FLORIDABLANCA, Pampanga—“Paradise in the sky.”

This is how visitors call the Aeta village of Nabuklod when they see it for the first time. It is home to at least 150 Aeta families, according to Barangay Captain Roger Apang.

Nabuklod is perched on a hilly area at the edge of this town. Its temperature is cool year-round like the tourist cities of Baguio and Tagaytay.

The temperature in the village was 16 degrees Celsius when the governor’s team arrived in Nabuklod at about 6:15 a.m. one day last week. The temperature was measured by Roy Imperial, consultant-adviser of Gov. Lilia Pineda.

“It’s better than Tagaytay and Baguio because the air is clean and fresh,” said the first-time visitors led by Pineda, Imperial, Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo and his son Patrick.

Pineda sees the potentials of Nabuklod as a tourism and agricultural area. To do so, she wants to maintain the natural beauty of the village and seeks to involve and prioritize the welfare of Aetas in the agri-tourism project.

The provincial government has allotted P7.9 million for the development of Nabuklod, particularly its hilly portion measuring at least 1,000 hectares.

Pineda’s dream for the Aetas

SINCE it became home to its current residents, Nabuklod has been deprived of water, particularly in the populated portion of the barangay.

An Aeta mother and her child used to spend almost eight hours of walking just to get three pails of water from the nearest source of water.

“We are thankful to Governor Pineda for providing us water for the first time. It’s really helpful,” said the mother in mixed Tagalog and Capampangan.

Pineda said in Capampangan, “Aetas were erroneously thought not to have good hygiene practices. The fact was that they could not clean themselves and their surroundings properly because they had no source of abundant water in the village. All that is now in the past.”

The governor used at least P2.3 million to pump water from the lower portion of the village to the hilly area.

Adventure at the top

PAMPANGA Board Members Monz Laus and Fritzie David-Dizon were daring enough to try out the first zipline measuring 480 meters completed late last year in the area. The provincial government plans to make five rides, including a cable car done last month which is now on a test-run.

“It’s really safe. But more important, it’s fun,” said Laus shortly after her ride in the zip-line.

Imperial said two twin ziplines and two single ziplines are to be constructed in Nabuklod. The cable car which can accommodate five people was recently inspected by Pineda.

Provincial department heads and Edna Vitug, the governor’s executive assistant, tested the cable car and described the ride “as a wonderful trip in heaven.”

Provincial Administrator Andres Pangilinan Jr. said the project of the governor “is a venture.”

“It has a great chance of succeeding because it has huge potentials. The area is beautiful and scenic,” said Pangilinan.

More importantly, he added, Pineda has already achieved her goal and dream of prioritizing the welfare of the Aetas.

Asked by reporters why she gives special treatment to Aetas, Pineda said in the dialect, “Nobody is giving attention to them. They are the first settlers of Pampanga.”

Pineda said her government will assist the Aytas manage the area until they learn how to do it themselves.

“In three years, we want the Aetas to be independent and see them manage Nabuklod well,” she said.

Agricultural products

BUSINESSMAN Patrick Pelayo of Farm Fresh said Nabuklod could be tapped to produce high-value crops, including ube (purple yam) and strawberries. He disclosed that a prominent ice-cream maker based in Metro Manila wants Pampanga to produce ube and strawberries as the supply is becoming scarce.

Mayor Pelayo said local officials and the governor of Nueva Vizcaya are willing to teach Nabuklod farmers how to produce strawberries, ube and other high-value crops. He said the area where Nueva Vizcaya’s high-value crops grow is similar to Nabuklod in terms of temperature and landscape.

“The area for high-value crops should be cold like Nabuklod. We will conduct soil test to determine what crops we can plant here,” said Pineda while standing on one of the two view decks constructed last year.

Gilda Padua, president of the Alliance of Travel and Tours Agencies of Pampanga (Attap), recently sponsored a civic-action project in Nabuklod with the Rotary Club of Rotary Club of Parañaque East headed by Ramil de Mesa in coordination with the 7th Tactical Fighter “Bulldogs” Squadron of the Air Defense Wing at the Basa Air Base here.

Padua said the Attap members will support the project of the Pampanga provincial government.  She added that the preservation of the Aeta culture and the natural beauty of Nabuklod “are its major attractions.”

“An immersion with the Aetas that ends with a relaxing spa is a real joy and attraction to visitors, both foreign and local,” said Padua, who is being considered by the governor to help train Aetas as spa workers.

Nabuklod is indeed a paradise in the sky. The development of the area into an agri-tourism project is a boon to the Aetas who have also begun to call the governor “Nanay” like many residents in Pampanga who have come to believe in her sincerity to make their lives better and their communities their own little corners of paradise.