00:00When the mountain of garbage collapsed on July 10, 2000,
00:20more than 100 houses were destroyed and 300 people lost their lives.
00:30Don't worry, we'll take care of it.
00:33In 2017, the mountain of garbage was completely closed.
00:41The former open dump site was turned into a controlled disposal facility
00:46that now receives methane gas, a type of energy that can be used as electricity.
00:53Who would have thought that the 8-hectare mountain of garbage of Payatas
00:59would look like this after more than a decade.
01:05It's like an eco-park.
01:06But it's not just the Payatas dump site that has changed a lot,
01:11but also the community around it.
01:16How did you feel when the dump site was finally closed?
01:21At first, I was sad because a lot of people were affected.
01:25A lot of people lost their jobs.
01:27Yes, a lot of people lost their jobs.
01:29But their motivation when it happened was to do it in a different way
01:35so that they can get out of that situation.
01:42They say that when something is closed, there is always a way to open it.
01:47This is what the Payatas held on to change.
01:52Compared to then, life now is much easier.
01:57And what about the children who used to live in poverty?
02:00This is Simon's house.
02:03Hi, Sai!
02:05How are you?
02:08Wow!
02:10Is this your house?
02:12Wow!
02:22One, two...
02:25We have a lot of cellphones.
02:27Since the beginning, we have a lot of cellphones.
02:30We just let them trade-in.
02:32If there's a new phone, we just let them trade-in.
02:36I give my cellphones to my siblings.
02:40Wow, you're rich! You're just giving them cellphones.
02:43Of course, they know that I'm rich in Manila.
02:48Aside from cellphones, they also have two TVs and three VCDs and DVDs.
02:54Isn't food more important than TV and DVDs?
03:00Yes, it's important.
03:03My children are pitiful.
03:06They don't know what DVDs are.
03:09I experienced this when I was young.
03:11I would just watch TV.
03:13My hands would get hot because we didn't have a TV.
03:16I would just watch TV.
03:18I didn't want my children to experience poverty.
03:22The family that used to live in poverty has changed.
03:30This is Simon's house.
03:32Hi, Si!
03:34How are you?
03:36Wow!
03:38Is this your house?
03:40Wow!
03:42Wow!
03:44How many rooms does this have?
03:46Just one upstairs.
03:48Wow!
03:50This is so nice!
03:52It's really nice.
03:54Simon is Ningning's eldest son.
03:57He told me that after the documentary about them was released,
04:01he was mocked by his classmates.
04:05I was bullied.
04:07I was told,
04:09this is what you eat,
04:11this is what your parents are looking for.
04:13I wasn't ashamed of it.
04:15In fact, prior to the pairing,
04:17I was with my mom and dad.
04:19There came a point
04:21when I told myself
04:23that I can't do this.
04:26I need to step up.
04:28I need to study well.
04:30And luckily,
04:32we met.
04:34Simon is one of the first scholars
04:36of my small foundation,
04:38Project Malasakit.
04:42In fact,
04:44we only give him a small amount of money.
04:46But more than the money,
04:48the trust in his personality
04:50is the most important.
04:53Since I finished college
04:55and at the same time,
04:57I became a scholar,
04:59I said,
05:01I can't do this.
05:03I did my best
05:05so that my mom won't be ashamed of me.
05:07I need to give my best.
05:09I need to prove myself
05:11that I'm not a waste.
05:13I mean,
05:15you're already in the trash.
05:17It's ugly
05:19when you're already in the trash
05:21and people still look down on you.
05:23In 2013,
05:25Simon finished B.S. Computer Science.
05:29Because of his high grades,
05:31he quickly found a job
05:33in a big mall.
05:37Now, he's an account manager
05:39in a company.
05:41I mean, reality-wise,
05:43I'm a scavenger
05:45of this kind of house.
05:47Without your help,
05:50I don't know where I would be.
05:52No, it's because of your hard work.
05:54But you triggered that.
05:56Because without your help,
05:58I wouldn't be able to fulfill
06:00all of my dreams.
06:02I wouldn't be able to fulfill
06:04all of my...
06:06You're making me cry.
06:08It's such a big blessing.
06:10Because...
06:12Not all of your documentaries
06:14have a scholarship.
06:16When Simon finished,
06:18he helped his siblings
06:20to finish as well.
06:22Finally,
06:24Ningning's dream came true.
06:26When you saw
06:28your eldest graduate,
06:30how did you feel?
06:32I was very emotional.
06:34Of course, I said,
06:36this is just the beginning.
06:38The beginning.
06:40Every time something happens,
06:42I cry.
06:44Because, of course,
06:47I can do it.
06:49I can do it.
06:51Despite their success,
06:53the Estabilio family
06:55did not leave Payatas.
06:57This is where they
06:59draw their strength.
07:01From the trash
07:03and hard work they put in
07:05to take care
07:07of their past.
07:09You need to prove
07:11to yourself
07:13that not everything in Payatas
07:16is trash.
07:18And not everything is trash.
07:20And you shouldn't look at trash.
07:22So, just work hard.
07:24At the same time,
07:26don't look down on others.
07:28Don't look down on others.
07:30If you have a sense,
07:32you'll know what to do.
07:34Simon's family
07:36is an example
07:38because they worked hard
07:40to get by.
07:42But in bad luck,
07:44there are still families
07:46struggling to make ends meet.
07:54Almost half of our population
07:56is hungry.
07:58More than 50 million Filipino families
08:00don't have enough to eat.
08:05As a result,
08:07just last August,
08:09President Bongbong Marcos passed
08:11Executive Order 66
08:13of the Task Force on Zero Hunger.
08:17Its goal is to ensure
08:19that every Filipino has something to eat.
08:51For more information, visit the Public Affairs YouTube channel.
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