ABUCAY, Bataan- Classes in the Aeta village of Bangkal at the foot of Mt. Natib in here started as scheduled on Monday.
Some Aeta boys tended first to their goats early morning before finally preparing for school.
Cecil Malunik, a 32-year old Aeta mother, was busy attending to her 9-year-old daughter Cielyn Joan dressed up for school at the Bangkal Elementary School. “Itataguyod ko hanggang makakaya ko para makatapos ang mga anak ko,” said the mother.
“Gusto ko pong maging teacher,” Cielyn who is in Grade III answered when asked what she wanted to be.
A group of children, not Aetas, from Malaking Bato in Mabatang, Abucay were seen traversing the rough road to Bangkal. “Napapagod po kami,” they said.
Mercy Villavicencio who was accompanying her son in Grade II said Bangkal is the nearest school to their sitio.
“Isang oras ang nilalakad ng mga bata upang makarating sa paaralan,” she said.
A mix of Aeta and non-Aeta called “unat” children are in the Bangkal school.
“Masarap na mahirap,” teacher Rosemarie Innocencio said when asked how she finds teaching in the village.
“Mahirap dahil marami sa tinuturuan namin ay mga katutubo na medyo mabagal makaintindi hindi tulad ng mga Tagalog. Masarap dahil mababait naman sila,” the Grade VI teacher said.
She said that there were 73 pupils in last year’s enrollment and they expect the same number to attend classes this school year. She said that each teacher handles less than 20 children per class.
“Suportado naman ng gobyerno ang mga batang Aeta at libre pati school uniform nila,” Innocencio said.
