Story & photos by Euden Valdez
Considered as the country with the longest Christmas celebration, holiday in the Philippines is just about to end this January.
Definitely, streets, establishments and even households are still bedecked with decorations, simple or grand, but always glowing from Christmas lights and lanterns. But while dazzling and dancing lights are a common sight to Filipinos living in urban areas during Yuletide, a single electric lamp is still a rarity—often a scarcity—to indigenous peoples (IPs) residing in remote communities. Take for example members of the Dumagat tribe settled at Sitio Manggahan of Barangay Daraitan in the municipality of Tanay in Rizal. To this day, they live without access to electricity, their huts engulfed in total darkness at night.
In the season’s spirit of selflessness, a group of outdoor enthusiasts slash volunteers addressed the IP’s right to a basic need. On December 17, Random Act of Kindness (RAK) donated eight solar lamps to eight Dumagat families. The recipients hail from Purok Paydas, the remotest settlement that is surrounded by Daraitan River.
For the first time, these families welcomed Christmas and New Year Eves with lights above their heads.
Fund-raising climbs
Formed in 2012, RAK started as a group of outdoor enthusiasts, who, despite coming from different backgrounds and professions, shared the love for trekking or hiking. In every immersion to a mountain, the members got to know its rightful dwellers, be them locals or IPs, whom they also discovered are in need of help to improve their ways of life.
As such, RAK made its mission to give back to their fellow Filipinos dwelling in remote, mountainous communities. So in every climb it organized, profits earned from participants are turned into funds for outreach programs. The very first took place in Sitio San Ysiro in Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City.
“We at RAK are held together by a common goal: to impart charity in whatever we do and make a difference in what we do. Our passion for the outdoors has led to the desire to help the most vulnerable,” shared RAK cofounding member Frederick Laping to this author.
For 2016, the group has had about 15 climbs for a cause, the last of which was “Give Light and Pasko Fiesta” at Mount Daraitan, the ancestral domain of m any Dumagat tribes in Tanay, Rizal.
“Mount Daraitan is classified at level 4, a minor hike. The trail that we took to the summit is an assault with rock formations and forest cover,” described Laping who has been a mountaineer for two decades already. “It stands at about 739 meters above sea level.”
At the summit, as the group of 10 participants rested after a tiring hike, Laping stood by the edge of a cliff and pointed down to where RAK’s last outreach program for 2016 would be held the following weekend.
Giving Light
With bad weather forecasted over Calabarzon region for December 17, RAK decided to push through with its outreach program for the Dumagat families of Purok Paydas. However, the rains caused changes in the original plan, which was for RAK members and volunteers to cross the river and camp out with the beneficiaries at their small settlement. Instead, the Dumagat elders were the ones who crossed the river to go to the outreach venue, an abandoned stone house along Sitio Manggahan’s undeveloped road.
Nevertheless, Dumagat Chieftain Eufemia Enciso of Sitio Manggahan greatly appreciated RAK’s effort for not postponing the donation, unlike two private organizations.
“Nagpapasalamat ako at nagpatuloy pa rin ang Random Act Kindness sa pag-aabot ng mga donasyon, damit, pagkain, laruan para sa mga bata. At higit sa lahat, ang solar lamps dahil hanggang ngayon, wala pa rin kaming kuryente [I am grateful because RAK continued its donation of clothes, food and toys for the kids. Most important, the solar lamps, because we still don’t have electricity],” expressed Enciso, who chose the eight rightful recipients of solar lamps.
Also crucial to the Give Light donation was SolarSolutions Inc., a social enterprise which promotes the use of sustainable, clean energy, like solar power. Through RAK’s partnership with SolarSolutions—where Laping also serves as community engagement manager—innovative, effective and safe solar lamps were provided. Discounted at P2,700 each, the eight solar lamps were bought using RAK’s funds gathered throughout the year.
Besides the Dumagat beneficiaries, about a hundred adults and children of Sitio Manggahan were also given in-kind donations during the Pasko Fiesta activity. Parents chose secondhand clothes, while kids enjoyed games.
“We hope that this simple gesture of kindness will become our contribution for the betterment of our community and the environment,” Laping concluded.
Image credits: Euden Valdez