What started as a handing out of food packs to the Aeta families in Castillejos, Zambales in 2019 has turned into a family social responsibility project that has caught the eye of local and international donors. UA&P Associate Professor Veronica Esposo Ramirez, Ph.D. and her family could not ask for more. Their KABAGIS Aeta Projects has taken a life of its own.
Kabagis
Dr. Ramirez explained, “’Bagis,’ is the Ilocano term for umbilical cord. ‘Magka-bagis tayo’ means we came from the same umbilical cord: ‘magkapatid tayo.’”
For Dr. Ramirez and her husband, Lambert, and their children Joshua, Vyera, Lennon, and Janjan, their “kabagis” who are in most need especially during the COVID-19 pandemic are the Aeta families in their municipality in Castillejos, Zambales where they reside.
The Aetas are the earliest known inhabitants of the Philippines. They are dark-skinned and curly-haired, small in stature, and skilled in hunting and jungle survival. They live in thatched huts with walls covered with some hollow blocks, woven bamboo, luna (canopy awning), or used tarpaulins. The floor is bare earth, and an elevated bamboo platform serves as bed. There are no private toilets or plumbing. Electricity is available only in some areas.
They have access to vast areas of livelihood resources, both within their residence area and in neighboring areas like swidden farms or gasak (a piece of land cleared for cultivation by cutting off and burning vegetation) and lahar (area of volcanic debris). Bananas and papayas are harvested in the gasak and sold in the market. From caves they extract silver stones, which are purchased from them at Php 200 per kg. They collect honeybee, and catch bats, snakes, and lizards. During rainy days, there are native mushrooms to harvest. Some of the Aetas have motorcycles with a sidecar called kulong-kulong, which they use mainly to transport their products to the market. Since March 2020, a series of lockdowns has limited their selling in the market to two or three days a week.
A number of the Aeta families are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the education of children ages 0-18. During the early months of the pandemic, they received ayuda (aid) from the local and the provincial government. In October 2021, when health workers went to one of the sitios to administer anti-COVID-19 vaccine, the Aetas fled to the mountains in fear.
“There are no indigenous development programs specifically designed for the Aetas in Castillejos that can directly address skills development, especially of young adults, and provide assistance for agricultural production and marketing,” Dr. Ramirez wrote.
Phase 1. Goods Distribution, Study Center, and Water Supply
During the lockdown, Dr. Ramirez and her family asked their friends for used things that could be donated to the Aetas. Every time they came to Manila, they would collect pre-loved clothing, shoes, books and many other useful items that they would bring back to Zambales. They also received cash donations, which were spent in buying rice and grocery. After surveying some sitios to choose the poorest families to help, and following safety and health protocols, Dr. Ramirez started distributing goods monthly to 20 families in January 2021. By November 2021, they had reached 100 poor families.
In Sitio Nilasin, however, other needs were pressing. Water for drinking and daily use was fetched from a mountain spring a long distance away. In addition, Alternative Learning System (ALS) classes were conducted in an open bamboo structure with banana leaves for roofing. Hence, DepEd ALS Teacher Jean Buted asked Dr. Ramirez if she could provide galvanized iron sheets that could serve as their roof. Dr. Ramirez, however, wanted a safer and more permanent structure where children can browse books, practice writing, play educational games, and attend ALS modular classes – some kind of a study center.
“We knew that building a study center and a water storage system [for Sitio Nilasin] could change their community life so that they may be ‘included’ in the development rather than ‘separated,’” commented Dr. Ramirez. In the Ilocano dialect, “nilasin” means “separated site.”
Dr. Ramirez’s niece Erin Esposo Araneta lent a hand. A BS Chemistry student in the US with a deep social conscience, she made and sold accessories and obtained financial support for the Aeta projects from ACS Chemistry for Life, Orange County American Chemical Society. Through her, funds for the water storage system were also secured from the Small Change, Better World Program of the University of California, Irvine Blum Center. Thanks to YouTube, Dr. Ramirez found the most appropriate water system for a community in the mountains: sealed drums laid side by side. A 500m-½ inch hose attached directly to the mountain spring brought water down to the drums located close to the houses.
On October 29, 2021, the construction of a brand new study center with GI sheet roof, sturdy walls, and concrete flooring was completed. Dr. Ramirez’s high school classmate and good friend, Maria Fe McDermott-Cotton, donated 10 monoblock tables and 28 chairs. Erin sent microscope replicas, anatomy and chemistry posters, experiment kits, beakers, math boards, and other science materials. Vyera, Dr. Ramirez’s daughter who worked as a nurse in Bedford, UK, made hygiene videos on proper washing of hands, brushing of teeth, safety protocols for COVID, and other topics. Friends, like Cathy Zamora and Medoy Calma, donated books for all ages, learning materials, blackboard, bulletin board, crayons and other educational items. One of the Aetas, Marie Gracela, was appointed to be the custodian. She was provided with a smartphone so that Dr. Ramirez can communicate and coordinate the activities held in the study center. The phone is also used as emergency phone by the residents.
