THE DEATH WISH OF AKIME

CHAPTER 7

TINA'S POV

2023 JULY -

Hi, this is Tina flashing in your screen again. The following statement the you will read is for the awareness of everyone about the social issues that our country is facing- the CHILD LABOR.

Kanina, while I was waiting to my friends (na bumili ng merienda namin) sa Gymnasium ng Campus namin. Lumilinga-linga ako sa paligid ko, and there's this young girl that caught my attention, she was holding a black basket na ang laman ay ang mga paninda niya.

She immediately approach me when she saw me staring at her, "Ate, bili na po kayo!" she said noong tuluyan na siyang makalapit sa akin. She was selling a typical Filipino Merienda; banana que, turon, and kamote que. Bumili ako ng tig-aapat sa mga tinda niya, and I got the chance to know her, and her reason why she is working so hard in her young age. Gayong sobrang init pa at dapat ay nasa eskwelahan siya.

She shares some personal things about herself and her family, and of course I won't tell those things to all of you for her privacy.

But, all I can say is that, she is working not because she want to or she is "mulat sa reyalidad" hindi. She is working, because she had to.

Just like what she said earlier, "mahirap ipilit ang mga bagay na hindi talaga kaya..." because, she never chose to stopped from studying. Sa totoo n'yan, gustong-gusto niyang mag-aral, pero hindi talaga kaya. Hindi na talaga kaya.

She stopped from studying, not because she wants to work. She stopped, because she had to. She is working, because she had to.

And the people out there who are already working in their very young age, they never chose to be in that situation.

They had to chose that path, they had to work, because they don't have any choice... dahil kung mayroon man, sana nasa eskwelahan sila't nag-aaral, at sana malaya silang makipaglaro sa mga kaibigan nila. Sana na-eenjoy nila ang kabataan nila.

Sana ang tanging pinoproblema nila ay kung paano sasagutan ang mga assignments nila, o kung paano makatakas sa bahay nila para lang makapaglaro sa labas... hindi ang kung sasapat ba ang kinita nila, para makakain ang bawat isa sa pamilya nila?

Again, they're maybe MULAT SA REYALIDAD. They're maybe MASIPAG. But, don't you ever compare your child to them, because magkaiba sila ng estado sa buhay.

Kinailangan nilang maging mulat sa reyalidad at maging masipag, para mabuhay. So, STOP ROMANTICIZING CHILD LABOR, dahil ang mga kagaya nila ay hindi piniling mag-trabaho nang ganoon kaaga.

Again this is Tina, good night everyone!

- MGA SALOOBIN NI TINA 101 -

I immediately closed my laptop, matapos kong i-post ang isinulat ko sa blogspot ko.

It's already 10:00 in the evening, and dinadalaw na ako ng antok, kaya naman agad ko nang ipinikit ang mga mata ko nang...

*bip*

From: Unknown
Sa rooftop.

Ha? Rooftop?

Hindi ko na lang pinansin ang kung sino mang nag-text sa akin, dahil antok na antok na talaga ako. Bukas ko na lang iisipin kung sino ba siya at kung anong trip niya.