(00:00:20 – 00:01:01)

Jaime: This community has been here for 30-40 years. There are probably more than two thousand families here. Some of the residents have built their houses out into the sea while others live in the walls of the cemetery.

(00:01:07 – 00:01:33)

Jaime: In the morning, it is quiet. There are lots of people; some are preparing to go to work.

Jaime: I open my small shop, which doesn’t sell a lot. (laughs)

Once it’s open, I’ll stay there the whole day. Just like that everyday. That’s just how my life is.

(00:01:40 – 00:02:23)

Jaime: We got here in 1980.  It used to be a dangerous place. There were lots of murders.

(00:03:58 – 00:04:56)

Jaime: Houses were mostly made out of cardboards. The walls were made from Styrofoam, plastic, sacks.  If you tapped the walls, everything will fall apart.

 (laughs)

Jaime: Now life is somewhat better. We have more entertainment like TV.

(00:02:31 – 00:03:45)

Desiree: We moved here because we couldn’t afford the rent anywhere else. We worked hard so we could build a house here. Our house is close to the cemetery and the sea.

Desiree: My eldest already works in the sea.  My girls help me with the housework. They cook and wash the dishes while I’m away working.

Desiree: We will take any jobs that will earn us money. I sell eggs and cigarettes. If there’s nothing to sell, I repack charcoals.

Desiree: It’s my children who give me strength in my heart.

(00:03:58 – 00:04:56)

Jaime: The reason it’s overpopulated is because the long-term residents would tell their relatives to come and live here. They come here and work in the sea.

Jaime: There are so many people that while you’re walking around, kids will just bump into you.

Jaime: The relationship in the community is good. Of course, sometimes people fall out but they resolve their problems quickly.

Jaime: People are happy as long as they can feed their children. They don’t wish for anything big. Just be thankful for what you have.

(00:05:01 – 00:06:09)

Imong: My parents sold their land in the countryside so we could live here. Growing up here was fine. I didn’t have many problems. I’ve got a job here in the cemetery.

Imong: There are five of us grave cleaners. For 20 pesos (25p), we open and clean the graves. To close the graves, they pay us 50 pesos (70p). 

Imong: You’ll see in the tombstone if it’s over five years old.  We then open the tombs. We clean out the graves and we place the bones in a sack.  The relatives don’t take them back.

Imong: The visitors and the residents have a good relationship. They just want you to respect the tombs and not use it as a toilet.

(00:06:14 – 00:06:26)

Jaime: You can’t just cry and feel sorry for yourself just because you’re poor.  Don’t make it too obvious. Just take it easy. (laughs)

(00:06:34 – 00:07:57)

Maricris: It’s okay living in Bagong Silang. It’s quite chaotic but people are nice. It’s just a bit noisy because of the children.(laughs)

Maricris: I lived here since I was in primary school. We kept moving away but always come back. I met my husband here.  We now have four children.

Maricris: Our house is small. (laughs) It has one room where everything is in. It’s got all the basic things we need and is big enough for our family to fit in.

Maricris: My husband and I work hard to send our kids to school. I was never given the chance, so to see my children finish college would be my dream.

Maricris: They’re planning to evict us. We just don’t when.

(00:07:59 - 00:09:41)

Jaime: There is no organisation that can help us.

From what I know, they’re going to demolish everything from our shop in the cemetery down to the sea.

Desiree: If we’re not going to get evicted so of course, this is where we’ll get buried.

Imong: I don’t really like it here anymore but I don’t have anyone I can turn to. I don’t really want to go back to the countryside because life there is more difficult.

Jaime: I can’t say for sure what will happen to Bagong Silang in ten years.

Jaime: I just wish for the future generation that the time would come when they can have a better way of living.

Maricris: Life is ok, a little tiring but we are content. As long as the family is together, even if the money is not enough we are still ok.

Jaime: Bagong Silang when translated means ‘new born’. Whoever named this place, I have no idea. (laughs)