02000122677

Reaction/Response Paper
English For Academic and Professional Purposes
TOP/HOP 21
Ms. Ramona Marcelo

"Anak ng kalye" is a twenty-five minutes and forty seconds documentary filmed by Kara
David. It was released in September of 2011 through the T.V program in GMA called iWitness.
The documentary focuses on the life of children living in the street. It started on the surveillance
camera footage showing minors or the so called "bukas taxi gang" thieving from the taxi drivers.
However, as Kara David and her team discovered, there is more to the story than what we know.
The story of Roy when his family was still complete, the life of JM in Davao when he was still
studying, until how their life became a mess and end up living and fighting every day in the street.
Also, Kara David shows the life of Marco and his gang also known as the "akyat bahay gang", on
how they execute their work as they steal money and things on houses. This documentary made
me feel pity, frustrated, and disappointed as it shows how the street taught the children to
live, fight, and survive for their own sake.

In the beginning of the documentary, the moment I heard the word “street children”, I feel
only pity. The fact that they live in the street made me realized that I am lucky. Lucky to have a
house as my shelter, a bed to sleep on, a food to eat, and a parent to take care of me. While
them, cement as their bed, river as their bathing place and street as their home.

But, as the documentary goes on, the pity that I feel is replaced by frustration as I witness
how the street children steal money from the taxi drivers who worked all day just to provide the
need of their family. It also frustrates me how they have the guts to hurt those people when in
fact, they are facing people older than them. The pity that I feel is diverted to those taxi drivers
that they victimized. I am just sad how the street taught them to fight for their lives in a bad way.
Also, when Kara David introduced the gang of Marco, the frustration that I feel just increase. I
thought stealing money from the taxi drivers is already worse but stealing money and valuable
things from houses is just more severe. The way how they narrate the execution of their crimes,
it seems that they are proud of what they are doings. It is just unbelievable.
 After watching the documentary, the feeling of disappointment dominated me.
Disappointment towards the parents of those children because they just let their children live in
the street when in the first place, they are the one who is responsible for taking care of them.
Disappointment towards the government because they still cannot formulate an effective solution
about this issue when in fact, this issue started long ago. How I wish I have the power to make
their lives better and make them a normal child playing in the playground and will not worry on
how they will survive.

Kara David shows the lives of children outside the streets are way different from us. The
pain and struggles they faced in order to lived is undeniably hard. That is why I feel pity to them,
frustrated because of their doings, and disappointed towards people who are responsible for
these children. I am sure anyone who will watch this documentary will feel the same. The
government should give them serious attention. I believe improving the facilities and services of
DSWD and other agencies who are responsible for street children can somehow help them with
this issue. I will just hope and pray for the better lives of those children.