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.
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