TUGUEGARAO, Cagayan – Majority of Northern Luzon indigenous Aeta are casting aside their nomadic way of life, albeit slowly, adapting to Filipino mainstream life, yet their deep feeling pine for the old way of living, which, unfortunately continues to recede into the past.
Like other Philippine indigenous people who previously lived in relatively isolated and self-sufficient communities, the Aeta, whose lives are different from mainstream society, have to contend with “change that comes with progress” but which is often perplexing.
If progress fails to take into account welfare of indigenous people that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, and on which they depend and are inextricably linked to their identities, cultures, livelihoods as well as their physical and spiritual well-being, then progress tend to suit only the vested interest of a few, explains World Bank.
In his 38 pages’ dissertation titled “The Philippine Indigenous People’s Struggle for Land and Life: Challenging Legal Texts,” Baguio City councilor Jose M. Molintas, known simply as “JoeMol,” explains the Agta/Aeta/Negrito, long considered earliest Philippine inhabitants, “have been perpetually pushed into the Central Luzon hinterlands, like provinces of Zambales, Bataan and Pampanga and other parts of the country.”
Sadly, Molintas observes, the Aeta suffer from racial discrimination, even when they are widely distributed.
Molintas explains a primary struggle of indigenous people –like the Aeta – is on land ownership. Depriving these people of their ancestral lands means complete loss of their identity as distinct people.
Molintas encapsulates a general consensus of the distinct characteristics of indigenous people include, but not limited to: conservation (to some extent) of their vernacular languages; traditional socio-economic institutions; cultural and religious practices; self-identification as distinct societies; subsistence-oriented economies, and; special relationship with their ancestral lands.
What essentially distinguishes indigenous people from the rest of the population, Molintas describes, “is their concept of land as granted by one Creator for everyone to harness, cultivate, sustain and live on.” They call their supreme god “Gutugutumakan.”
Land is a central issue to indigenous people for it defines their very existence. Without it, Molintas stresses, “The remaining links with their ancestral past are being destroyed forever,” forcefully bringing around questions like, “What is progress?” “Who defines progress?” And, “Who really benefits from so-called development projects?”
It also brings to mind the stand of indigenous leaders that have gone, of their practical wisdom and the slow, dignified ways they speak reminds of much-revered chieftains, long dead but well-remembered for the ways they led their people against development projects.
These chieftains were not against development or progress. Definitely, no. Only, today’s definition of progress can well vary from their concept of progress. It’s not up to technocrats to ram into indigenous throats their concept of progress but rather, take indigenous concept of progress and incorporate it into the technocrat progress concept.
With remaining forests supporting Aeta nomadic lifestyle and sustenance shrinking, the result for them is dire poverty. Those who continue to roam the remaining forests like provinces of Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, come up empty most of the time, and hunger becomes a daily companion, according to studies.
In an exclusive interview last May 5 with Dr. Andrew Martin, long a physician with the Department of Health- Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR), resident of Luna, Apayao and keen observer on culture and tradition of the people of Apayao, Martin fully describes the leaps and bounds being hurdled by the Aeta, commonly known in Apayao as “Agta,” in their transformation from nomadic life to mainstream society.
Giving a classic example, Martin relates events in Barangay Calucay, administrative barangay of Luna bounded by Luna and Cagayan. “If it happens there’s ayuda in Calucay, so it happens there’s Agta presence, in a manner similar to the presence of other indigenous groups. They have learned to assimilate.”
There are large distributions of Agta communities in Conner, Luna, San Marcelino, Pudtol and Flora, Martin reveals. In barangay Balasi, in Flora, the Agta has its own health station and school. Only, it’s present barangay captain is an Ilocano. In barangay Turod, it also operates a health station and school.
Before, the Agta preferred walking to and from their destinations; now, they take a ride. And like everybody else, Apayao Agta are enamored of cell phones; they even have generators to charge their CPs. And they love watching TV.
Martin stresses Agta children are obligated by the government to attend school, one of the prerequisites for their families to be granted Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino (4P) status.
Apayao Agta have developed entrepreneurial skills with help from the government and non-government organizations, like farming, basket-weaving, inland fishing and charcoal-making and have honed the knack of socially interacting, if even humorously.
