MOVING WHERE? The Story of Ati people in Sto. Domingo, Albay
Few minutes’ drive from Legazpi City the place where development can be seen everywhere and investors view it as the new economic hub, but the government’s priority to preserve the historic traditions and culture amidst the development is a struggle wherein, every place and people needs to be in constant change just to say that they are in trend.
But, in this time of “changes”, there are still some people that are not changing – (The aeta’s of sto. Domingo). After years of having no permanent address struggling everywhere with the sea of strangers, the aeta’s found their new home in the town of Sto. Domingo, near the famous Mt. Mayon.
Year 2005 were the aetas built their new home in a San Isidro, Sto. Domingo, Albay. They were originally from the Ati tribe in Iloilo, they survived their everyday life making ethnic designed bracelets that they would sell in different place in Albay and Virac. I have met one of the members of the tribe, the wife of the tribe’s chieftain William Baron, a mother of 6 children. As we were having a conversation, she told me her story.
There hardships in their everyday living. The discrimination they have to face every day, hunger and being treated as illiterate and a low class in the society. Until the year that they have somehow felt the government's presence, they have become a member of the 4p’s or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program were they are given medical and education assistance. Halfway through their community we stumbled over the topic of the attention of the government that they are receiving. At that moment, I have felt how that hard it is to be one of them. She told me that over the years, different NGO’s and government agencies are promising them of a project that would improve their way of living but only few were implemented.
On the positive side, she said that another project was offered to them by the local government unit of Sto. Domingo. They offered to transfer in a new relocation site where concrete houses were built for them just to keep them safe during calamities but the chieftains primary concern are the transportation, in case there were on emergency, water which is one of the basic needs of human and electricity concerns.
Now that we are experiencing the “changes” that can bring us into higher state of living, maybe we can share a little development to the Aetas. They were the one who experienced the hardships on preserving our culture and radiation.
