STAR’s Operation Damayan brings Christmas cheer to Aetas

SAN MARCELINO, ZAMBALES – He’s been waiting since last week. And he knows The Philippine STAR will come.

For the third straight year, Aeta leader Rey Antonio of Sitio Itangliw, one of the mountain villagers here, has been looking forward to seeing volunteers of The STAR’s Operation Damayan who, in the past three Christmas, have brought his people cheer.

Last Saturday, his wait ended when the volunteers finally came, bringing with them rice, bread and bags of groceries for the villagers.

"Mabuti naman po nadalaw kayo uli. Matagal na po namin kayong hinihintay (It’s good you visited us again. We’ve long been waiting for you)," Antonio said.

Antonio’s people used to live at the foot of Mt. Pinatubo in this province but the volcano’s eruption in 1991 drove them to Itangliw. Barely surviving on root crops and banana, many of them have opted to go to the lowlands and beg for food.

"Nandito pa rin po kami kahit mahirap (We’re still here despite the difficulties)," Antonio said. "Marami na po sa amin ang namalimos na lang. Hindi na po nila makaya ang hirap dito (Many of our tribesmen have gone begging. They can no longer stand the hardships here)."

The Aetas, comprising about 150 families, now live side by side Ilocanos and Kapampangans who were also displaced by Pinatubo’s eruption. Together, they bear the hardships of living in Itangliw, a village with no electricity or potable water.

Many of the villagers have died since moving to Itangliw nine years ago. Antonio said they are in dire need of medicines, especially those that cure malaria. "Malayo po rito ang ospital. Kaya marami po namamatay na lang sa daan (The hospital is far from here. Thus many die along the way)," he said.

The hard life in Itangliw stems from its remoteness. To reach the place, The STAR’s Damayan volunteers got the support of people from the Wheels Monthly supplement who in turn solicited the help of car manufacturers for vehicles to be used in reaching out to the Aetas.

Without any hesitation, the car manufacturers, namely (in alphabetical order) Columbian Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., Isuzu Philippines Corp., Mitsubishi Motors Phils. Corp., Universal Motors Corp., and Toyota Motors Corp. lent their sturdy pickups and vans that weathered the strenuous climb to Itangliw.

A number of the car manufacturers even sent their own gifts for the Aetas. Universal Motors, for example, sent dozens of coloring books which the volunteers gave to Aeta children.

Nature’s beauty

The volunteers, numbering about 27, left Manila before dawn last Saturday. They arrived in San Marcelino after three hours and began the long climb to Itangliw.

They brought with them bags of rice donated by ink supplier Frank Pe of WICO, groceries bought from the money of STAR employees, and used clothes and toys as well as new basketballs given by various donors.

Most of the volunteers have already participated in past outreach programs of Damayan. However, several were first timers.

Brian Afuang and Andy Leuterio, both writers of Wheels and The STAR’s Motoring section, said the trip afforded them the chance to reach out to their less fortunate countrymen.

"This has more meaning than most of our out-of-town motoring trips," Afuang said.

Amanda Sandoval, a volunteer from philstar.com, The STAR’s Internet portal, shared the same view. "This gives me the opportunity to help in my own little way," she said.

Upon their arrival at the village, the volunteers served champorado to the Aeta children. They then held parlor games for both children and adults before distributing the gifts they brought with them.

And everyone was ecstatic, especially at the sight of the tribesmen flashing their genuine smiles upon receipts of their gifts.

"They are so pure," said one volunteer. "City life has not corrupted them yet."

The volunteers’ reward came at lunch time. They drove up to the top of the mountain to a view deck built by one local congressman. Up there, they saw the so-called laharlandia, a magnificent scene left behind by nature’s wrath.

Truly, even in her fury nature carries so much beauty.