They taught me of their language , its more fun with them, specially with the children
THE MANGYANS ARE SAID TO BE THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF MINDORO ISLAND
THE MANGYANS ARE COMPOSED OF SEVEN TRIBES WHOSE CURRENT POPULATION IS ESTIMATED AT 120,000 ONLY
DATI-RATING NAKATIRA SA KAPATAGAN NG ISLA NGUNIT SINASABING NAITABOY SA KAGUBATAN NG MGA DAYUHANG TAGALOG.
IT IS SAID THAT THEY WERE DRIVEN INTO THE FORESTED MOUNTAINS BY THE TAGALOG MIGRANTS.
LET’S FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEIR STORY…
TO REACH THE MANGYAN COMMUNITY IN OUR RENTED VEHICLE, WE HAD TO GO THROUGH ROCKY AND MUDDY ROADS.
AT THE END OF THE ROAD …WE NEEDED TO START TREKKING.
ITO NA YUNG START NG ADVENTURE, PUPUNTAHAN NATIN YUNG ISANG TRIBO, YUNG TRIBO TAU BUID , MAGLALAKAD TAYO NG ISANG ORAS…
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF OUR ADVENTURE. WE ARE VISITING ONE OF THE TRIBES, THE TAU BUID TRIBE. IT’S AN HOUR-LONG TREK.
IT’S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO WALK. LOOK WE’RE ABOUT TO CROSS THIS BROOK
INSERT VIDEO TRANSITION IMPORTANT SOUND NATURAL SOUND: PLS ONLY
IT’S SLIPPERY WHEN YOU’RE WEARING FLIP FLOPS. YOU SHOULD GO BAREFOOT BECAUSE IT’S VERY ROCKY.
SPIEL: : LOFFREY
THEY WALK SO FAST, BUT I’M NOT USED TO WALKING REGULARLY. EVEN WHILE CARRYING HEAVY STUFF THEY STILL WALK VERY FAST
TO SHIFT MY ATTENTION AWAY FROM EXHAUSTION… I ENGAGED MY LOCAL GUIDES IN SMALL TALKS.
CONVERSATIONAL SHOT: LOFFREY WITH MANGYAN
HOW DO YOU SAY “GOOD DAY” IN YOUR LANGUAGE?
HOW DO YOU SAY “GOOD EVENING?”
WHAT ABOUT “GOOD AFTERNOON?”
WHILE WALKING THEY WERE TEACHING ME HOW TO SAY…
WE WERE BREATHING LIKE HORSES
IT SEEMED LIKE AN ENDLESS TREK
WE WEREN’T EXPECTING IT TO BE THIS HARD
OUR ONLY TRAINING WAS GOING UP AND DOWN THE MMDA OVERPASS
I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK WE WERE LOST
THE ONLY TIME I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK IS EVERYTIME WE COME ACROSS ANOTHER NATIVE COMING DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN
LOFFREY’S INTERACTION:
GOOD DAY FRIEND. WE ARE GOING TO VISIT YOUR PLACE…WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHAT IS THAT YOU’RE HOLDING?
SNAIL
SNAIL? IS THAT YOUR SOURCE OF INCOME THERE? ARE YOU GONNA SELL THOSE?
WE HAVE TO START WALKING AGAIN. HE SAID OUR DESTINATION IS TWO MORE SHOUTS AWAY
THIS IS BECAUSE THEY USE SHOUTS TO MEASURE DISTANCES IN THE MOUNTAINS.
AFTER A FEW MINUTES A HOUSE CAME INTO VIEW
I THOUGHT WE HAVE ARRIVED…I WAS WRONG.
WHAT IS THIS MANONG (TITLE FOR OLDER BROTHER)?
IS THIS A LIST OF THOSE WHO ENTER HERE? ARE YOU THE GUARDIAN HERE? WE HAD TO STOP HERE TO REGISTER BECAUSE SO THEY CAN MONITOR THE PEOPLE THAT VISIT THE PLACE… THANK YOU….
AFTER A SHORT BREAK, THE GROUP CHARGES ONWARD.
