00:00I got to know the people who make these candles through my vote.
00:12Have you ever tried to light a candle inside a church?
00:19Do you think that the candles are just thrown away?
00:24No.
00:25Actually, this group of people, the Silingan,
00:28what they do is, every Saturday, they collect the candles they lit.
00:33Then they cook all of these and melt them again to make a new candle.
00:39So this is the melted candle.
00:43They put it here in molds.
00:47That's what Kuya is doing.
00:49When the candle is molded, they put it here and let it cool.
00:54It will look like this.
00:56Then, in this section, Ate is putting the matches.
01:04Here, the women's job is to make a hole in each candle and put the matches inside.
01:16Many families and victims of extrajudicial killings benefit from this project,
01:23which they call Silingan.
01:30They are members of the group Silingan Candle Makers.
01:34Silingan is the Semoan word for neighbor.
01:39Evangeline, 64 years old, is the oldest in this group.
01:48How long have you been here?
01:50Just a few months.
01:52How did you find out about this place?
01:55Mildred brought me here.
01:58Mildred brought you here? Why?
02:01I told her that if I needed help, I would come here.
02:05I don't have any other job.
02:09What did you do before?
02:11I just worked from home.
02:12Oh, just from home.
02:13You didn't work before?
02:15No.
02:16Why did you suddenly decide that you needed to work?
02:19I didn't have any other job.
02:29Evangeline is a matchmaker.
02:33She starts her day at 7 a.m. and finishes her work at 8 p.m.
02:40Every day, they earn 500 to 1,000 pesos
02:44depending on how many candles they can make that day.
02:49Silingan Candle Makers is a big help for people like Evangeline
02:54who can't find a job because of her age.
02:58Who gives you money?
03:00My son Jerry.
03:02Jerry?
03:03Jerry.
03:04Oh, your son Jerry used to support you.
03:06Yes, because I was working on a contract that day.
03:09And then what happened?
03:11He died.
03:16He was the only one who gave me money.
03:20Who killed Jerry?
03:22I don't know.
03:23They were all masked.
03:29Evangeline's adopted son was shot by unknown men in 2018
03:35in the vicinity of Oplan, Tukhang.
03:40He was one of the victims of extrajudicial killings
03:43during the administration of Duterte.
03:47Were you not charged?
03:50Because we didn't have anyone to ask for help.
03:56We didn't know who was killed.
03:58I just prayed to God.
04:00I prayed to God to find out who did it.
04:03The Lord will take care of them.
04:08Whatever the case, we should have a law.
04:12I just hope that God will help us.
04:17This is where Silingan Candle Makers began in February 2024.
04:24It aims to help the families of the victims of extrajudicial killings or EJK
04:30during the drug war of the previous administration.
04:35In Bisaya and Cebuano, Silingan Candle Makers are our neighbors.
04:42That's where they started.
04:45What they lost, and at the same time, what they want to bring back.
04:49Through stories, through life,
04:52they want to bring back the lost neighbors.
04:55They want to share, to be together, to be united.
04:59They want to stand up for what happened
05:04to bring back what was lost to them.
05:08But aside from helping each other,
05:11each member of the family is also looking for light in the middle of the darkness.
05:17They have a companion in their own experience.
05:23Here, all of you have that experience, right?
05:27What effect did it have on you when you joined the Candle Makers?
05:35It was different.
05:38If it wasn't for Brother Jun, we wouldn't be here.
05:44We were able to find a way to live.
05:48Honestly, I'm already 64.
05:51I can't find another job.
05:54I'm already old.
05:56Here at Brother Jun, I don't have to look for anything else.
06:02Requirements.
06:03Yes.
06:04But when you're here, do you talk about your experiences?
06:09Honestly, sometimes we get emotional.
06:12Of course, you remember that.
06:15It's always on our minds.
06:18Especially when we watch TV.
06:21It's always on our minds.
06:45Candle Makers
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