15 years ago, at a time when documentaries were almost unheard of on Philippine television, GMA News and Public Affairs broke new ground and pioneered the first documentary show in the country: I-Witness.
For 15 years, I-Witness has aired around 800 stories--- all aimed at telling the truth about the world we live in and at bridging the gap between the characters of the show’s stories and viewers.
Several documentaries of I-Witness did not end with the show’s closing billboard. Many continued to unfold and became stories of hope and selfless deeds as help poured in for the case studies.
Hosted by veteran journalists Howie Severino, Sandra Aguinaldo, Jay Taruc, and Kara David, the most awarded public affairs program on Philippine television celebrates its 15th year anniversary this November by bringing its viewers a ”life-changing” series that will air for four consecutive Saturdays beginning November 15. The series kicks off with this documentary from Kara about a school teacher and her students in the North:
They have a dream. And they want a chance to achieve it.
As a teacher for 26 years, Martha Bitaga continues to pursue her life goal: to make her students capable of living independently and decently. But it has not been an easy path. There are many physical and social barriers, tests that are beyond the boundaries of their classroom. Nevertheless, they cannot let chance pass by; opportunities are rare… especially for the visually impaired like Martha and her students.
Eleven-year-old Nexiemar Abilang can still remember what she had seen as a sighted girl: flowers. Now with both her eyes snared in darkness, she contently molds clay into a blossom. White clouds may have claimed her eyesight, but not her vision. This girl dreams of becoming a teacher someday.
For the 15th year of I-Witness, Kara David visits an extraordinary school where dreaming is not about seeing. How do you teach those whom society have traditionally labeled as “burdens”? How can their lives be changed?
Don’t miss the first of the four life-changing documentaries in the month-long 15th anniversary special of I-Witness this Saturday, November 15, 10:30pm after Celebrity Bluff on GMA7.