The Aeta Resettlement Projects:
After my two-week stay in Manila, my next stop took me into the Zambales Mountains, where I would look for ongoing non-formal education programs for the Aeta. As part of a faith-based aid initiative, the non-formal education programs are “mobile” literary and education projects which began following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
The Aeta are an indigenous people who are thought to be the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines. Traditionally living in mountainous areas on the island of Luzon,
the Aeta have been forced to move over time, due to natural disasters. One area of the country where the Aetas have lived for thousands of years was Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano in the Northern part of the Zambales Mountains. However, in 1991 Mt. Pinatubo erupted becoming one of the worst in history, and displacing over a quarterof a million people—most of which were Aeta.
Since the eruption, many Aetas have re-settled in urban areas of Luzon. Traditionally hunting/gathering people, this movement has had an extreme effect on the way of life for the Aeta. With a lifestyle that prioritizes livelihood, the Aeta are not formally educated like most people in the areas which they have migrated to. Because of this, it is hard for them to get their voice heard, and they are often discriminated against and not well represented politically.
Literacy and education project
Formal Education Preschool
s potentially help the Aeta communicate their needs and vote in elections. As many prioritize livelihood over education, it has been hard to create a formal education system which works for the traditional Aeta lifestyle. For this reason, I was interested in looking at these non-formal education projects which based lessons on Aeta culture and only met three times a week (not to disrupt the work schedule), in convenient locations. Perhaps this could be the answer for a successful education system to meet the needs of the Aeta.
Snooping around:
With few contacts, and just an article from the internet, I set off to find the projects and thankfully it was much easier than I had imagined! Starting in Masinloc, I made my way down to Botolan Municipality, where the projects were said to be taking place. With my partner in crime, Reuel Navarro, we set off to the mayor’s office so that I could meet the man in charge for the area and introduce myself.
I spoke to Erlin Rico, the municipal administrator, or “money man” as Reuel called him, who knew where we cold find the programs. He explained that the eruption forever changed the lives of the Aeta peoples’ (later he explained to me that the Aeta preferred to be called Katutubo which means indigenous people in Tagalog). The 11 barangay’s (communities) where they had previously lived were covered by feet of ash. The communities were evacuated before any people were harmed, but 2 refused to leave and were the only casualties. The evacuation left the Aeta to live in government sponsored tent camps until they were again moved over time to more accommodating areas. Erlin expained that the government put up buildings, and gave people free lots of 6 hectares to grow crops. Education has also been free, and supplies including raincoats, bags and writing utensils have been given to children up to the college level. Job opportunities are scarce, and most Aeta are employed as farm hands or laborers. The ultimate goal of the government is “to empower these people and give them a chance to start over”. Although, this may be the case, up to 60% of the Aeta have moved back to their old Barangay’s to try and restart their communities because in the resettlement areas crops are bad and life is much different than in their old Barangay’s. The only reason some choose to stay is believed to be because of schooling, which is free and will help the Aeta express their needs and concerns to the government and surrounding community.
After a successful meeting with Erlin, and a meal provided by the mayor (delicious—quail eggs included). Reuel and I set off to find the Aeta resettlement community in Lakas where the non-formal education programs were being implemented.
Adult Literacy Diagrams
The community was in the foothills, about a 15 minute drive from the town center. Not many people were around, when we got there, and my first instinct was to relate this community to one in particular I had stayed in, in Tanzania. It looked different than the surrounding areas, and Reuel explained to me that this was similar to how their original Barangay’s looked on Mt. Pinatubo—although instead of concrete houses they lived in houses made of grasses.
Reuel happened to know one of the women that we saw, Ami, and we were allowed in. Otherwise, he explained, the community generally liked to keep to themselves and was not very open to visitors. We were soon introduced to Angelita Deliquina who spoke English and was a formal teacher and community leader. She explained that this settlement was their 10th evacuation. After the tent communities set up by the government, the Aeta were forced to move again and again. Some of these communities were very crowded and hot, and in one area there was an outbreak of measles. In Lakas, the community was made up of 150 households, averaging 5 families per household. There were 2 settlements near by set up by the government. In most resettlment communities, education has been neglected, but here there is both formal and non-formal education. Erlin Rico had explained that this municipality was relatively wealthy in Zambales
Adult Literacy Flashcards
and thus could afford more programs. The Botolan Municipality was rated first class meaning that the gross income is 100 million pesos (roughly $2 million) per year. Angelita agreed that the government had been helping a lot and confirmed what Erlin claimed was their role in the resettlement.
Angelita helped answer some initial questions, but I soon learned that my expectations to witness the non formal programs and to learn more about the Aeta settlements were not very realistic. I learned that I was required to write an introduction letter to the community leaders explaining my purpose and goals, and that it would be reviewed on June 30th—the date of their next meeting. It turns out that late June, the beginning of the monsoon season, is planting time for rice and everyone is out working. The literary and education programs have yet to start and will not begin until July.
So, I planned to write the letter, and hopefully I would be welcomed to return in July to see what was going on. As for now, other resettlement programs are happening in the area, and I anticipate learning more about these faith-based programs and what they are doing for the Aeta people.
