Repleksyon ni Gwen Escudero mula sa pakikipamuhay sa mga Ayta para sa paghahanda sa selebrasyon ng Ayta Day noong Agosto 10, 2026

Sa halos isang buwan kong pakikipamuhay sa mga Ayta sa Zambales nadama ko ang perwisyo na dulot ng mga mapanirang proyekto ng mga dambuhalang kompanya tulad ng pagmimina, quarrying, at renewable energy projects. Masalimuot man ang pang-araw-araw na buhay sa pakikipamuhay ko sa Ka-Aytahan kinailangan kong ilagay ang sarili ko sa kalagayang hindi ko nakasanayan para mas maunawaan kung saan nanggaling ang kahirapan ng mga katutubong Ayta. Sa kabila ng pagod, agarang napapawi ito dahil sa lubos nilang pagtanggap sa amin upang makiisa sa laban para sa karapatan sa lupa ang sariling pagpapasya. 

Sa bawat araw binabaybay namin ang lubak-lubak na daan gamit ang kolong-kolong. Ang pagkasira ng mga daan ani ng mga Ayta ay dulot ng mabibigat na truck ng quarrying na sumisira sa lupa. Pagdating sa destinasyong ma-lahar, nangangamba lalo na kapag maulan dahil hindi matibay ang pundasyon ng lupa at tinatangay ng malakas na agos ng ilog ang lahar. Nakakadagdag pa sa lakas ng agos ang umaapaw na dam na malapit sa sitio. Nagkaroon pa ng pagkakataon na kinailangan lumikas ng mga Ayta sa kabilang bahay dahil lumubog ang bahay sa ilog. 

Nakakapagtaka na sa dami ng solar panels mula sa mga kompanya tulad ng Aboitiz at Ayala sa kanilang ancestral domain, ang mga malapit na sitio kung saan tumitira ang mga Ayta walang kuryente. Bigyan man ng solar panel, hindi ito nagagamit dahil kulang ang equipment na binibigay ng mga kompanya para magamit ito. Ang nangyayari pa ay kailangan nilang bumaba sa bayan na may layo ng 45 na minuto para lamang makapag-charge ng cellphone, battery sa ilaw, at iba pang gamit na kailangan ng kuryente. Sa gabi, ang tanging nagpapailaw ay ang apoy mula sa mga kahoy na ginatong sa bundok. 

Tinanong ko sa kanila kung bakit wala manlang magandang ginawa ang mga kompanyang ito sa kanila. Ang kanilang tugon, lubos-lubos na pagnanakaw ang ginagawa sa kanila at puro pangako at paglilinlang ang kanilang inabot. Hindi sapat ang sahod na binibigay sa kanila at bukod pa ron may diskriminasyon na nagaganap dahil ang mga trabaho na binibigay sa kanila ay hindi manlang mataas na pusisyon, kundi sinasagad ang kanilang lakas paggawa sa mababang gawain tulad ng pagpunas ng mga solar panels.

Sa loob ng isang buwan, nasaksihan ko rin ang kaibahan ng Sangguniang Bayan sa masa. May mga posisyon sa LGU kailangan mo na suyuin para tulungan ka pero ang komunidad kahit hindi ka magtanong mayroon silang inisyatiba ay sobra-sobra pa. Halimbawa na lamang ang pagbuo ng benyu ng Ayta Day, wala naman silang kinikita na pera sa pagtulong sa pagbuo nito pero sa bawat araw na dadating kami ay lagi silang nakahanda na may baong pinya, abokado, saging, at iba pang mga pananim nila na binabahagi nila sa iba pang mga nagtutulungan na mabuo ang benyu. 

Nakita ko ang kolektibong pagsasagawa ng mga bagay-bagay ng mga Ayta. Lahat sentralisado lalo na ang pagdedesisyon sa hatian ng kanilang rekurso. Hindi lang cheiftain ang nagpapasya, kundi ang buong komunidad ay dapat na sumang-ayon. 