THIS TIME I KNOW FOR SURE THAT WE WERE GETTING CLOSER BECAUSE WE KEEP COMING ACROSS LOCALS FROM THE TAU BUID TRIBE WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY
WE ARE NEARING THEIR TRIBE…YOU CAN SEE IT’S SURROUNDED BY TREES, THIS IS A JUNGLE ALREADY
DO THESE CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL? WHAT GRADE ARE YOU IN?
SO YOU’RE TOP OF THE CLASS? WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT?
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME TO ASSOCIATE WITH THE MANGYANS. AND TO THOSE I’VE ALREADY SPOKEN WITH, I COULD FEEL THE SINCERITY OF THEIR HEARTS.
IT ERASES HOURS OF FATIGUE
JUST LIKE THE SCENIC VIEWS THAT WE WERE PASSING BY
BEFORE WE REACH THE COMMUNITY OF THE TAO BUHID WE HAD TO FACE YET ANOTHER CHALLENGE….AN ANCIENT LOOKING HANGING METAL BRIDGE THAT SEEMS AS OLD AS GEN. MCARTHUR
WE FINALLY SEE THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE PLACE, THESE ARE THE TAONG BUIDS
THE NATIVES HAVE BEEN BUSY IN THE PAST FEW DAYS INCLUDING TODAY.
THEY WERE RUSHING TO FINISH THE PAINTING OF THEIR SCHOOL
BECAUSE IN A FEW DAYS…IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON
YOU’RE SO HARD WORKING…A REAL SACRIFICE…WHEN TEACHING, YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN AND BACK AGAIN?
NO NEED…ONCE A WEEK ONLY
SO YOU SLEEP HERE…IS IT EASY TO TEACH MANGYAN CHILDREN?
COMPARED WITH CHILDREN FROM THE TOWN, WE CAN BARELY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER
IS THAT SO? YOU’RE SAYING THEY NEED TO BE TAUGHT TAGALOG FIRST? LANGUAGE BARRIER? BUT IS THERE A CHANCE OF LEARNING?
YES, A BIG CHANCE
YOU’RE SCHOOL IS REALLY NICE…
NOT ONLY DO THEY GET TO GO TO SCHOOL, BOOKS AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE PROVIDED AS WELL. BUT IS THIS METHOD EFFECTIVE?
HERE IN THE JUNGLES OF OCCIDENTAL MINDORO WE FOUND THE TRIBE OF THE TAU BUIDS… ONE OF THE SEVEN MANGYAN TRIBES OF MINDORO ISLAND. IT AMAZES ME TO THINK THAT I MADE IT TO THEIR SANCTUARY.
SINCE THE TRIBE RECEIVED ASSISTANCE FROM PLAN PHILIPPINES, THEIR PLACE UNDERWENT A BIG CHANGE. THEY NOW HAVE A SMALL BUILDING FOR THE SCHOOL. THEY ALSO HAVE A STEADY SUPPLY OF CLEAN WATER
WHICH THEY USED TO COLLECT 2 KILOMETERS AWAY FROM HOME.
IT WAS NOON WHEN WE REACHED THE PLACE SO WE WERE RIGHT ON TIME…WE WERE ABLE TO WITNESS THE SYSTEM THEY FOLLOW DURING MEALS.
THE PEOPLE HERE BELONG TO THE TAO BUID TRIBE OF THE MANGYANS. AT THE MOMENT THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF DIVIDING THE FOOD AMONG DIFFERENT FAMILIES UNTIL EVERYONE HAS RECEIVED HIS SHARE. EVEN THE ONES AT THE “KAINGIN” (CLEARING) ARE RESERVED FOOD SO THAT EVERYONE GETS TO EAT. FOR INSTANCE, IF THEY SLAUGHTER A PIG, AND THERE ARE 72 FAMILIES, THEN THE MEAT WILL BE DIVIDED AMONG THE 72…
AFTER LUNCH THE CHILDREN WERE GATHERED TO CHECK AFTER THEIR WELFARE
ALSO ON THE AGENDA IS A LIST OF NEEDED SUPPLIES
BEFORE THE MEETING ENDED, THE CHILDREN SERENADED US VISITORS WITH A COUPLE OF SONGS
THEY LEARNED ALL THESE FROM SCHOOL
WHILE THEY WERE SINGING, TIME STOOD STILL…ALL MY PROBLEMS SEEMED A WORLD AWAY BECAUSE I COULD FEEL THE SINCERITY IN THEIR SONGS…I COULD FEEL THEIR CLOSENESS TO GOD
FROM A DISTANCE THE MEN WERE BUSY
(SCHOOL BRIGADE) AND THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER, I’M ALSO HELPING OUT
EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER THREATENS TO TURN FOR THE WORST, THEY WON’T STOP WITH WHAT THEY’RE DOING
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE…WILL BE DONE!
