Young Pirates (Documentary by Sandra Aguinaldo) on iWitness

Date : Jan 4, 2010 Young Pirates (Documentary by Sandra Aguinaldo) on iWitness

At the Baseco pier, a gang of children have branded themselves “pirates." Using styrofoam boats, they follow approaching sea vessels and stealthily climb them using ropes. They ransack the ships for metal scraps and other items they can sell.

“Tabuji" is an eleven year-old pirate. He learned to raid ships only a year ago to sustain his family. He often stands as a lookout to older pirates, but even the smaller Tabuji is a skilled climber, joining his more experienced friends in stealing metal scraps. Tabuji says the money goes straight to his jobless parents who use it to buy food. But not all pirate children use the money for sustenance. Others gamble with their earnings.

“Toto" is a veteran pirate at seventeen. Unlike the others, he not only steals scrap metals but cell phones, clothes and other items worth selling.

The pirate gang is so skilled that even grown men find it hard to stop them. Sandra Aguinaldo and her team document a scene in which the youngsters storm a moving vessel in the midst of a bargeman’s futile attempts to stop them. Day or night, these children take on the pirate way of life.