For want of karaoke sets, appliances, Aetas turn to begging

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — For want of karaoke sets and other "luxury" items, Aetas have turned to begging, and the inter-agency Task Force Sagip Kalinga Katutubo says giving the natives alms is not the best way to help them.

Many Aetas in Central Luzon have turned to begging since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 and have found it a lucrative alternative to farming.

The task force, headed by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), has put up an initial seven large billboards along major highways in Central Luzon urging the public not to tolerate mendicancy among Aetas.

Fans and other giveaway items are also being distributed to the public, bearing the same message against mendicancy.

Rosalina Bistoyong, NCIP regional director and task force chairperson, said giving alms to Aetas will only encourage the natives — who number about 200,000 from various parts of Central Luzon — to rely on doleouts.

"The fact is that some Aetas have started to regard begging as a lucrative source of income for such items as karaoke and television sets, and other appliances," Bistoyong said.

The task force said many Aeta beggars come from Capas and San Clemente in Tarlac, Botolan, Subic and San Marcelino in Zambales and Porac in Pampanga.

"We have coordinated with the Armed Forces’ Northern Luzon Command and the police to help us round up Aeta beggars from all over, including Metro Manila, and bring them back to their settlements where they would be briefed on laws against mendicancy and enlisted to participate in the trade fair of their farm and other products," she said.