'Ayta'
(Aeta)

Episode on November 29, 2004 The Aetas were the aborigines of the Philippines, who were largely displaced when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991. More than a decade after, they still remain struggling in search of lands that they may permanently call their own. In June 1991, what became known to be the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century occurred in the Philippines. The eruption of Luzon’s Mt. Pinatubo displaced the Aetas, an indigenous tribe known to have lived in the area for thousands of years. Some of them relate that during that fateful day, the Aetas rushed up the mountain to hide in caves, instead of going down to the lowlands to find safety. For more than 20 years, Dr. Rufino Tima, a social anthropologist and father of reporter Raffy Tima, has worked to establish the Aetas’ resettlement area in Zambales. In 1975, Dr. Tima even brought his whole family along to live at Sitio Kakilingan while he worked with the Aetas. The natives were almost ready to lead the community on their own when the 1991 tragedy struck. The community that took more than two decades to build was buried beneath the ashes. The Aetas were largely displaced after the eruption. Several were crammed in different evacuation centers and later on scattered in separate resettlement areas. Thirteen years after the tragedy, Raffy Tima finds out that the Aetas are still yet to find permanent settlement. Extremely rough roads lead to the Dueg resettlement site in San Clemente, Tarlac. Because the site lacks the basic facilities for secure living and access to decent jobs, many of those who were settled there chose to return to their lands near Pinatubo. As such, Raffy sees Dueg as a sort of ghost town — the housing units and units meant to be government offices were abandoned. Asked why they chose to return to their ancestral lands in the mountains, an Aeta says, "Maganda meron kang ituturo sa mga anak mo, meron kang ituturo na anak, huwag mong iwanan ito dahil lupa natin ito (It is good to have something to show your children…when you may tell them never to leave this place because this is our land)." Another resettlement area, Camias in Pampanga, was in a way, successfully established. One hundred fifty families have settled there since 1992. However, the land it occupies turned out to be privately-owned. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the owner so the Aetas have to be evicted from the area. A few days before the scheduled demolition, they still did not have a new area to transfer their homes to. In many ways, the Aetas Raffy met have preserved their tribe’s culture and traditions. They still practice the barter trade and multiple marriages. Their elders have lost track of their ages because they do not celebrate birthdays. Their jungle survival skills, which were acknowledged and employed even by American soldiers during World War II, have remained intact. Sadly though, many of them never had access to formal education. In the small schools some government and non-government organizations run, one may find old men and women still learning how to read and write. Until proper attention is given to the Aetas, who are also known to be one of the earliest settlers in our country, they will be denied the security that they have long been seeking for and rightfully deserve.