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Brigada Blogs: Jay Sabale visits the real “Home Along da Riles”
When Dolphy passed away last July 10, he was mourned by Filipinos everywhere, but most especially by the communities living along Metro Manila’s train tracks. Comedy King Dolphy was particularly loved by these poor communities for his portrayal of Kevin Cosme on “Home Along da Riles,” one of Filipino pop culture’s most beloved father figures.
So while other reporters covered Dolphy’s wake at Heritage Park earlier this month, reporter Jay Sabale visited the residents of Manila’s rail tracks to do a story for the GMA News TV public affairs program “Brigada.” His assignment? To find out if the real “Home Along the Riles” is anything simliar to the fictional world of Kevin Cosme.
Sabale says that immersing oneself in the lives of other people is an important experience for any journalist. “Because of our impression of the 'riles,' we are scared to go there, even interact with the people. If I had not been fortunate to have gotten this Brigada assignment, I would have never had the opportunity of meeting new friends who are extraordinary,” says Sabale. 
Sabale’s assignment led him to Daang Bakal in Tondo, right along the Philippine National Railways tracks. There, he met a sari-sari store owner who barely earns enough to support her own family, yet generously lets her neighbors buy food and other supplies on credit. 
Sabale also met Daang Bakal’s version of the “sunog baga” boys on “Home Along Da Riles” —jobless men who drink and laugh their worries away. Sabale also met a real life “Mang Kevin,” a widower named Mang Ferdinand struggling to support his family. “A lot of residents there strive to do honest work. Some buy nuts in Divisoria and repackage them [to] sell them on the streets. Some collect waste, rubber and metal [to sell]. They even have a small area along the riles were they grow their own vegetables for their consumption,” observed Sabale. When Dolphy passed away, the residents of the riles felt like they lost one of their own. They told Sabale that they truly identified with Kevin Cosme and the poverty depicted in “Home Along da Riles.” 
“Ang ‘Home Along da Riles’ ay parang buhay nga lang namin. May joke time, pero ‘yung mga problema ng pamilya ni Cosme ay totoo rin. Kulang ang pagkain, pambili ng mga kailangan,” the residents told Sabale. But like Kevin Cosme, they’ve also learned to use laughter to deal with life’s difficulties. “Pero ganoon pa man, nakukuha pa rin naming magtawanan at magsaya,” Sabale remembers the residents telling him. “What has captivated me the most is probably how they handle life. They admit that it is hard, but they know how to appreciate life and all that it has to offer." —Angel Bombarda/PF, GMA News "Brigada" is hosted by Jessica Soho and features in-depth and human interest stories by some of GMA News' field reporters. It airs Monday nights at 8:00 PM on GMA News TV Channel 11. Follow the program on Twitter and Facebook. 