Take the case of charcoal-making banned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Martin goes on to relate of a classic reply of an Agta caught red-handed doing charcoal-making. “Nu tiliwen yu dakami, kasla yu metten pinatay ti pamilyak.”
Martin tells DENR-CAR personnel are not inclined detaining an Agta charcoal-maker, issuing only stern warning, but DENR-CAR continues to exhort the Agta to drop charcoal-making activity and instead concentrate on other economic endeavors.
“The Economic Life of the Aetas in Northern Luzon,” conducted by Darin Jan C. Tindowen, of the University of Saint Louis, Tuguegarao, Cagayan, maps the socio-economic activities the Aeta in Northern Luzon have adapted, aside from foraging.
In order for most to survive, Tindowen finds the Aeta have learned to gather the much-prized wild orchids and ornamentals, honey and tree resin and sell these at the public market. At the vicinity of Callao Cave, a famous tourist attraction in Cagayan, for example, can be seen Aeta engaging in business entrepreneurship by selling such in-demand goods derived from the wilds.
Aeta families now pursue domestic livestock and poultry production, where before they hunted for game. Most Aeta women have learned to tend to chickens, pigs and ducks and the proceeds used for personal and family expenses.
Where they were used to slash and burn cultivation, Aeta of today have settled for permanent farming and agriculture. After finishing work in their own fields, Aeta men would hire out as paid farm helpers, usually contracted by farmers operating large farm holdings.
One dominant transformation of the Aeta is social interaction. As a result, they have upgraded their talking skills to hire out as daily wage earners, whether on farms or as house help.
Contributing to the efforts of Aeta husbands, Tindowen traces Aeta wives and other women have mastered the skill of broom-making and comes handy in raising money to sustain the everyday needs.
Many Aeta are enrolled in the 4Ps. However, Tindowen discovers not all families are recipients.; he wonders why, given the fact that all Aeta families fall under the poor category. In interviews, he finds out only families with a minimum of three children are beneficiaries of the program and receiving exactly 1,400 pesos a month.
Contrary to results of some research that Aeta isolate themselves, Tindowen shows otherwise, pointing to Northern Luzon Aeta already presenting to the public their cultural dance, the “Talip,” usually during official events like cultural activities. Money given for their participation is divided among families of the Aeta dancers.
Tour guiding has come a long way to help Aeta families with Aeta boys working as tour guides. At Callao Cave and other tourist destinations in Cagayan, can be easily spotted kids animatedly showing around tourists. Some of the boys tell Tindowen the money earned is used for their school expenses.
Northern Philippine Aeta are considered fortunate when it comes to extension and outreach. Higher education institutions and non-government organizations extend literacy, information, feeding, food and Catechetical formation programs.
Another study, “The Economic Life of the Negritoes of Luna, Apayao,” conducted by Ronald O. Ocampo and Rema Ocampo of Apayao State College determines the coping strategies of present-day Agta in the highland province and neighboring areas and, surprisingly, comes out with almost similar findings of Dr. Martin and findings in Cagayan.
Of over 100 Aetas interviewed by the study, farming, weaving, paid labor, livestock production and seasonal work play out as major economic activities of Aetas in Apayao, aside from foraging.
Interestingly all the studies and that of Dr. Martin tell that while the Aeta have come a long way surviving with the pace in time and able to cope with rapid technological advances, they remain at heart, nomadic. In fact, hunting and fishing are still family enterprises. It is a season for them to move to places to hunt and fish and satisfy their desire for wayfaring.
Months of April and June are usually times when Aeta men go to “commune” with the mountains again, a distinct characteristic deeply embedded in their psyche or in their heredity that evolved through thousands of years and is difficult to erase.
It’s during these times they gather wild orchids, honey, resin and other wild goods which they bring back to their communities to be sold by their spouses. Often, the studies reveal the wives and even their children pine to go with their husbands back to the wilds but are constrained by taking care of established abodes, farm plots and their children going to school.
One item found common among non-Aeta families but has eventually found its way in Aeta abodes is the radio, becoming part of their daily existence, a material possession for leisure activities which they listen for songs, drama and literary pieces. Accordingly, it is also through the radio where they learn, too.
Days of being free-spirited or being gypsy are closing fast for the Aeta, as they open another door to a chapter of their lives by integrating with the population-at-large.
