Sex in
these countries just became normative and thus lead to more teenage sex and
pregnancy and STD related cases. Decrease of our moral standards is really what Im
afraid of and If you ask me, I think we can only really achieve what we are seeking
for if only people can just have the right view of sex. And also, proper family
planning and education should come with this.

People should see the beauty and innocence of life and if people really understand
this beauty , they ought to think more responsibly than birthing it just to be tainted
with pain , hardships and sorrow.

I like how the documentary featured those people in the slums in a way that the
humane part of them is shown.Theyre creative and hardworking.They cry and may
give up at times, yet they endure. You just can see in their eyes, how heavy is the
weight they are carrying. It makes me want to reach out to them.
 All in all, the documentary really tackled the issue we Filipinos have been
suffering these past years, overcrowding, and we need not to be apathetic about this.
Some people, a lot of them, need your hand and voice, so, reach out and speak to and
for them.