the forbidden trade

recently went on a trip to the Philippines to check out their kidney trade.

it's my first time to the Philippines and going there as a documentary maker/researcher really showed us a different side of the society, coming face to face with the poorest strata. something tourists do not usually see.

well, we did not even have much time to do much of the touristy activities. then and again, whenever we asked the locals what is there to see in Manila, they tell us there's nothing. But i was very intrigued by the churches and cathedrals that dates back to it's Spanish Colonial rule days. Definitely places I would visit the next time I go.

So, we mainly visited the slums and some poorer provinces as these are the places with a larger cluster of kidney donors. As much as many would like to argue that they donate out of compassion for the sick, it's really the money they are after becos they are so poor, this US$2000-3000 is a sum they would nv be able to get by slugging their lives away. Of cos the actual amount that the recipient paid for the kidney transplant is way higher than the amount the donor gets, prob about 10 times the amount, and these goes to the hospital, doctors and the kidney agent.

Well, as with such situations, there are always the sob stories to be told and the fact is that of the many people we spoke to, donors themselves and people who knows donors, they expressed that none of them had their lives improved after the donation. So now they are back to square one, but without a kidney.

this is really an open secret in the Philippines and most people know of this becos of an expose journalistic news program done by Jessica Soho some time back. still, the trade is flourishing and the government even has an organisation to regulate the trade, in a bid to stop exploitation of the poor.

thinking back to the NKF saga, the amount of money they embezzled could have gotten so many patients in NKF new kidneys, not just from Philippines , but also China, India, Iran and also Turkey. well, i'm not asking everyone to go and buy a kidney now but it does seem like it's more economically viable to spend the money u'll spend the next 10 years on dialysis to buy a kidney, to get a new leash of life. (ok now i'm growing accustomed to the idea)

now for some photos..

A typical house in the slums at Baseco, Manila

Some of the better houses built by the numerous overseas NGOs giving aid there.

One of their main recreational activities...

A street in the slums...

The dump site is the kids' playground...

The awesome sunset at Baseco. It's a slums by the bay, so they get this beautiful sunset everyday.

Kids.. Lots of kids.. And they are instantly drawn to a camera when they see one.

More (and better) photos of the trip can found at our project website http://thecolouredsky.com/islawalangbato

nature trail

yet another person got killed by a falling branch. these days are filled with freak accidents.
actually there is probably quite a bit of these previously too, just that i did not pay attention to them.

anyway i was made to do a follow-up story on the killer branch incident at MacRitchie. i was tasked to go get some soundbites alone. upon reaching the carpark meant for those wanting to go for the Tree Top Walk, the only thing i saw was a dirt path (actually it was a nature trail la) leading towards the suspension bridge which was another 2.5km walk in amidst the trees. But the tot of going into the forest alone is quite scary and of cos i was paranoid that something might happen to me inside n prob no one else will know if i went in alone.

so i waited. and luckily a couple showed up juz 10 mins later wanting to walk the Tree Top Walk not knowing it's been close following the incident. good luck for me cos that way i get to have soundbites from them and also companion to go up the trail. Thanks Mr and Mrs Loke. You were really great company and we had a hearty chat the way up and down, which took abt 2 hours (of cos we stopped outside the Tree Top Walk and turned back)

it's these little things about meeting these people that make me like my job as a journalist.and it was my first nature trail walk in years, albeit in jeans and polo tee but luckily the weather was not too hot yesterday. and i nv knew there were so many nature trails in singapore if not for speaking to Mrs Loke.

along the way there were also many others who knew of the incident but we still gung-ho about going to the Tree Top Walk. i was too after seeing in but not being able to get in. Mr and Mrs Loke whom were my trekking buddies yesterday were nature lovers who've been to many other nature trails locally and overseas and had set foot on many other suspension bridges in the midst of the forests. cool. kind of rekindled my love for nature and to et close to the trees and animals, away from all the pollution and the concrete jungle.

i'll definitely be back to walk the Tree Top Walk. anyone gamed to come along? i'll remember to be extra careful of falling branches and run when it shows signs of going to rain tho.

The Tree Top Walk