A new hope for Aeta children

MANILA, Philippines - The native tribes of Zambales who were affected by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and the resultant flashfloods resettled in mountains of Iba, Zambales. Approximately 2,000 Aetas and their families found themselves in Brgy. Olpoy, Sitio Amungan . The other Aeta tribal groups resettled in other barangays in the uplands of Zambales. These groups are considered as very depressed Philippine communities where basic educational and health services and facilities such as electricity and water are non-existent.

Centro Specialists, owners of Bakasyunan Resort, saw the living conditions of the Aetas and immediately responded to the situation by hiring some of this community’s folks to do work in the resort and their farmlands nearby. They learned how this barangay was in dire need of educational and health facilities and teachers for the growing number of illiterate Aeta kids every year.

Officials of Centro, Bakasyunan and Laling Ordoñez of Soroptimist International of Makati, brainstormed on how to help the Aeta kids. They all agreed that it was such a hassle to walk so many miles to reach their nipa hut classroom just to learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. They all agreed that constructing a school building in a strategic site (central to all the Aeta barangays ) would be a good project.

 Meetings were initiated with the DEPED and the DENR. Barangay Olpoy was found to be the strategic site. Through their efforts, 8,000 sqm. of land was awarded by the DENR to the DEPED for the school building. A memorandum of agreement was signed in May 2010. Construction, which started in June 2010, amounted to P1.5 million.

On Sept. 1, 2010, the Aetas inaugurated their very own two-classroom concrete school building that can house 80 students, with a teacher trained in alternative learning assigned by the DEPED — a far cry from the nipa hut classroom situation. The Doña Luisa Obieta Elementary School was named after the matriarch of the family that has a majority stake in Centro Specialists and Bakasyunan Resort.

The donors of this laudable CSR project continue to care for the Aeta tribal groups. They also built a man-made well to gather water from natural springs to enable the Aeta’s in Brgy. Olpoy to have continuous water for their daily needs. Bakasyunan provides snacks for the students, slippers, T-shirts, raincoats, school bags. Future plans include a day-care center to enable Aeta mothers to leave their babies with the nurse at the center to be able to work to generate income for their families.