I-Witness presents ABU Prize Awards winner ‘Alkansya’

CEBU, Philippines -  On the last day of the year, I-Witness offers a second look at the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prize Awards winner ‘Alkansya’, a documentary by Kara David.

Travelling to the far flung Barangay of Sulangan in Eastern Samar, David meets 12-year-old Anthony.

Currently in his last year in grade school, Anthony has already “mastered” hard work.  He toils all week without rest.  Each morning, he sets out early to catch fish through “pangangawil.” Afternoons are spent either collecting sea shells or washing cars in a nearby town.

But the toughest task is done at night, when Anthony dives and scours the seabed all night to search for a sea creature used in Chinese recipes and traditional medicine—the sea cucumber.

In exchange for his hard work, Anthony is rewarded with a measly income—few coins which he saves in his “alkansya” or piggy bank.  His goal is to fill his money box with coins someday, so he can fulfill a dream.

Find out more about Anthony’s hopes and dreams in ‘Alkansya’, a Kara David documentary in I-Witness tonight, after Saksi on GMA-7.