WHILE THE GROWN UPS WERE BUSY WITH THE CONSTRUCTION, I INVITED THE CHILDREN TO TAKE A DIP IN THE RIVER. IT’S ON THE LIST OF THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES.
ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE SITE, SOME OF OUR COMPANIONS HAD GONE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN ALREADY
AS FOR ME…I’M SPENDING THE NIGHT
NIGHT HAS FALLEN, BUT THE MEN CONTINUE TO WORK TIRELESSLY ON THE CONSTRUCTION
THE Y SAID THE CONSTRUCTION WILL NOT BE COMPLETED TONIGHT BECAUSE THEY RAN OUT OF MATERIALS. THEY DECIDED TO USE UP WHAT THEY HAVE BEFORE CALLING IT A DAY.
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS HERE IN SITIO TAMISAN, KEROSENE FUELLED LAMPS ILLUMINATE THE PLACE CREATING A ROMANTIC SCENE COMPLEMENTED BY FIREFLIES DANCING IN THE BREEZE
A SYMBOL OF HOPE ON THE HORIZON FOR THE TRIBE
EVEN WAY BACK DURING THE SPANISH TIMES OUR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFRAID OF THE LOW-LAND SETTLERS BECAUSE BASED ON OUR TRIBE’S HISTORY WITH THE SPANIARDS, SOME OF OUR PEOPLE DIED OF FEAR. SO EVER SINCE, WE’VE ALWAYS LOOKED AT LOW-LAND SETTLERS AS CRUEL PEOPLE.
WHAT IF YOU DECIDED TO ADOPT THE CULTURE OF THE LOW-LAND SETTLERS WHO WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOU? DO YOU THINK THIS WILL CORRUPT YOUR OWN CULTURE?
IF WE DECIDE TO ACCEPT THE CULTURE OF THE LOW-LAND, OUR OWN CULTURE WILL DISAPPEAR. DUE TO THE CHANGINGTIMES, WE ALSO NEED TO ADAPT. WE HAVE STARTED ASSOCIATING WITH A NUMBER OF LOW-LAND SETTLERS AS WELL.
WITH THE TRIBE’S ACCEPTANCE OF A BRIGHT FUTURE THAT EDUCATION CAN BRING, HIS DAUGHTER WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO BENEFITTED MOST.
DID YOU HAVE A HARD TIME GOING TO SCHOOL IN THE LOW LANDS?
AT FIRST I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE IT WAS IN FILIPINO.
WHEN YOU FINALLY STARTED LEARNING, DID IT AFFECT YOU IN A BIG WAY? WERE YOU TAUGHT TAGALOG EVERYDAY?
LIMITED KNOWLEDGE OF THE MANGYAN DIALECT WAS THE FIRST CHALLENGE THAT TEACHER FELY HAD TO FACE WHEN SHE WAS ASSIGNED TO SITIO TAMISAN.
WE HAD AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TIME UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER SO I DECIDED TO MIX IN STUDENTS THAT CAN UNDERSTAND A LITTLE TAGALOG AND AT NIGHT THEY TEACH ME THEIR DIALECT.
