|Credits Wikimedia Creative Commons|
"Minsan Sa Isang Taon" (Once A Year), an I-Witness documentary (aired Oct 8, 2012, GMA Network) by Kara David may look like a simple documentary but it's not. It's depth has significant things to say.
"Minsan Sa Isang Taon" weaved paper bills (cash, money) to be the irony of abaca, also called Manila hemp. A year of hard work produced 20 kilos of abaca fibers. When sold, those fibers are worth 1000 pesos. Imagine earning 1000 pesos a year for a family of more than 5! Those cash bills that the hard-working man was holding were made of a few fibers of abaca compared to 20 kilos of fibers that he produced for a year. Quite an irony!
We perceive money as symbol of wealth; yet what it's made of is a symbol of indigence. What happens now to the truth that hard work is the key to success? Somewhere in between must be missing.
The abaca farmer is surrounded with gifts of nature - hills, trees, unpolluted air. He must be rich. Unfortunately, he and his family gets to taste rice only once a year. If luckier, meat for his kids.
Actually, the abaca farmer is surrounded by abundance. He only needs to cultivate bright ideas. If only given the proper education and assistance, he doesn't have to wait a year in order to earn a thousand pesos.
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