First Aeta graduate from UP Norman King: ‘Aral muna bago kasal!’

Last week, Norman King walked the stage with pride wearing a lubay (bahag).

King, who majored in Behavior Science, is the first Aeta to graduate from the University of the Philippines.

He happily reported that he did not experience discrimination during his college years in UP, explaining, "Na-appreciate nila 'yong presence ko d'on sa UP."

King is the eldest of seven and he shared in an interview with GMA News' Unang Balita Thursday that "Unfortunately, 'yong sumunod po sa akin na tatlong lalaki is may mga asawa na; may pamangkin na rin po ako sa sumunod sa akin."

This led King to urge his fellow Aetas to shift their focus from marriage to education.

"Nasa kultura natin 'yong medyo maaga mag-asawa pero, huwag muna nating unahin ang mga bagay na 'yan kasi darating at darating din 'yan," he shared when asked for a message for his fellow Aetas.

He added, "Unahin natin 'yong edukasyon kasi, malaking bagay 'yon. Ito 'yong magdadala sa atin sa lugar na mas maraming opportunity."

His younger sisters are still in school and he hopes to be an inspiration to them.

King is also hoping to use his degree to benefit the entire Aeta community in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

"Babalik po muna ako sa community ... Kasi may mga issues din kami na kinakaharap from time to time and gusto ko munang i-update ang sarili ko kung ano na ba 'yong progress n'ong mga ngayon," he said, "Especially we have the issue of 'yong claim namin sa ancestral domain namin, 'di pa namin nakukuha."

King shared that he might look into writing a book about the Aeta culture, as literature about them is scarce. — Aya Tantiangco/RSJ/KVD, GMA News