WITH GOD’S HELP THEY ARE LEARNING FROM ME. YOU COULD SEE IT FROM THEIR PERFORMANCE THAT THEY ARE LEARNING. IN MY YEARS OF TEACHING THEY HAVE SHOWN IMPROVEMENT. AND THEN THERE’S FORMAL SCHOOL, THAT ENCOURAGED THEM MORE AND NOW THERE’S FORMAL LEVEL…
WITH A SALARY OF FIVE HUNDRED PESOS MONTHLY, SHEER DEDICATION IS WHAT FUELS TEACHER FELY TO CONTINUE TEACHING THE CHILDREN IN THE SITIO
FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING, WE ARE LEAVING SITIO TAMISAN TO GO TO ANOTHER MANGYAN TRIBE WHO NEVER ALLOWS ANY LOW-LAND SETTLER TO ENTER THEIR TERRITORY.
IT’S MORNING…TIME TO PREPARE FOR OUR DEPARTURE.
ACCORDING TO MAYOR, SOME OF THE MEN AND CHILDREN WHO ARE OLD ENOUGH TO HANDLE LABOR, ARE IN THE OTHER MOUNTAIN ALREADY …DOING KAINGIN ( SHIFTING CULTIVATION)
BEFORE LEAVING THE MOUNTAIN WE DECIDED TO VISIT THE SITE THAT THEY WERE CULTIVATING
THE LAW PROHIBITS THIS KIND OF METHOD…A METHOD THAT SUPPORTS THE DAILY LIFE OF THE TAU BUIDS
NOW THAT I HAVE SEEN THEIR SITUATION IN SITIO TAMISAN, IT IS TIME TO MOVE ON TO ANOTHER TRIBE UNTOUCHED BY MODERN EDUCATION
WE NEED TO TREK MORE THAN 5 KILOMETERS UP THE MOUNTAIN GOING TO ANOTHER MANGYAN TRIBE.
AT FIRST GLANCE THE TRIP TO SITIO TAMISAN WAS NOWHERE NEAR HALF OF THE PAIN WE ARE ABOUT TO SUFFER GOING TO_____. SO I BRACED MYSELF FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE.
WHEN WE REACHED ________ THE LACK OF ACTIVITY AND ENERGY IN THE PLACE WAS APPARENT.
WE WEREN’T EVEN ALLOWED TO FILM ANYMORE.
AFTER A LONG DISCUSSION, THEY FINALLY AGREED TO LET US FILM AND TAKE PICTURES.
CONVINCING THE TRIBE WAS NOT EASY BECAUSE THEY ARE WARY OF BEING DUPED BY LOW-LAND SETTLERS INTO TURNING THEIR LANDS INTO MINES AND THAT BRINGING FORMAL EDUCATION IS NOT THEIR REAL OBJECTIVE.
THE KEY TO THE GROUP’S COOPERATION DEPENDS ON MANG THOMAS MALIKSI, THE ELDER OF THE TRIBE. HIS WORDS AND ADVICE ARE HEEDED BY THE REST OF THE CLAN. EVEN THOUGH HIS BODY IS GETTING WEAKER, HIS WORDS REMAIN STRONG AND IS STILL REGARDED AS CLOSE TO ROYALTY AS THE TRIBE CAN GET.
EVEN THOUGH DOUBT WOULD NOT LEAVE THEIR MINDS….
MANG THOMAS’ WILLINGNESS TO GIVE EDUCATION A CHANCE TO BROADEN HIS TRIBE’S KNOWLEDGE BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS THAT THEY LIVE IN
IS ALREADY A BEAUTIFUL START.
IT’S NOT THE MANGYANS’ FAULT IF THEY ARE DISTRUSTFUL OF PEOPLE FROM THE LOW LAND. THE TRIBES’ TRAGIC HISTORY TRAUMATIZED THEM. AND NOW IT COST THEM THEIR ISOLATION FROM THE PROGRESSIVE WORLD WE ARE ENJOYINGTODAY.
IT IS TIME TO FIND A WAY TO EARN THEIR TRUST AGAIN AND HELP THEM INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE SO WE CAN GIVE THEM A GLIMMER OF HOPE IN THE DARKNESS THAT HAS BEEN HOLDING THEM BACK FOR CENTURIES.
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