Deadliest Roads | Philippines: The Man and the Monsoon | Free Documentary

[Applause] [Music] maybe [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] a staple food in many countries this small white grain is not only a source of life for many it is the key to survival on the island of mindanao in the philippines life in the village of kalaburgao moves to the rhythm of the rice harvests rice is the only opportunity for the inhabitants to earn a bit of money [Music] until fairly recently bags of rice were transported to the local towns in wagons it was a never-ending journey as a result the farmers started working together and now a truck transports the produce to the market every two weeks dodong with the baseball cap is the truck driver for the village monsoon season is well underway and on top of all the heavy rain the air is filled with a stifling humidity level of almost 70 percent in 24 hours the rice will begin to sprout making it unsellable this would be disastrous for the village [Music] lizelle joins dodong on the journey she's in charge of negotiating the best price for the rice [Laughter] this time lizelle has taken a risk due to the surrounding humidity level she's decided to transport two and a half tons of extra rice enough to destabilize the old truck and its driver [Music] the bridge is only two years old but it seems as though it could collapse at any moment the bridge is an apt symbol for the philippines itself a country torn between its growing modernity and its forgotten regions [Music] situated between taiwan and indonesia the archipelago is comprised of nearly seven thousand islands in the regions located beyond the tourist trails the inhabitants are left to fend for themselves doing business sometimes seems impossible these risks are worth the struggle if it means earning lots of money but even then the filipinos need to muster a lot of courage to search for gold 15 meters beneath the surface of these muddy wells [Music] [Music] smiling and never complaining of their weapons against life's challenges with the help of a little magic they endure a bit of pain to come out stronger in the end [Music] the filipinos try to keep their spirits high although their outdated public transport system is enough to destroy any morale some of them never reach their destinations but even then it's better to laugh about it than to get upset [Music] like a mammoth trailing after its herd dodong and lizelle's truck does not exceed 10 kilometers an hour a 70 kilometer journey lies ahead in the best of conditions it would take them six hours but in the middle of the rainy season they might never reach their destination [Music] [Applause] the track is loaded with six tons of rice which risk decaying in the drain the ravine is always close by in this mud an abrupt tap on the brakes would send odong and liesel flying over the edge into the 40-meter drop below [Music] [Music] and slow down they will [Music] this vehicle's not broken down instead a much smaller vehicle is blocking the way this miniature truck is obstructing the traffic flow from both directions gradually a large traffic jam begins to form to this passenger's dismay in these forgotten regions the inhabitants use their own trucks as ambulances [Applause] he's been waiting for four hours and his ordeal is far from over the front truck's winch is broken [Music] lizelle is worried about the rice and her family she and dodong should have already completed half the journey by now [Music] [Applause] everyone is wondering how the driver could have driven over this enormous stone without seeing it even though it seems ridiculous nobody judges or says anything dodong is fully aware that the roads in this country are full of surprises sure enough just a few kilometers later he also gets stuck in a trap are paying the price for overloading their truck by two and a half tons they're now seven hours late but dodong is used to staying calm in stressful situations [Music] getting angry would not help anything [Music] [Applause] after an hour a light appears at the end of the tunnel or rather two truck headlights which could put an end to their struggle [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] to try to save their cargo the driver of the yellow truck refuses to give up surrendering is not an option but [Music] this time the broken cable prevents any further attempts to break free the construction truck goes on its way leaving dodong and nizel to set up camp [Music] foreign after a few hours of sleep dodong quickly gets back to work [Music] the previous night's smiles disappear when they see the amount of mud burying their truck dodong and lizelle are already a day late and their situation seems impossible to get out of [Music] the driver wonders how his luck could have turned so badly the filipinos firmly believe that you earn your luck many men and women are prepared to cross the country to find theirs [Music] legend has it that on the island of luzon an elderly woman from the village of buscalan has the power to bring you luck and strength to reach this village you have to travel in these strange vehicles [Music] the filipinos call them jeepneys after the second world war american soldiers abandoned hundreds of jeeps a clever handyman decided to extend the vehicles and exchange the car key for a range of vivid colors this is how public transport was born in the philippines each driver uses his own imagination and sometimes the style can be a little kitsch every inch of the vehicle is used [Applause] [Music] foreign with the temperature nearing 30 degrees it's unlikely that a few ice cubes will keep the products cool as for the jeepney [Applause] a vehicle problem most often means sore feet when when [Applause] their destination the famous