Originally Published on January 08, 2021
Written by Sophia Baloca
UCC Psychology and Behavioral Science Department received such a warm welcome from the Aeta community, seeing the glimpse of their smiles that reflects the warm rays of the sunlight as they set foot in San Martin, Bamban, Tarlac. That is when they conducted their annual psychosocial interaction during the season of giving gifts.
For years, Aetas have lived near Mount Pinatubo in Zambales but, when it erupted in 1991, it devastated the Aeta population, forcing them to re-settle in urban areas and leave the land of their forefathers.
Aling Wilmeng, a 40-year old resident who is separated from her spouse, sells wild bananas, corn, and root crops, mostly sweet potatoes. That’s what she does every day to earn a living for her three kids.
“Sa kugon lang dati gawa ang bahay namin, may tumulong lang samin kaya naging bato pero wala parin kaming makain. Kapag may bagyo, binabaha rin kami dito pero madalang lang maabutan ng tulong”, Aling Wilmeng said.
The Aetas are among the first and earliest known inhabitants of the Philippines. They also belong to the marginalized sector and other indigenous groups who face poverty and displacement because their homelands have been destroyed caused by illegal logging and mining. And worse, the modernization of New Clark City that encroaching on their ancestral lands bit by bit.
While the Philippine government has implemented the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, an act to recognize, protect, and promote indigenous cultural communities’ rights, it’s not enough to protect and help them cope with matters such as access to jobs and livelihood support. They had been recognized in academic textbooks, yet disputes on land ownership still rose.
The pandemic is putting much of the world on hold, but UCCIANS did not stop and remain altruistic to extend their helping hand and give joy to the Aeta community. It is not only to apply the lessons from their subject-course, but this annual off-campus activity shapes their awareness about our indigenous people’s conditions.
TNC of the North 