Pea visits a rural Leyte household where two elderly grandparents are raising five grandchildren left behind when their mother moved to Manila for work. She walks through how the family survives with no electricity, river water and a $15 weekly budget, then brings them food and supplies. The point, she says, is to show a widespread problem many Filipinos don't talk about: children growing up without their parents because poverty pulls those parents away.
The setup
- Millions of Filipino families are split by poverty when parents have to work in other cities to support their children
- Kids are often left with relatives or even friends, sometimes for years. Pea acknowledges this seems unconscionable to many Westerners
- Anywhere outside the city counts as "the province"
The family
- Tatay Dominador, 75 (born 1951), born and raised in the area. Pea tells him he looks great for his age
- Nanay Innocencia, 68, has lived there 30-some years
- Five grandchildren. Three were home during the visit (two inside, one playing with the dog). One was at school and one was working at a neighbor's house
- The eldest grandchild is in high school. All the kids attend public school, which is free in the Philippines
Where the parents are
- The parents are separated. The mother works in Manila and supports the kids
- The father works in town but is "MIA" on support
How they survive
- Nanay is a homemaker. Tatay isn't working because there are no jobs available
- The only income is what the mother sends: 800 pesos a week, about $15, for seven people
- Asked if they can stretch it, they say it's not enough. About two nights a week they skip dinner because there's no money for food
- No electricity in the house
- For water they walk miles to a river, and the water isn't safe to drink
- Tatay smokes hand-rolled tobacco in paper. He doesn't pay for it: neighbors give him their reject leaves that failed quality control
Tatay's boat
- He's a boat builder. He shows off a boat he built that fits six people
- Made from bamboo, plywood and nails, sealed with epoxy so there are no holes
- It's sitting on land because he doesn't have the money or the people to carry it to the water, so he can't go fishing. Pea says "maybe later on we can do something about it"
House tour with Nanay
- The "abuhan," their improvised outdoor kitchen: a cooktop fueled by firewood or anything that burns, plus an area to wash dishes and prep food
- Pea says her family had the same kitchen layout when she was a kid
- A ladder leads into the house. The receiving area has an altar with the Santo Niño (baby Jesus) and rosaries where they pray
- Sleeping areas: three kids sleep in one room; Nanay and the other two kids sleep in another
- Tatay sleeps outside. Pea jokes, "What did he do? Was he a naughty boy?"
- With no electricity, there's nothing to do after dinner. Nanay says they go to bed and stare at the ceiling until they fall asleep. No card games or other entertainment
- There is a guitar, and Pea hopes Tatay might show off his talents
What Pea brought
- A big haul of groceries so that "tonight is the night that we're not going to go hungry"
- Toys: a sword for the middle boy (the "kuya"), a Barbie for the baby girl, and a ball
- A solar lamp so the house isn't dark at night
- A solar radio so they can listen to the news ("maybe not, because there's always bad news lately") or music
- The grand finale: a 50-kilo sack of rice, about 100 lb. Pea notes it's heavier than she is at 47 kilos. Nanay and Tatay estimate it will feed them two months or more
- Cat food for their cat. Pea thinks it's the cat's first time eating cat food
- Final send-off: with the radio, Tatay can sing Nanay a song for date night. She hopes he finds a way to get his boat to the ocean so he can catch dinner for the family again, and hands over one more gift to help until then
Her closing statement
- This wasn't poverty porn, and she's not asking for donations or gifts for the family. As always, she paid for everything herself
- Please don't contact her with offers of help. It's a nice sentiment and shows a good heart, but she's not a licensed charity and doesn't do fundraisers
- Patreon members and regular viewers already support her efforts
- The purpose was to call attention to a widespread problem people don't want to talk about. "I think we all know the effects on children who grow up without their mothers and fathers"
- "Now go hug your kids and tell them how much you love them"
Outro bit
- She compares herself to the girl next door: no costumes, no superpowers, just someone who keeps her eyes and ears open, knows both Western and Filipino culture, and can get you the information you need
- Promises fresh content twice a week, then: "Oh, I almost forgot. Can I borrow a cup of sugar?"
