MANILA, Philippines?As producer Albert Almendralejo recalled it, the first shooting day of ?Bakal Boys? in the Baseco compound in Port Area, Manila, was a literal immersion for first-time filmmaker Ralston Jover.

?He fell into a ditch,? Almendralejo reported.

?Bakal Boys? tells the story of children who dive for scrap metal in the polluted waters of the abandoned shipyard.

In an earlier interview, Jover recounted that he spent a year, ?immersing? himself in the community, as he co-wrote the screenplay with Henry Burgos.

?I learned about children metal divers through Henry, who worked on this story for [the GMA 7 documentary show] ?I-Witness,?? said Jover. ?Last year, we started visiting Baseco to get to know the place and the people better.?

The titular ?Bakal Boys? are played by real-life metal divers Ian Villaroel, Vincent Alano, Meljun Guinto and JR Alano?ages ranging from 8 to 16.

It?s a harrowing story, Almendralejo said. ?The kids dive 10 to 20 feet deep without proper equipment. It?s a normal occurrence for the kids to die, or to simply disappear.?

Gina Pareño plays a Tausug woman looking for her missing grandson, who turns out to be a a bakal boy.

Before the cameras rolled, Pareño studied with Tausug tutor Baisa Baysiga. ?Nag-ocular inspection ako sa Baseco,? she related. ?In ?Ploning,? I spoke Cuyonon. In ?Serbis,? Ilocano and Kapampangan. In this film, Tausug naman.?

The film will also show the positive side of life in the slums of Baseco, Jover and Almendralejo asserted.

?We hope to show the resilience of the Filipino, how we remain strong and cheerful in spite of poverty,? said Jover, who also wrote Jeffrey Jeturian?s ?Kubrador,? which won a slew of local and international acting awards for Pareño.

Almendralejo reiterated that the indie film, produced by Apogee Productions with grants from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Smart-PLDT Foundation (through Cinemabuhay), will also highlight strong kinship ties and peaceful co-existence among Christians and Muslims in Baseco.

After filming, Jover and Almendralejo hope to leave a concrete project for Baseco residents.

?We plan to start an educational program,? Jover said.

Almendralejo added, ?I teach in San Beda. My students started a mentoring program for the kids. We hope to keep the children in school by tutoring them.?

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