Exclusive - These Sea Urchin Divers Who Earn 100 Pesos a Day Graduated From College and Are Now the Only Hope of Their Island!

Joselito Padilla and his sister, Krsitine Padilla are part of the new generation that would bring the light of hope in their remote island in Bolinao, Pangasinan. The two used to be child laborers who dove for sea urchins everyday just to earn their daily living. With only P80-P100 per day, the two tried to help their parents sustain their daily needs.

Although the life in the remote island of Silaki is indeed rough for young dreamers, Joselito and Kristine both pursued their studies to achieve their goals. They are now considered as the inspiration of many children from their island.

In 2007, I-Witness documentarist Kara David featured the daily lives of Joselito and Kristine. The documentary entitled “Laman-Dagat ng Silaki” showed how these young members of the Padilla family have to endure the drying heat of the sun and the tiring forces of the waves only to harvest sea urchins that would give them P80-P100 per sack.

Although it may seem difficult for them to finish their studies because of the lack of resources, the two remained dedicated to pursuing their dreams. They became scholars under Kara David’s special program called “Project Malasakit”. This scholarship program helped them until they finish college.

Kristine Padilla was only 5 years when she started to be a sea urchin diver. She then met Kara David for the documentary when she was 14 years old. According to her, she had to help their father in earning their daily needs because they really have a tough life in the remote island.

When she was able to enjoy the benefits of Kara’s scholarship program, she did not waste any opportunity as she remained focused on her dreams. She graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in Education.

On May 2015, Kristine was able to pass the licensure examination for teachers. Her dream is for the children in Silaki to have the education that they deserve. The island is reported to have 75% illiteracy rate which means more than half of its population do not know how to read or write. This has been her inspiration, that is why she decided to pursue Education. Her dream of becoming a teacher was founded with her desire to eliminate illiteracy in their small island. According to Kara David herself, Kristine is the first one to have a college education from their island.