ROXAS CITY, Capiz (PIA) — Pastor Elias Valencia, Chieftain of Ati and Panay Bukidnon in Dumarao town, asked for a better water system and livelihood opportunities for the Indigenous Peoples (IP) community.
Valencia stated that the Ati community’s primary water supply in the IP’s ancestral domain in Tagaw has inconsistent water sources during the day, particularly during the dry season.
“As it is our main source of potable water and it is located on the mountain’s peak, it is hard for us to find another source,” Valencia said in Hiligaynon.
The chieftain also shared that the main livelihood of the Ati community is selling herbal medicine and making brooms or “walis ting-ting” while the members of the Panay Bukidnon community sell native products such as baskets made of rattan, hammocks, and the same kind of broom.
“Even if the rain is heavy or the heat is intense, the IPs still sell their products because this is where they get their everyday needs,” Valencia said, adding that the IP has no other choice because if they stop they will have no other source of income.
Valencia also noted that teenage pregnancy is also one of the problems faced by the IPs, wherein three high school students in their community are already with children.
Moreover, the IP members were able to voice out their concerns during the Community Life Competence Process (CLCP) with Gender Conscientization Training of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Capiz in Brgy. Aglalana, Dumarao.
The CLCP is part of the agency’s Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (S&T) (CEST) Program.
Provincial Science and Technology Office (PSTO) Science Research Specialist Gesselle Marcon said the conduct of CLCP will aid the DOST 6 personnel, especially the PSTO staff in identifying appropriate S&T interventions.
“It can help address the community’s identified problems while also assisting to boost and develop the current strengths through an efficient and successful implementation of the CEST program,” Marcon added.
Marcon said that despite some concerns of the IP community that were not related to the S&T, the training could at least help in identifying what government agencies to reach to address their various concerns.
With this, Valencia is hopeful that their concerns will be addressed especially on their livelihood.
“We hope that we will have equipment for our livelihood because our works are all handmade so the quality is difficult to maintain. When our livelihood becomes successful, there will be a good change in the lives of our IPs,” Valencia said. (AGP/PLF/PIA Capiz)
