Christmas with the Aetas

We have a special Christmas party. We have to trek for 45 minutes on a rugged uphill climb to reach the new resettlement area for the Aetas that were displaced twice from their orginal dwellings. The first was during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption and the second one was when their site was again demolished to give way to a new superhighway. This is where our taxes go. A multi-million dollar superhighway being built to connect Subic with Clark
We were one of the few people allowed to pass through the new superhighway under construction. I'll never forget this moment, I just have to get out of the bus and take some pictures. The road cuts through hills and mountains.


End of the road. We have to hike from this point onwards.

It was worth the climb, the view from the top was fantastic. The aetas gave us a warm welcome. Inspite of their hardships, people are smiling everywhere.


I met a pregnant mother and her daughter on the way up to their resettlement area. I could just imagine how she would give birth in this place. The nearest hospital is hundreds of kilometers away.

I feel ashame each time I complain about how slow the internet connection is, here the Aetas have no electricity.
I feel ashame each time I have left-over food on my plate, the Aetas have to share their food on common plates.
I feel ashame each time I complain about traffic while I'm driving, the Aeta children have to walk 45 minutes to go down from their village to go to the nearest school and another 45 minutes to go back to their houses.
I feel ashame that I complain about my old pair of shoes, the Aeta children walk barefoot. But most of all I feel ashame of other people who do nothing but criticize and yet does not lift a finger to help others who are in need.


There's a price to pay for progress. Unluckily, this Aeta children are one of them. They have to move deeper into the forest since their former place were now bulldozed to pave the way for the new superhighway. The good news is that they were properly resettled with the help of the government and NGO's.