Greening Mt. Opao Again

By Meryl Renee Tupas

November 14, 2015 was an unusual day for me. It was a Saturday but I was not in my go-to coffee shop in Atria aimlessly sipping my favorite drip iced coffee,nor in SM City Iloilo checking out the racks at my favorite discount store. Instead, I was somewhere more than a hundred kilometers away from the city with my Assumption Iloilo schoolmates and teachers hitting the trail, clearing down trees, digging some ditches, and planting more trees for our children, and for our children's children.

To show a concrete response to Pope Francis' environmental encyclical entitled 'Laudato Si,' a group of Assumption Iloilo student leaders and faculty members joined other non-government organizations (NGOs) in a one day tree planting activity at Mt. Opao in San Dionesio, Iloilo. In the encyclical, the Holy Father invites everyone to join a dialogue on the shaping of the future of our planet. He says, "Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, and political. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day."

At the peak of dawn, we left Iloilo City for a three-hour long journey to San Dionisio, a sleepy coastal town where the air is fresh and the mountain craggy. Mt. Opao lords over the whole vista of plains and seashores. It is known for its cool springs where mountain villagers get water from. Sometime in 2012, the place got media attention when Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. temporarily suspended the mining exploration for gold and copper in the area. Residents claimed that the operation of a Manila-based mining firm was destroying the water source of the village which was close to the mine site.

Early as we were, the hike up Mt. Opao already proved challenging. Still, we persevered, threatened by the sweltering sun and fueled by the promise of a delectable seafood lunch after. By the time we reached the top, we were all exhausted. Our discomforts dissipated, though, when each one of us was handed small seedlings. As I received the delicate little plant in my hands, I felt something different. It was a feeling of being, a wholeness of some sort. It was the smallest thing but possibly the grandest gesture I can do today - planting a tree seedling.

I was proud of myself for helping mother earth. 

A Day with the Atis of Anilao, Iloilo

As part of the requirements for our class in 'Socio-Cultural Foundations of Education', the whole students of the Master in Education (M.Ed.) program of the University of the Philippines Visayas went to Sitio Balagon, Barangay Badiang, in the municipality of Anilao, Iloilo to see for ourselves how our Ati brothers and sisters live their lives in general, and strive to get education in particular.

It was one Saturday in January of 2011, the day the whole Iloilo City was celebrating the Kasadyahan Festival. While everybody was heading downtown to revel, we were going the other way, to the town of Anilao which is located in the 4th congressional district of Iloilo Province.

Anilao is a 4th class municipality. According to the latest census, it has a population of around 35,000 people. It is politically subdivided into 21 barangays, one of which is Barangay Badiang.

We gathered  at Andoks across from Jaro Plaza. Our assembly time was at 6AM. We waited for our companions a little more and by 7AM, we left Iloilo City in a hired van. There were around 10 of us in the van, including our professors, Dr. Aurora Fe Bautista and Prof. Donnie Jonne Sodusta.

It was a one-hour drive up the coast from Leganes to Anilao. The town is 45 kilometers away from Iloilo City. I just slept along the way and we were a bit overcrowded. It was hard to concentrate sleeping but I managed to get some Zss nevertheless.

Just before we reached the town proper, the van took a left turn and drove through a dirt road lined with corn plantations. Not long after, we reached a dead end and we were asked to get out. We were met by the village chieftain, as well as the chairman of Barangay Badiang.

A group of school kids in their traditional attire lined both sides of the walkway to welcome us. They were chanting using the language I could not understand. We were led to a small covered gathering place decorated by flowers and potted plants.

A program was prepared by the Atis with the help of the members of the Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc. The organization has been helping this indigenous community for years now. They have organized numerous livelihood projects for them in order to 'bridge the gap between poverty and progress,' the company's motto.

During the doxology, the school children did an interpretative dance. It was a beautiful interpretation of the 'Lord's Prayer.' The village chieftain, as well as the barangay captain of Brgy. Badiang, gave their respective welcome speeches. What they said united and brought all of us together in the common purpose at the heart of the visit - being one with them.

After the welcome program, we went around the village to interview the locals. The first house that I visited was the house of the chieftain. I was accommodated by his wife and his daughter. The house was made of very light materials very typical of rural Philippines. It is called 'kamalig' in the vernacular, a type of stilt house indigenous to the vast majority of the Filipinos.

I asked the chieftain's daughter several questions about their culture, their means of living, as well as their modes of education. She was happy to tell me that she had gone to college and that she did a lot of volunteer work in order to uplift the condition of her community. She believed that the only way for her fellow Atis to survive and go up is to be educated. She was happy that our group came to see them and learn more about their deplorable situation.

After talking to the village chieftain's daughter, I went around and one boy caught my attention. I had seen him earlier at the doxology. I approached him and asked if I could interview him. He gladly yielded. I learned that his name was Iko and he was 11 years old. He's in third grade. By the way he talked, I could sense that Iko was a smart kid.