Aetas in Pampanga honor bamboo advocate
ANGELES CITY—The spacious backyard of Henry Pan in the upland village of Sapang Bato here, was filled with more than 200 Aeta on last Feb. 21.
They shared food with unat (straight-haired people) under the shade of trees in Sitio Target, as the Tayag clan marked the first death anniversary of one of their own—Renato—amid the forests he loved and helped restore.
It was not the circumstances of his death that dominated the gathering. Instead, Pan said Abong—the name Renato was known by in the community—is remembered for planting some 100,000 bamboo saplings in Sapang Bato since 2008. The village, formerly known as Sawmill, lies at the edge of the former Clark Air Base.
“This site used to be filled with garbage until Abong cleared it to make way for plants,” Pan recalled.
After retiring from business and while recovering from a serious illness, Abong began planting bamboo. At first, some Aeta elders suspected the effort was a ploy for land grabbing.
Mission
But he pursued the mission—initially on his own—guided by the writings of his great-great-granduncle, historian Mariano Henson, who emphasized the importance of the Sapang Bato watershed in sustaining Angeles City, now a highly urbanized city of about 300,000 residents.
At the time, Abong was among the few voices advocating for the protection of the watershed.
Through his quiet and humble manner, Abong gradually drew others to the cause, said Minerva Zamora, executive director of what later became the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed Advocacy Council Inc. (ARAW-ACI).
“Do not feel bad when people take credit for the good that you do. Everything will come around,” Abong once told Zamora.
Zamora said ARAW-ACI later became the steward of 527 hectares of former baselands in Sapang Bato and nearby Porac. Of this, about 300 ha are plantable, and 70 ha have already been planted with some 70,000 trees by 15 partners since 2019.
The Angeles City government, under then Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr., supported ARAW-ACI by employing 22 Aetas to care for the trees and by designating the area as protected agricultural land and a no-build zone under the city’s comprehensive land use plan. The rehiring of the 22 Aeta workers is now under review by Mayor Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II.
Cash crops
Abong also supported the production of cash crops among Aeta families “so that they can earn and support their families while protecting the forests,” Fred Pan, president of the Kapatirang Ayta ng Angeles-Porac para sa Kalikasan at Agrikultura (Kaapka), told the Inquirer.
Before midday, the gathering turned into a collective pledge. Led by Abong’s eldest son, Rene Ricardo “Abe” Tayag, members of ARAW-ACI and Kaapka vowed to “take care and defend the watershed with respect, responsibility and unity for the next generations.”
They also promised to “respect the stewards and take care of the forests, water and every life relying on these.”
In the early days before ARAW-ACI was formed, Abong had brought Abe and his De La Salle classmates to the area, teaching them how to plant trees and develop a love for the environment.
New allies
Even as the forests recover, new threats are emerging. Resorts have begun to rise illegally in the area. So far, only two have lease contracts, according to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
Still, the Sapang Bato watershed and the Aeta communities there have gained new allies. The Hann Foundation has committed to building a tree nursery through a P5-million grant, while the Department of Transportation has chosen the site to grow 800,000 trees to replace those cut along the right-of-way of the North-South Commuter Rail.
For Abe, the mission continues as he told the Aetas he could not match his father’s deeds, but he would carry on the work “wholeheartedly.”
