" ON I - WITNESS ' MGA BATANG LANGOY BY JAY TARUC "
We often hear a story about a student leaving their homes, walking for more than two kilometers for school but there are also a handful who must swim the same distance, through the open sea, in order to get an education. Jay Taruc documents the unforgettable struggle of the Magalumbi island, children of Iloilo. Queenche is 10 years old, Raul is 13, and along with their younger siblings, they swim home from school every single day. Their fishermen fathers take them to the mainland but after school, they must prepare themselves for the inevitable. As their parents are out making a living, the children must all swim home – a two kilometer stretch that takes them half an hour in good weather. The children are fearless as they brave the deep waters that at certain points go all the way down to twenty feet. The younger ones hold onto a bamboo log for support in case they get tired. But jellyfish thrive in this sea in the months of June and July and the heavy rains that som
