00:00 [Sounds of nature]
00:05 [Music]
00:16 I am Abad, a man of blood.
00:20 [Music]
00:23 I am not like the others,
00:26 [Music]
00:27 but I am not a simple man.
00:29 [Music]
00:30 As my friends told me,
00:33 I am the friendliest man in the Philippines.
00:36 [Music]
00:38 Yes, I am not afraid of people.
00:41 The truth is, I have something to tell you.
00:44 [Music]
00:56 Whenever you go fishing,
00:58 my friends are the ones who get caught.
01:02 Like me, they are also good at swimming.
01:05 [Music]
01:13 Who wouldn't want to go out?
01:16 It's a good chance to get revenge from Parek Pawikan.
01:21 But we don't go out together.
01:25 Sometimes he prefers to stay in the corals.
01:29 [Music]
01:33 Here at the sea, you can still be friends with your former enemies.
01:39 That's how we relate to my friend, Pating.
01:42 [Music]
01:46 I used to think that all of them kill blood,
01:50 but it turns out not.
01:53 Because most of them only eat small fish.
01:59 But that doesn't mean I'm sad.
02:03 In fact, I think I'm one of the luckiest animals here in the lower reaches of the sea.
02:10 Because my friends are from above.
02:14 [Music]
02:22 They are called "Bantay Dugong".
02:24 Their mission is to watch over the blood here in the corals.
02:29 Especially me.
02:30 Because I'm the most special among all the blood here in the area.
02:36 Every day, hundreds of people visit me to help me catch fish.
02:42 No problem.
02:43 As long as they don't bother me while I'm eating.
02:46 [Music]
02:51 I usually let the people around me come closer.
02:55 So they won't touch me and hurt me.
02:59 Sometimes, I even show them my scales.
03:01 [Music]
03:15 But not all of them are lucky.
03:19 According to my friend, Pawee Kan,
03:21 many of them die from plastic pollution.
03:26 My friend, Pating,
03:27 doesn't just come out of his house.
03:31 Because every day, thousands of people are killed by their own bodies.
03:37 What's surprising is that they just remove their scales
03:41 and leave their lifeless bodies in the sea.
03:47 At first, I didn't believe that people can do this.
03:51 Until...
03:52 [Music]
03:57 My friend, Mantare, who is a fisherman, became a victim of fishing.
04:03 [Music]
04:07 A dugong was trapped by a guy.
04:11 He was killed in the sea where I live.
04:16 At this point, I felt scared.
04:19 [Music]
04:22 Despite the protection and love that people here in Busuanga give me,
04:28 [Music]
04:31 I can't help but think of leaving.
04:34 [Music]
04:37 But if I leave, how will the people who depend on me survive?
04:44 How will the dugong protect me?
04:46 He didn't do anything but take care of me.
04:50 How will I make people understand that they are the only important people in the world?
04:55 [Music]
05:01 My dear people,
05:04 I'm writing this not just for myself,
05:09 but for everyone who is like me, who is a victim of the sea.
05:14 I'm not the only one who needs protection.
05:17 Because there are many of us who live in the sea.
05:20 This is our home.
05:23 So please don't take us to kill us.
05:27 Please don't destroy our home.
05:30 [Music]
05:32 Love, respect, your friend, the dugong.
05:37 [Music]
05:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]
Comments