AETAS WAY OF LIFE IN THE RESETTLEMENT

AREAS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Maria Theresa Lendyl O. Azarcon

AETA (“EYE-TA,”)

or Agta are indigenous people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of the Philippines Earliest inhabitants in the Philippines <30,000 <0.03% of the Philippine population Self-sufficient and held a culture distinctly their own Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Angeles, Olongapo, Bataan Sambalic languages, Tagalog Various forms of animism and monotheism

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE• dark to very dark brown skinned people • short in stature• small of frame• curly haired• small nosed • have dark brown eyes

RELIGION, BELIEFS AND PRACTICESMonotheistic - that they believe in a supreme being who rule over lesser spirits or dieties.• Pinatubo Aeta worship Apo Namalyari• Mamanua believe in the supreme Magbabaya• Agta believe in a supreme being they call Gutugutumakkan ("great creator“)

Four manifestations :•Tigbalog is the source of life and action•Lueve takes care of production and growth•Amas moves people to pity, love, unity, and peace of heart•Binangewan is responsible for change, sickness, and death

Animists •Pinatubo Aeta believe in environmental spirits such as anito and kamana• They believe that good and evil spirits inhabit the environment, such as the spirits of the river, the sea, the sky, the mountain, the hill, the valley, and other places. •Negros Ati have believe in their environmental spirits taglugar or tagapuyo, which literally means "inhabiting a place".

CLOTHING

MT. PINATUBO ERUPTION June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo volcano erupted after centuries of slumber A canopy of lahar and rocks covered the plains and valleys of Central Luzon and destroyed farms and fishponds The land was covered with three to six feet of ash 200,000 Aeta families trekked down the hills , found themselves refugees “nature had taken its wrath against man”

RESETTLEMENT The Philippine government, NGO civic groups and the international community responded to the immediate basic needs of food, clothing and shelter of the victims. Due to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo they were resettled in various resettlement areas in Region 3 like Porac Pampanga and in Dueg, San Clemente, Tarlac. experienced vast expulsion, relocation, feudalism and beggary Aetas in Negros became agricultural laborers on tenants working in lands that were formerly their own In Iloilo, some became beggars in the streets.

Aeta Resettlement and Rehabilitation in Subic, Zambales, Philippines

Update on the Philippine Aeta Minority Education Project 2011  

THE RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION PROJECT

• The government allocated a site at Sitio Gala, Subic Zambales for the resettlement of the dislocated Aetas• Houses were built and initial water system for home consumption• Feeding program• Clinic services• Spiritual needs and value formation programs

Long Term Goals of the Resettlement • Maintain the ecological balance of the area • Optimize the productivity of the site towards sustainability • Utilize the site as a model for resettlement of other cultural minority groups Immediate Project Needs• Operate sustainable income generating and allied activities • Provide quality services to all patron, visitors and guests at program site • Develop and enhance socio-cultural aspects of the lives of the Aeta settlers • Develop institutional capabilities for effective implementation of program plans

On-site Rehabilitation Project Staff1 Area coordinator1 Organizer1 Agriculturist 1 Teacher 1 Program Officer 1 Nurse (taken over by a trained Aeta health worker)

Facilities available on-siteHousing for 60 families

Initial water system for home consumption was set up with the presence of spring in the vicinity

A basketball court was set up with the support of the Mayor of Subic for community recreational and sports activity.

LOCAL RESOURCES AND FACILITIES FOR COMMUNITY LIVING Endowed with natural ecological resources – vegetation, forest trees, boulders, spring and falls Conducive to food production like upland rice planting, tilapia fish pond culture, and goat-raising For community recreational and sports activities, a basketball court was set up A school for the Aeta children A chapel for liturgical services

Project Staff an area coordinator and

organizer an agriculturist a teacher and program officer resident nurse – who provides

continuing practical health service which includes food subsistence for Day Care children

Aeta health worker - aids the former and trained to eventually take over the guidance and support duties of the Day Care Center.

PROGRESS IN THE AETA COMMUNITY

After thirteen years, a peaceful and productive site and an organized community of Aetas, composed of sixty families, are now settled in the area. Aeta Tribal Council of Sitio Gala is now in its 3rd year of operation headed by a chieftain 300 individuals or 60 families.

PROGRAMS/PROJECTS:

Supplemental Feeding Program

• Children categorized as 1 - 7 yrs. old are recipients of the supplemental feeding program of the foundation• The Day Care children ranging from 4 -6 yrs old go to school daily. They are also recipients of the feeding program.

EDUCATION

• Schoolchildren and students from age 7 to 16 are provided with education in public and private schools with the aid of the foundation. • A total of 23 students both elementary and high school attend the formal education.

FORMAL EDUCATION• July 26, 2004, the Education Department and the Foundation of our Lady of Peace forged an agreement that opened an accredited multi-grade level elementary school for 42 elementary Aeta children• Sacatihan -Aningway, Subic Zambales• 2 full-time teachers• Adults and out-of-school youth were under the Functional Literacy Program

LIVELIHOODo planting of pineapples, bananas, gabi, ginger and vegetables.o Mangoeso Tilapia are grown in ponds (only 750 sq. m. pond)o eco-pilgrimage tourism project - Aetas are to be employed as cooks, housekeeper, receptionists, etc.

Environmental Concern Tree planting in the 40-

hectare site is a continuing activity of the foundation to preserve the ecological balance in Sitio Gala.

The Aetas, together with the staff have planted narra, mahogany, and other fruit bearing trees such as jackfruit, mangoes, etc.

Water System

Since the area is blessed with springs, water for domestic chores of the Aetas has been tapped by the foundation.

A Documentary on Aetas Way of Life in

the Resettlement Areas in the Philippines

Courtesy of: http://www.youtube.com

A Documentary on An Urban Aeta Group

Thank You!