Aetas of Roxas City

We often see them roaming the streets of Roxas City, Capiz  trying to stop every person to ask for alms. They wore old, tattered and out of style clothes. Others wore slippers but most of them especially the children are barefoot. They are not beggars or orphans. They are our Aeta brothers.

 Aeta or Ati in our dialect are indigenous people found in the Philippines. They have black and curly hair, snub nose, short in stature and dark skinned. They are uncivilized, had no permanent home and they never remained long in one place. They are always wandering around. When they happen to stay in a particular place, they are often seen camping in the streets or under the bridge. 

Atis are illiterate for they never had education. They had many children which are mostly malnourished for of their environment and lifestyle. 

Aetas hunts wild animals for their consumption and sometimes they would sell it to people in town. Others sell herbs and wild plants which they get from the mountain but others depend on the alms of people.

We give them alms not because we pitied them but because we want them to go away and to stop bugging us. We look at them with curiosity but we never take time to talk to them. We avoided them not because they have contagious disease but because of their physical appearance. We treat them not as our brothers and sisters but like they are some kind of wild and untamed animals.

Now, who do you think has better understanding? The Aetas who continue to preserve their culture and and their way of life because they lack knowledge and proper training to change their lifestyle or us who are educated and has all the knowledge but continue to avoid our social responsibility.  

 

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