Tags: Inspirational Stories, NGOs and foundations
By Marjorie Gorospe
BOTOLAN, ZAMBALES– Carlito “Carling” Domulot always wears his bahag with pride and dignity.
The 55-year-old Aeta native always elicits attention because of his costume. People often have a good impression of him because as an educated Aeta, he understands modernization yet he remains rooted to his tribe.
“Some people think that we are just here for dance presentations because we wear bahag, but what they do not know is that this costume symbolizes our love for our identity as a tribe. Forbidding us from doing so is like killing us.”
Carling adds that even if he belongs to an indigenous tribe, he has traveled to many places in the country and even abroad often wearing his bahag. He also was able to meet with officials and foreign leaders eliciting respect.
Carling says many things have changed from the way the Aetas live due to modernization. He adds that most Aetas, especially those from Botolan, still keep the traditions they grew up with.
“Everything was good before the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, but after that, our tribe has always struggled to survive,” he says.
One good thing that modernization brought to the Aetas is the availability of formal and alternative education.
In 1982, the Franciscan Missionary of Mary Sisters went to the Aeta sanctuary and taught them how to write. Since then, those who have already learned were able to also teach their fellow Aetas.
“We had to educate our fellow Aetas especially those who are involved in trading so that those middlemen would stop taking advantage of our illiteracy,” Carling says, noting that discrimination among indigenous tribes is still present.
Carling narrates that one of his children was about to enter law school but was initially denied because he is an Aeta.
Carling sought the help of his fellow Aetas through the “Lubos na Alyansa ng Katutong Aeta sa Zambales” to fight for their legal rights to have access to formal education.
“We told them that we are all Filipinos and we share equal rights that other Filipinos have. Thankfully, my child is about to graduate law this year,” he proudly says.
He adds that his other child finished a degree in computer science. Carling says that if attaining education would gain them respect, then they’ll do everything to be educated equally.
Until now, Carling and other Aetas continue to conduct an alternative education system to older members of the tribe and to those younger generations who had to stop going to school due to lack of money.
He also notes that part of the education system is to continually remind fellow tribesmen to look back into their roots and preserve their culture and ancestral domain.
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