Ngayon nauunawaan ko na kung bakit pumupunta sa kanayunan sila Chad, Alyssa, Mau, at iba pang mga kapugay-pugay na aktibista. Dahil ang primaryang impormasyon ay makakalap sa kanayunan at ito ay ang karanasan ng masa. Ang karanasan ang obhetibong pinanghahawakan bilang patunay sa matagal na panahong pang-aapi at pananamantala ng naghaharing uri sa mga katutubong tagapangalaga ng kalikasan. 

Ito ang mga bagay na hindi ko matututunan kung hindi ako lalabas sa pamantasan. Handa akong bitawan ang buhay ng karangyaan at bumalik sa komunidad dahil hindi ko kailangan yumaman basta kapiling ko ang masa sa paglaban sa kanilang karapatan. Kaya naman, iaalay ko ang buong buhay ko sa pakikibaka para sa lupang ninuno at sariling pagpapasya ng mga katutubo. 

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English translation:

For almost a month of living alongside the Ayta community in Zambales, I experienced firsthand the hardships and harm brought about by destructive projects of large corporations, such as mining, quarrying, and renewable energy projects. Although adjusting to their everyday life was difficult and far from what I was used to, I knew that I had to place myself in an unfamiliar situation to better understand where the poverty and struggles of the Indigenous Ayta people come from. Despite the exhaustion, it was immediately eased by how warmly they welcomed us and allowed us to stand alongside them in their struggle for land rights and self-determination.

Every day, we traveled through rough and uneven roads using a kolong-kolong, their traditional vehicle. According to the Ayta, these roads have deteriorated because of the heavy quarrying trucks that constantly pass through and damage the land. When we reached areas affected by lahar, I became especially worried whenever it rained because the ground was unstable, and the strong currents of the river could easily carry the lahar away. The overflowing dam near the sitio made the river current even stronger. There was even an instance when some Ayta families had to evacuate to another house because their own home had been submerged into the river.

What struck me even more was seeing the number of solar panels installed by companies such as Aboitiz and Ayala within their ancestral domain, while nearby sitios where the Ayta actually live still had no electricity. Even when solar panels were provided to them, they could not use them properly because the companies did not provide enough of the necessary equipment. As a result, they had to travel around 45 minutes down to the town just to charge their phones, batteries for their lights, and other things that required electricity. At night, the only source of light was often the fire from wood gathered and burned from the mountains.

I asked them why these companies had not done anything substantial to improve their lives despite operating on their ancestral lands. Their response was heartbreaking: they felt that what was happening to them amounted to outright exploitation, while all they had received were promises and deception. The wages given to them were not enough, and discrimination was also present. The jobs offered to them were rarely positions that gave them opportunities to advance. Instead, their labor was pushed to its limits through low-paying and physically demanding work, such as the cleaning of solar panels.

During that month, I also saw the big difference between the local government officials and the people in the community. There were positions in the local government where you had to personally plead or seek favor just to receive assistance. But among the people in the community, even without asking, their willingness to help and take initiative was overwhelming. One example was our work in preparing the food for Aytas who helped in building the venue for Ayta Day. They did not receive any money for helping us prepare it, yet every day that we arrived, they were already prepared with pineapples, avocados, bananas, and other crops they had grown themselves. They willingly shared what they had with everyone who was helping make the event possible.

I also witnessed how collectively the Ayta carried out their work and made decisions. Their resources and decisions were managed collectively, especially when it came to determining how resources would be distributed. It was not simply the chief who made the decisions. The entire community had to come to an agreement. They have their own government which is still practiced up to this day.

Now, I understand more deeply why people like Chad, Alyssa, Mau, and other dedicated activists choose to go to rural communities. It is because the most fundamental information can be found there—in the actual experiences of the people. The experiences of the masses become concrete evidence of the long history of oppression and exploitation experienced by Indigenous Peoples who have served as stewards of their land and the environment.

These are things I would never have learned if I had stayed within the university. My time with the Aytas made me realize that there is a whole reality outside the life I have become accustomed to. I am willing to let go of a life of comfort and privilege and return to the communities, because I have realized that I do not need to become wealthy as long as I can stand alongside the people and struggle for their rights.

Because of this experience, I want to dedicate my life to the struggle for the ancestral lands and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. I may have entered the community thinking that I was there to learn from them, but I left realizing that they had taught me far more than I could have ever learned inside a classroom.