village sought after by pilgrims in search of luck they all cling to their dream of getting there as johnny the driver predicts a bumpy ride [Music] [Music] [Applause] since the start of the journey the worn out shock absorbers are struggling to cope and indeed so are the passengers [Music] [Music] i know [Music] it may be uncomfortable but this vehicle can go anywhere which is very practical for the inhabitants who live far away [Laughter] [Music] the road is ruined but strangely johnny does not slow down when he speeds up he rarely exceeds 30 kilometers an hour but due to the conditions of some of the roads the filipinos are not used to reaching such speed [Music] to the passengers dismay maintaining these roads is not one of the government's priorities the bus is now approaching the mystical lands the village of buscalan is not far away this territory belonged to the feared warrior tribes known as the kalinga the arpaio and the ruthless butt butt their specialty lay in beheading their enemies and displaying them as trophies the last of the head hunting is said to have occurred towards the end of the 1970s legend states that the warriors acquired their strength and fighting abilities from supernatural tattoos individuals like bayani hope to improve their luck by getting one of those tattoos the last remaining mystical tattoo artist of the philippines lives in these mountains and there's only one trail that leads to her village saudi foreign [Music] in today's society the warriors have become peaceful farmers [Music] wang odd is over 100 years old she tattooed the last headhunters from her tribe nowadays the queue for her tattoos just keeps getting longer and i travel like 14 hours that's in everyone comes in search of a tattoo that will bring them good fortune a scorpion is said to give strength and protection here the sun and moon are fused together a promise of good health and vitality or a compass which guides your choices in the right direction [Music] dewater is 28 years old she's come in search of the scorpion's strength to help her overcome life's challenges [Music] it's like um something in me is uh you know it's it made me complete [Music] bayani refuses to let us film his tattoo he believes it is too personal [Music] the ink is made from a soot base and a new needle is used for every new tattoo [Music] [Music] there's no set price each individual pays as much as they like the elderly woman supports the entire village with her craft but after nearly 100 years wang odd is almost ready to retire her needles although she has passed on her knowledge to a few disciples everyone is wondering if the tattoos will conserve their power or if they will become nothing more than simple drawings [Music] after her death the tattoo artist will continue to be revered just like her ancestors her grave will most likely be placed alongside the banks of this cliff [Music] foreign they're suspended from the highest point possible to avoid any potential damage in the past it was not unusual for the headhunters to look for their trophies in the cemeteries every time he comes here gerald honors his ancestors with gin and a few cigarettes [Music] foreign [Music] the dong is still stuck in the mud right now he could really use the help of his ancestors or even a scorpion tattoo to bring him strength and protection [Music] but dodong prefers to rely on his assistant's help and there's a lot of work to be done and lisel are now 24 hours late and every extra hour on the road puts greater risk on their cargo of rice to prove the severity of their problem these grains of rice fell from a bag at the back of the truck two days before their departure the seed is already five centimeters if any more moisture seeps into the six tons of grain the cargo will be thrown into the bin but the philippines is not nicknamed the land of smiles for nothing dodong and his men keep their spirits up [Laughter] only a bulldozer can get them out of here so other vehicles try to force their way through not a good idea okay [Music] now the road is completely blocked just like these chickens a cacophony of struggling engines fills the air [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] it's now nearly midday and these powerful steel giants arrive at the scene [Music] throughout the year these bulldozers maintain the roads as best they can they're also used as tow trucks due to the state of the roads the government allows these rescues to happen for free still have 40 kilometers to cover before arriving at the market after a few more kilometers of mud they will reach a tarred national highway their ordeal may almost be over but others are still waiting to be rescued [Music] with the sun rising dodong has opened the tarp to prevent the bags from getting too humid [Music] they will have spent 24 hours on a meager 70 kilometers but their efforts will not have been in vain their entire cargo of rice will be sold [Music] [Laughter] for most of the filipinos living in the countryside the average income is around 9 000 pesos that is 150 euros a month to make a living you have to be resourceful and courageous waking up each morning with a dream striving to get rich in spite of all the risks [Music] to find gold these individuals are happy to sift through the top layers of sand unfortunately their spades mainly come out empty [Music] a little further on others are willing to take more serious risks these gold miners are the only ones of their kind in the world [Music] [Laughter] has just spent the last two hours filling bags with mud 15 meters below the surface the well measures just over one meter by one meter being claustrophobic is not an option approximately six hours at the bottom of the well his mask helps to protect his eyes from the sand