Marie Gracela wrote on a personal communication to Dr. Ramirez, “Ang mga patubig sa drum na itinayo ninyo para sa aming Katutubong Aeta ay may malaking pakinabang sa amin dahil dati sa bukal ng bundok at sapa kami nag-iigib ng pangluto, panligo at lahat ng tubig na kailangan. Pati po ang mga dumadaan sa amin paakyat ng bundok ay nakikiinom at naghuhugas ng putikang paa… Sana po hindi kayo magbago sa mga Katutubong Aeta. Sa inyo po ang panalangin at palagiang pasasalamat namin.”
It was an outstanding accomplishment to bring water from the mountain to Sitio Nilasin. However, there was a need to also be concerned with the Aetas in the lowlands who still depended on the river for their water needs, including drinking water. Though the local government installed a water system, the Aetas cannot afford to pay the monthly water bill. Hence, Dr. Ramirez drafted a proposal for jetmatic installations in Bagong Silang, Mambugan, Amianan, Mawao, and San Isidro. After a year, donations were enough to start the project.
The Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan DC sponsored the installation of 20 jetmatic hand pumps, indicating their goal of providing “financial support or contributions to various legitimate and effective agencies or organizations, including hospitals or clinics that are engaged in charitable aid for the health and welfare of the poor or needy, and similar establishments in the Philippines” (PNAMDC 2021).
Recently, the Clean and Continuous Water Supply for Aeta Indigenous People (IP) project proposal of Dr. Ramirez was selected by the Netherlands-based design and engineering consulting company Arcadis for support under its Local Sparks program, which aims to improve the quality of life in communities all around the globe. Through the help of Engr. Donna M. of Arcadis, Philippines, 23 jetmatic hand pumps were installed for the benefit of Aeta families.
Over 300 Aeta families now benefit from the 43 jetmatic hand pumps installed. The Aetas were overjoyed. One of them, Junior Lacson, in an interview said, “Nagpapasalamat po kami sa mga sponsor ng jetmatic. Sana po ay hindi kayo magsawang tumulong sa mga nangangailangan. Lahat ng tao, ang pangangailangan ay tubig. Nakikiigib lang po kami sa may mga bumbahan o sa sapa kaya nagpapasalamat po kami na may bumbahan na po kami. Doon na po kami naliligo, naglalaba at lahat na po. Noon po, kinakarga ang mga container at pinupuno ng tubig sa ilog.”
Phase 2: Capability Building
Most Aetas are unschooled while a number do not go beyond lower grades. They end up having a family at a young age and then struggle through life with no education or skill to earn a living for their family. Hence, Dr. Ramirez and her family conducted capability-building training for them. The teachers are local residents who understand the Aeta culture, attitude, and beliefs. They share the same development goals as the Ramirez family, their donors, and the beneficiaries themselves.
“We conducted a series of carpentry training for young fathers, cookery for enterprising mothers, and hair and nails care for ladies,” narrated Dr. Ramirez. “Fortunately, we have friends who supported the construction of two training centers: the Livelihood Workshop in Bagong Silang (thanks to the Zamora family) and the Tony Esposo Training Center in San Pablo (thanks to Tuan Anh Hoang). Other donors support the training materials per run. Soon we hope to see our trained carpenters being hired for carpentry work. The more they work, the better their skills will develop, and this means income for their family.” The two training centers are venue to various skills development and learning for the Aetas: cookery, sewing, literacy, health, carpentry, motorbike maintenance, and module coaching. During the training, they receive free meals, transportation allowance, and a tool kit. After the training, they can use the carpentry tools and sewing machines for work. This way, they can support their families better.
In addition, name-writing sessions were conducted with adult women after it was discovered that the Aetas use thumbprint to sign papers because they could not write their own name. As for the Aeta farmers who till lands for rent but do not have a carabao of their own, Dr. Ramirez was able to get a carabao through the kindness of donors. A contract specifying the carabao ‘care and borrowing rules’ was drafted.
Whenever it applies, a Memorandum of Agreement is forged with the host (for instance, the owner of the land where the study center was built), the barangay, and the chieftains. Documentation was submitted to the Barangay and UA&P, and technical and/financial reports were submitted to donors. In all the projects of KABAGIS, it was made clear to the Aetas that they are co-owners of the structures and the training they receive from the Esposo-Ramirez family should be used for the good of their families. They participate by providing the needed bamboos and doing some voluntary labor. In addition, they have to look after the structures. They do not only protect but also manage their operation. During the installation of the jetmatic hand pumps, for example, each host provided a volunteer to assist in and learn about pump installation.
For the first time, a Catholic Mass was celebrated for the Aetas in the mountains at the Sitio Nilasin Study Center on March 8, 2021. They also witnessed the blessing of the water storage system. Another first Catholic Mass was celebrated in Sitio Bagong Silang on October 23. It was attended by several Aeta families. On November 6, six children and two adults were baptized at San Nicolas Parish Church. Soon, the couple Jaco and Susana Romualdo will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Marriage.
The KABAGIS Aeta projects have been featured in radio shows and websites. Dr. Ramirez and her family hope that these exposures will serve to ignite many other people’s concern for the minority, who are often neglected, and the poorest sectors of Philippine society.
“Integral human development enables people to live a meaningful and productive life. The recognition of the dignity of each and every person is both the means and the end of this process,” concluded Dr. Ramirez.#
Photos courtesy of Dr. Veronica Ramirez. Banner photo shows the graduates of the sewing class.
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