a revolutionay weekend This weekend, it was not Trillanes who inspired me. It was, instead, very dilligent and passionate individuals who humbly do their job to make other lives better each day. The possiblity of checkpoints, roadblocks and being mistaken for a rebel insurgents didn't deter Lai and I (in our very you-look-like-you-didn't-take-a-bath-for-a-week look) to travel five hours to hold a meeting with a community in Sitio Kanawan, Morong, Bataan. The community was forming a people's organization and they needed community workers to help out in the initial stages of organizational development.
Kuya Borms, who has a BA and MA in philosophy and a doctorate on
bureaucracy from UP, is community organizer 1. Lai, who has a BA in political science and an MA candidate of the same track in Ateneo, is community organizer 2. I am co2's friend doubling as a photographer.
(Photo 1: During the commute, Kuya Borms, the real Mr. Pure Energy, couldn't stop talking about his work as a community organizer )
We arrived at the Bataan Technological Park Inc. (BTPI) which is a sprawling area of trees and grass dotted with bungalows--remnants of hospitals, houses and dormitories that were built by the former First Lady Imelda Marcos in the 1970's for Vietnamese refugees. Today it houses some residents and the Bataan Center for Innovative Science and Technology, Inc.
(
BCISTI),
an NGO which assists women and the Aeta community in Morong to use organic natural resources and develop food and cosmetic products. (Photo 2: Lai and Bulak. Lai works for Got Heart Foundation which partners with BCISTI in the development and marketing of their products. Bulak is the friendly housedog who seems to be well-fed indeed.)
(Photo 3: On the way to Sitio Kanawan Photo 4: Kuya Borms and Lai listen to the community president, Kuya Tony, as they explore ideas on eco-tourism and production of green charcoal-- an environment-friendly charcoal made of fallen twigs and cogon grass. Currenlty, there is only one producer of green charcoal in the country and seventy establishments that use it).
BTPI is a very peaceful place. Houses are far in between. There is an ample amount of greenery. Being up in the mountain, the weather is cool and there is a steady flow of fresh air. I imagine it to be a great haven for writers. I would definitely get some work done here. I was not surprised then to meet Kuya Uly, THE number two botanist in the Philippines, who is finishing his thesis here while teaching Aeta children about plants so they do not lose their tradition of practicing alternative medicine. The reason Kuya Uly is second and not first, I learned is that he discovered a very rare species of orchid in one of his treks up the mountain only to find out that someone else, an older scientist, discovered it only months before he did. No matter, Kuya Uly is young and I think in a few years time he will be THE number one botanist in the Philippines-- that is if he doesn't get lost for good in the mountains. The man is very keen on analyzing details but not so much on the bigger picture and there were a lot of stories about him getting lost for days in the wilderness with just salt, water and some rice as provisions. 
(Photo 5: Kuya Uly looking lost. Photo 6: THE number two botanist in the Phlippines talks with THE National Scientist Dr. Luli Cruz, master and commander of BCISTI. Diptherocarp, COX1 and COX2 are only a few of the words that are staples in these geniuses' talk. They usually mention plants in scientific terms. And it's not bragging. It's normal fare.)
What keeps community work and scientific research going like a well oiled machine is good food. BCISTI's master chef, Kuya Jun is the dynamo of the kitchen. Meals are simple yet satisfying and you gotta hand it to the man. He is creative as hell. During a few rounds of kasuy wine, when Kuya Uly talked of rattan shoots in the scientific, Kuya Jun zoned out and thought of dishes that he could probably whip up with these. (Photo 8: Kuya Jun fixes breakfast: corned beef sauteed with cabbage).
Livelihood is not the sole assistance that BCISTI and Got Heart provide for the Aetas. This time, they sought the help of Ateneo Human Rights Center to conduct a legal mission to help the community understand better the laws that they can use to protect their rights. One common problem of the Aetas is lack of birth certificates and other papers that they need to be able to obtain social services from the government.
(Photo 9. AHRC lawyers and paralegals sight-seeing at the hanging bridge. This bridge connects the barangay with the Aeta community and was built when the Aetas were relocated from the BTPI compound in the 70's to give way to the Vietnamese refugees.)
(Photo 10: The view from the hanging bridge. At high noon, it is already something. I wonder how it would look like at dusk. Photo 11: That's me contemplating a hundred-meter free fall)
Lai's and my trip ended where the AHRC people's trip began--at this bridge. Like true social development workers, we had to get back to Manila Saturday afternoon to catch other Sunday work obligations. It was a very rich weekend despite the fact I hadn't even gone up the mountain and met the community yet. I definitely will return to this place, and hopefully, be able to document the lives of the Aetas and the people who help in ensuring they have a fighting chance of living humanely, unrestricted by lack of resources and social discrimination.
Social change can happen through revolution but it can also happen eventually through a total investment of the self in honest work and a dogged pursuit of social justice.