under the water he's buried in total darkness a torch would be of no use to him in this muddy water the air he breathes is sent to him by this compressor [Music] in the space of two hours the diver fills around 15 bags with mud they immediately sieve through the mud in search of the precious specks of gold [Music] it is impossible to know exactly how many miners are buried at the bottom of these wells the work is illegal so there's no official record but the police are trying to track them down [Music] [Laughter] hey the fine is normally around 300 euros a fortune ironically the gold would come in handy for that [Music] [Applause] [Music] on average these daring miners gather between one and two grams of gold per day this amounts to 40 euros which has to be divided between six [Music] a devastating gold rush is underway in the philippines the country has the third highest gold bearing potential in the world the land is saturated with it and the mines are spreading like wildfire especially in one of the southern provinces known as the compostela valley however instead of sacred pilgrimages this compostela valley is renowned for the sweat and hard work that flows through its mountains today this steel dictator is on a mission and nothing can stop him [Music] the truck was used by the iraqi army the saddam transports the gold miners to one of the most dangerous mines on the island the road ends here the saddam is unable to go any further the miners must now begin the two-hour trek up the mountain [Music] on arrival they receive new chisels which were fabricated on-site this very morning hmm the vein is solid so the gold can be seen with the naked eye but this treasure comes at a price extracting it is not without risk during the rainy season the mine's structure weakens the rocks are filled with water [Music] on the surface the rainfall ravages the mountain and infiltrates all areas of the mine aside from a possible collapse the miners are also afraid of drowning m these men are almost fully self-sufficient the giant bamboo shoots which grow nearby are used as ovens [Music] inside they feast on chicken marinated in lemongrass it's enough to warm the hearts and souls of these men but their break is short-lived now they have to carry the bags of soil to a jeep which will take them to the saddam m [Music] each bag weighs around 50 kilos and the jeep is parked a kilometer higher [Music] for each bag they carry up the miners receive a bonus [Music] at 60 cents a bag the bonus is almost not worth the effort put in to get it [Music] pedro the young driver does not like mud his look clashes with that of the other miners sat beside him [Music] he may be a bit of a show-off but pedro is right to prefer playing pilot he earns a little more than the miners although he's not actually allowed behind the wheel except if you like to show off it is better to be an expert in your craft otherwise you may become the laughing stock of the mountain even when relieved of all its cargo pedro's jeep cannot get through to prevent the wheels from sliding the miners agreed to give up one of their bags of gold the jeep may be filled with gold but it still can't get out of this mess but nothing is working [Applause] pedro's boss arrives and he's somewhat annoyed movie they now only have to load the sedan but their problems persist [Music] [Applause] hello [Music] um lots of effort lots of problems lots of stress the desperate hunt for gold makes these men lose their minds abby tries to stay calm [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Applause] the gold diggers are still far from finishing their work the entire cargo has to be transferred to another truck that is more able to drive on tarmac roads the seven tons of soil will be washed in a secure location this time all their sweat and toil will finally amount to something once the washing is complete the director of the mine will claim almost a kilogram of gold these miners know that they will never be rich but it doesn't matter their survival is their greatest fortune last year almost 10 men were buried alive in the mines [Music] so she may not look it but this old jeep is the last hope for some drivers we rejoin dodong the rice transporter when he has no deliveries to make he works as a temporary breakdown mechanic the dog is the only mechanic in the region who can drive he's accompanied by his boss rumi foreign [Music] the two are on their way to help a broken down vegetable truck as with the rice the cargo risks going off while they drive around dadong and rumi take a few passengers with them for free in this region there is no public transport [Music] [Applause] but sometimes walking would be less challenging yes the mechanics reached their destination after five hours on the road ew unfortunately welding is not an option at this level of breakage dodong can only patch up the damage enough for the truck to reach the garage where the part will need to be replaced he's been working for six hours meanwhile ramirez's boss spurs him on with some karaoke [Music] huh [Music] [Applause] late into the night and lulled by rumi's melodic voice dodong manages to repair the breakage [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 1,651,237

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, most dangerous roads, most dangerous journeys, worlds most dangerous roads, worlds most dangerous journeys, deadliest roads, deadliest roads in the world, dicing with death, deadliest journeys, deadliest journeys Philippines, dicing with death Philippines, dangerous Philippines, most dangerous roads Philippines, dangerous roads Philippines, deadliest roads Philippines, Philippines

Id: OMoAwAI1C_U

Length: 49min 14sec (2954 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 10 2022