The grandmothers of 'Gapo

Episode on July 30, 2007 Monday late night after Saksi The life stories of several Olongapo grandmothers are told in this compelling documentary by Kara David. At 86, Lola Flor has spent practically all her life in ‘Gapo’s red light district. A bargirl for many years, Lola Flor now sells cigarettes right outside the disco where she once worked. Not far from Flor’s store, 89-year-old Lola Adelina sits on the sidewalk, begging. Today she can barely cross the street, but decades earlier, Lola Adelina was a popular waitress in the bars. Lola Francine tours Kara David along Magsaysay Avenue, center of the former red light district which came alive in 1947 when the Americans set up their base here – and stayed open till the late 1980s. Still colorfully dressed and fully made up, the 67-year-old grandma regales Kara with her fond memories of this strip. But along with tales of the great loves of their lives and riches won and lost, they share painful experiences of having been abandoned and still being mired in poverty. After a lifetime of prostitution, many grandmothers are now watching their own daughters and granddaughters fuel the sex industry in Olongapo. Listen to – and learn from – the grandmothers of Olongapo on Kara David’s I-Witness episode, airing Monday late night over GMA-7.

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Mga lola ng ‘Gapo Ang kuwentong buhay ng ilang lola ng ‘Gapo, ihahayag ni Kara David sa kanyang dokumentaryo ngayong Lunes. Sa mga kalye ng dating red light district sa Olongapo City, maaabutan pa ang ilang datihang “hostess" na namamalimos at nagtitinda na lang ng yosi. Ito ang kwento ni Lola Flor, 86 taong gulang, na may maliit na pwesto ng sigarilyo sa tabi ng datihang bar na kanyang pinagtrabahuan. Di kalayuan, makikita naman si Lola Adelina, 89 taong gulang, na halos di na makalakad at namamalimos na lang sa lahat ng mga dumaraan. Pinasyal naman ni Lola Francine si Kara sa Magsaysay Avenue na dating sentro ng kalakalan sa pagitan ng mga Amerikanong GI at mga Pinay na bargirl. Sinariwa ni Lola kung kasaya ang lugar na ito noon. Sa edad na 67, parang isinasabuhay pa rin niya ang nakaraan sa kanyang bihis, make-up at kilos. Di na umalis ng Olongapo ang marami sa mga naunang bargirl … kaya dito na sila nagkaanak. Ngayo’y mga apo naman nila ang nagsisipasukan sa mga club. Ang mga Lola ng ‘Gapo, kilalanin sa I-Witness ni Kara David sa ika-30 ng Hulyo, Lunes ng hatinggabi, sa GMA-7.