By Mary Bernadette J. Albaña, CDO III

It is but two-kilometers as the crow flies from Dumarao town proper to Sitio Tag-ao, Brgy. Tamulalod. But for a man on foot, it would be a challenging two-hour trek picking your way through rocky hills, stepping over the gnarled roots of gigantic old trees, and wedging in between wild shrubs and skinny bamboo trees.

Years ago, there were about 190 Aeta households here. But the absence of a road or even just a convenient access has made life difficult. It was a chore to bring products down for selling at the town proper, quite arduous to bring patients to the rural health station in times of life and death situation, and even more strenuous to carry the dead during rituals. On rainy days, the muddy, slippery trail becomes nearly impassable.

If only because of this, most of Sitio Tag-ao’s original population have had enough. Many left, choosing to find work and live in the town proper. Now the community populace is down to only 35 households.

But change is coming. Thanks to Kalahi CIDSS.

In January 2016 during the municipal-wide consultation meeting, the Tag-aonons received the amount of Php 1.5 million as a block grant from out of the P13, 000,000 municipal budget intended for any developmental projects identified by the IP members themselves. Twenty-three (23) out of thirty-two (32) barangays approved the proposal, not only to respond to the IP needs but also provide an avenue for these Tag-aonons to participate in the local planning and decision-making processes.

“Pasalamat kami sa isa ka bisaya halin sa Brgy. Astorya nga natandog kag nabatyagan niya ang amon sentiment kag kabudlayan sa pagpatin-ad sang amon komunidad didto sa Tag-ao. First time namon ini nga maka-agum sang amo ni nga oportunidad. Salamat sa inyo suporta. (We are thankful to a non-IP volunteer from Brgy. Astorga who was touched by our sentiments, hardships in developing our own community in Tag-ao. This is the first time for us to avail of such an opportunity. Thank you for the support),” said Ronie Valencia, a member of the Sitio Tag-ao Council of Elders during their participatory community planning for their project.

“First time namon naagyan magdrawing kami sang amon gusto nga matabo para sa amon komunidad. Pasalamat gid kami kay madamo gid kami natun-an paagi sa inyo pag giya. Excited na kami sa amon nga proyekto (It’s our first time to draw what we want for our community. We are grateful for the learnings and guidance. We are excited about our own project),” he also said.

Following the prioritization of community sub-projects in February 2016, series of separate community consultations with the Tag-aonons were conducted purposely to finalize their sub-projects; prepare for their documents for fund downloads, and start organizing themselves into different committees in preparation for the actual implementation. While waiting for the money to arrive, the IP community volunteers passed through a series of training to teach them how to manage their finances and how to properly acquire goods and materials.

SUPPORT FROM OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

Various stakeholders from the local government units and national government agencies also gave their support to make the dream of every Tag-aonon come true. The Barangay Council of Tamulalod provided a counterpart contribution worth Php30,000.00 thru hand tools and personal protected equipment (PPE) for the laborers. On the other hand, pre-engineering works and project supervision by an engineer has been committed from the Municipal Engineering Office.

Last September 27, 2016, 2,000 seedlings were replanted within the ancestral domain of Tag-ao as a recovery plan for those trees that will be cut down for the construction of the pathway. The memorable activity was graced by national government agencies particularly from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Philippine National Police (PNP), the DSWD staff, the BLGU and IP community themselves.

“Pareho sang iban nga indi IP, kami nagapati nga mahimo namon ini paagi sa opportunidad nga ginhatag sa amon paagi sa proyekto kag proseso (Just like others, I believe that we can make a difference, as an IP community, with the opportunity given to us through this project and the empowering process),” Valencia said.